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Carpets form some of the most treasured objects in the collection of Museum for Islamic Art.
Did you know in Europe, there was a time when knotted carpets from the Islamic world were considered the crème de la crème of luxury art? We are talking about the late 13th century onwards. These carpets were in high demand, imported and collected by Europeans for over 800 years.
Hardly any other artistic genre outside Europe was as continuously admired and valued as that of knotted carpets. From adorning walls and tables to often being depicted in Italian paintings, these carpets were everywhere. Through ownership and presentation, carpets demonstrated their owner’s wealth, prestige and good taste. Many examples survive today in the preserved collections of wealthy noble families such as the Medici of Florence or the royal houses of Portugal and England.
Journey to the Museum
It was during the 19th century that Islamic art history emerged as an independent field of study thus, shedding a new light on these remarkable carpets. No longer seen merely as floor coverings, these carpets were now revered as pure works of art, captivating the hearts of wealthy art enthusiasts and finding their way into both private drawing rooms and prestigious museums around the world.
Once these carpets made their way into museums, a transformative shift took place. Removed from their original context, they ceased to serve their intended purpose as functional floor coverings. Instead, they were delicately hung on walls, demanding the undivided attention of viewers and revealing their beauty as art objects. The vibrant colors and designs created a vivid spectacle within the exhibition space. By hanging carpets on the wall like paintings, their receptions as works of art worth studying and preserving increased.
It is important to understand that carpets are fragile, and they need protection from various factors that can cause damage, like temperature changes, air pollution, too much light or theft. Conservation protects them from these and other influences, but when an object is irreparably damaged, a serious conservation or restoration concept has to be developed.
But what drives this decision making process?
We look at the carpet restoration history at the Museum for Islamic Art to understand what goes on behind the scenes.
Conservation versus Restoration
For a non-specialist, the terms conservation and restoration are often used interchangeably. But there are some differences in both techniques that separates them. Conservation and restoration share a common goal of preserving a work of art, but they differ in their approaches and objectives. Conservation focuses on maintaining and preventing further deterioration, while restoration involves actively repairing and reconstructing to restore an artwork to its original state. For both measures, the traces of the past are deciphered by scientific, art-technological and art-historical investigations, amongst others. They provide information on the condition of the artwork, its material, production, origin and use, thus its history.
The implementation of an action should always follow an ethical obligation: Am I capable of doing this? Am I doing enough?
The Trauma of The Second World War and the Beacon of Hope (Mizi Donner)
In the aftermath of World War II...
...the museum staff found themselves confronted with the devastating destruction inflicted upon their collection. More than seventeen carpets were almost completely destroyed when the Berlin Mint was bombed on 11 March 1945. Mizi Donner was a 70 year old conservator working at the museum at the time, and emerged as the remarkable figure whose tireless efforts would ultimately restore a glimmer of hope and save history from being forgotten forever.
The year was 1948, and for two long years, Mizi Donner embarked on a mission to salvage the carpet known as 'I.1'. She restored the carpet using a simple black and white photograph as a reference. The mirrored imaged pattern allowed her to use both sides of the carpet to replace destroyed areas. She painstakingly reassembled the carpet until at least a quarter could be recognised. The patches and darned areas are still visible. Her work and efforts saved one of the most important artworks in Berlin's collection.
I.1: The famous Bode-Animal-Carpet
The Persian Animal-Carpet, known as 'I.1', holds a significant place in the history of the Museum for Islamic Art. It was the first object to be inventoried when the museum was established in 1904. This carpet held a special position in Wilhem von Bode's carpet research, as it became a focal point of his studies. Originally acquired by Bode in 1891, the carpet is believed to have come from a Genoese synagogue.
Bode had focused on this carpet in his seminal essay on the carpet collection, cementing its fame and providing visual evidence of its early-20th-century condition.
Saved for the Future
The white-ground, North-west Persian animal carpet (I.1), perhaps the most famous carpet in the collection, burned almost entirely as a fire-bomb hit the storage where carpets were stored for safety. Drawing upon her extensive experience as a former needlework teacher at the court of Vienna, Mizi Donner meticulously reconstructed the carpet from the remnants that had survived the fire.
The surviving fragment represents the Berlin carpet collection's origins, its traumatic losses as a result of war, and the desire to begin anew. Not a complete restoration, Donner restored the famous animal carpet to the best of her knowledge and conscience from its pitiful remains. In order to reconstruct its varied designs, the cranes, panthers, hoofed animals, trees and flowers from the preserved scraps of fabric were sewn together, stuffed and patched, both in mirror image, upside down, turned by 180° and also from back to front. In this way it was possible to reconstruct a quarter of the original carpet.
Today the carpet remains a symbol of the Berlin collection and carpet scholarship.
The Caucasian dragon carpet was also stored alongside the Bode Animal carpet in the vault of the Berlin mint when it was hit by a fire-bomb in 1945. The flames ate their way from the outside of the rolled carpet inward. The losses are therefore greatest on those sections first accessible to the fire.
Attempts to conserve the charred remains of the dragon carpet began close to the museum’s 100th anniversary. The conservators wanted to exemplify the history of the Museum by showing the devastations of war. This was the reason not to replace the missing areas with matching woolen fabric. The conservation measures deliberately emphasize the dragon carpet's fire damage. At the 100th anniversary of the museum in 2004, the dragon carpet was exhibited for the first time since its devastation. It stands as a memorial to the losses the collection endured during The Second World War.
Search for Clues
The extensive damage with numerous missing sections of the carpet posed a significant challenge for the skilled conservators. The only clue to the burnt carpet’s original size and appearance were present in form of a photomontage. The photomontage of two black and white images was from around 1900s. These images were like a window to the past, and the conservators relied heavily on this precious find to guide them in their efforts to preserve and restore the fragments. It was an invaluable tool, enabling them to piece together the puzzle and conserve the burnt carpet fragments in 2004.
How do the conservators take care of the carpets today?
How are centuries-old carpets restored?
The museum's restorers give a unique insight into their exciting day-to-day work.
Crime scene carpet
Outlook
The conservators at our museum ensure the carpets are protected, well cared for and preserved for the future generations. While the Museum for Islamic Art is temporarily closed for renovation, the conservators have a unique opportunity to once again extensively examine, restore and preserve the carpets that had been hanging in the exhibition halls for years. Through this meticulous care, they are safeguarding centuries of artistic and cultural heritage.
Read more related stories...
Where is the Dragon?
The star of the "CulturalxCollabs - Weaving the Future" project is a so-called Caucasian dragon carpet from the 17th century. A dragon carpet - all well and good - but: where is the dragon?
Weaving the Future
Join us on a journey with 100 carpet fragments as they travel around the world for three and a half years, finding temporary homes while bridging cultural boundaries, fostering worldwide community united by the power of human stories.
Dismantling the Carpet Exhibition
Wonder how the process of dismantling an exhibition in the museum looks like? Get an insight into the techniques and methods used for taking down the carpet exhibition in the Museum for Islamic Art.
