IMAGE DETAILS

Southern Swedish carriage cushion, Persiska Huset, Gothenburg

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06 July 2006

We asked two very different observers, both visitors to London from the  English West Coutry and with quintessentially non-metropolitan voices, to record their impressions of the the 9th HALI Fair at Olympia (8-18 June 2006). The thoughts are those of HALI's semi-resident grumpy old man, Cotswold rug dealer Anthony Hazledine, and Valerie Hoff Bedford, a collector/dealer whose taste in art is as quirky, broad and eclectic as her knowledge of the field.

Tony Hazledine writes: Out in the sticks where I live, there are many old saws about weather forecasting, most involving seaweed, cloud formations and the behaviour of animals. These require generations of experience and a bit of luck, but I can announce a foolproof new method. To be certain of perfect weather for your holidays, book them for the duration of The HALI Fair. Mid-June again saw England in the grip of a heatwave, with Olympia more like its Peloponnesian original than west London.

A number of changes were apparent this year, not all uncontroversial. The most obvious was the loss of the word 'carpet' from the title. No doubt the master-stroke of a twelve-year-old PR guru in touch with the now and the new, this was perplexing to those dealers, connoisseurs and collectors (I include myself) who assume that an event with the HALI brand has a strong commitment to promoting carpets. There were in fact fewer rug dealers at the fair, but this was mainly due to the exclusion of those with 'weaker' stock, and that's no bad thing.

That having been said, this was not a vintage year and there were not that many pieces that jumped off their stands and grabbed me by the throat. But the fair looked very good, with a spacious layout, felt relaxed and, most importantly, the air conditioning worked a treat. The wide aisles made for comfortable viewing and a bit of serious poking around did reveal some beautiful carpets and textiles.

Close to the entrance, on a large 'island' stand, the eminent Italian dealer David Sorgato had some equally eminent carpets. One that really caught my eye was a lovely 17th century Transylvanian rug (4) with a palette oddly reminiscent of an Afshar. Initially unremarkable design-wise, closer inspection revealed a lovely main border both complex and flowing with a quirky break in colour at the bottom, flanked by minor borders of reciprocal trefoils. The field contained four well-drawn cloudbands. For a rug of this age its condition was remarkable, with original kilim ends and minimal restoration.

Nearby, a rare and unusual 18th century Derbent (?) embroidered panel, its denim-blue ground sparsely worked in glistening silk (2), signposted The Textile Gallery's 'perfect' cameo display of Caucasian needlework.

There were a couple of good Turkmens on show, one of which was a beautiful Tekke main carpet with Giacomo Manoukian Noseda from Milan (5). Although not necessarily the oldest or most unusual in the world, it had that wonderful colour that good Tekkes have, with spacious drawing, good wool and fine condition.

Another noteworthy Turkmen was a Yomut carpet (7) sold by Oxford's Chris Legge. Small size and narrow main borders are often a feature of old Turkmens, and with its wonderful wool and intense dyes this one just exuded age. The most striking thing were the superb totemic elems, which although sadly truncated at the top end appeared almost intact at the bottom.

The next item to be unearthed couldn't have been further removed, geographically or aesthetically. On the stand of Persiska Huset from Gothenburg I came across a tapestry-woven carriage cushion (1) which was surely the best in the world. With such clear bright colours, without the inwoven date pinpointing it to 1717 it would have been hard to believe it was nearly three hundred years old. In superb condition, the delightfully naïve lions rampant flanked by trees full of birds on a wavy blue ground had about them a feeling of the medieval. As if this wasn't enough it had a fascinating provenance, having once been owned by Alfred Nobel of dynamite and prize fame.

Another textile punching far above its size was a silk hat from Aleppo (6) sold by Stuttgart's Ulrike Montigel. This was a real jewel. Four panels each containing a flowering plant were surrounded by a meandering line of tulips drawn with real delicacy. The perfect headwear for smoking a pipe of opium whilst reading a slim volume of Baudelaire.

At the other textile extreme was a grand 'giant leaf' tapestry on the stand of first-time exhibitors S. Franses of London (3). The opportunity to see great and rare weavings is a real strength of The HALI Fair, and this comes firmly in that category. This mid-16th century style of Flemish tapestry with its peacocks and ornamental birds perched amidst giant swirling leaves and foliage would centuries later prove an inspiration to the genius of William Morris.

Over in the Tribal Arts section my eye was caught not so much by one object as by a whole stand. The meticulous presentation and attention to detail that London dealer Clive Loveless brings to his booth would be a credit to any major fair and long may we continue to see him in London. Groups of delicate arrowheads from islands in the South Seas were displayed alongside spear throwers from Australia, but if I had to choose one item it would be a textile, albeit a non-woven one. A tapa made by Baining people of New Britain (8) is a ceremonial cloth made from the bark of the breadfruit tree and painted with what seem to our eyes astonishingly modern designs. Such objects are rare, traditionally being burned after ritual use. The few that survive were collected by early missionaries and travellers.

The stand of Istanbul's excellent Cornucopia magazine held another rather understated gem: a set of black and white photographs taken in southeastern Turkey in the 1950s by Cafer Turkmen. With a theme of textiles and costume the images are a fascinating and poignant record of a way of life in rural Asia Minor that is all but gone. Until 1950 no travellers were allowed beyond the Euphrates and when restrictions were lifted Turkmen was one of the first photographers to visit. A 30-page illustrated article in a recent edition of the magazine should be eagerly sought by anyone with a love of Anatolia.

Attendance at the Summer Olympia Fine Art & Antiques Fair was noticeably down on previous years, but at HALI the PR effort seems to have worked well, with entries on HALI tickets up about twenty per cent year-on-year, and most dealers happy with the business done. I say long live the 'HALI CARPET, Textile & Tribal Art Fair', just get the weather sorted out.