Throughout history, western art appreciation has consistently relegated rug artistry to within the boundaries of craft – ie. the domestic realm, the feminine, of lesser value. In the canon of European art, the 20th century rates as the period of discovery of colour as pure non-representational form. So late compared with rugs! “Oh you painters […]
Living + working in Bangalow, recently whacked by Cyclone Alfred we’re reminded of how the traditional rugs survived the 2022 floods, and the copies didn’t, when whole towns went under water. People were dropping off full ute’s of muddy, flood rugs for us to wash. We were washing constantly for 3 months and not one […]
February, when great drifts of snow showcase the brutal beauty of the treeless Kurdish hills. I’m leaving Sanandaj the capital to travel south towards the head of the Persian Gulf. Sanandaj is, in rug parlance, Senneh. Senneh rugs have a distinctive weave that can be easily identified. In English the look of the back or […]
THE OCTAGRAM is so ancient it is pre religion, a time when Goddesses ruled societies that understood shapes and numbers can reveal the intrinsic beauty and complexity of the universe. With agriculture and settlement, the original monotheistic Persian Zoroastrians and later male God faiths required a simpler star as an emblem, a flag even, marching […]
250g Raisins 250g Apricots quartered 155g Sultanas 90g glace Cherries quartered 250g Chopped Glace fruit 1Tbsp Angostura Bitters 1/2 C. Dark Rum 6 Eggs 1 1/4 C. Caster Sugar ½ C. Flour 1tsp Baking pwd 90g Shredded Coconut 500g Pecan halves Combine all fruits, add Bitters & Rum stand overnight. Next Day :- Whisk together […]
HISTORY REPEATS October 2001. For a year we had been refurbishing the heritage listed old building, working towards The Rug Shop when NINE ELEVEN happened. Not a propitious time to open a shop specialising in rugs from the US President’s “WAR ON TERROR” and his “AXIS OF EVIL”. However, we are merchants international traders in a […]
The Bazaar Vakil is the one of the most elegant. Small in size, and hundreds of years old, the cupola archways every two odd metres with floors at chest height. As one casually perambulates along (everything is Shiraz is casual no rush) one can enquire more or less face to face with the retailer who […]
The Human Element Georgia Fox 2024 marks the 50th anniversary of the Cater family’s Rug Shop – the last 23 years of which have been spent enriching the main street of Bangalow. Georgia Fox spoke with proprietors Anne & Milton to learn more. In 1974, with a handshake between strangers in the bazaar of the […]
Our collection of Shiraz Kelims all come from various Qashgai weavers in the surrounding Zagros Mountains of Shiraz, Persia. Handmade in the 20th Century. Hand-spun wool. They are used as flooring or as decorative wall hangings in their nomad tents. The colourful traditional Qashgai live an elemental style of life. They migrate each year between […]
How is this for a coincidence? Australian Native First Nations art, and especially Queenie Mckenzie paintings really appealed. Then an art gallery friend called to discuss the issue of having these paintings translated to the medium of woollen rugs. Blow me down, this gallerista represented Queenie Mckenzie along with other Indigenous artists and had a […]
Here is a link to see a video of the 17th Century Pashmina Carpet made for the 5th Emperor of the Mughal Empire, Shah Jahan.
