The Other Bright Star

[Detail view, The Annunciation, with Saint Emidius, 1486, Carlo Crivelli, via The National Gallery, London.]

I haven't added any Italian words to my vocabulary since this October post so I still have very little chance of comprehending the text in Crivelli e l'arte Tessile (Crivelli and the Textile Arts).

[Book image via Moshe Tabibnia.]

Nonetheless, I'm tempted to buy a copy just to savor the color illustrations. The book, a project of the soon-to-open Museum of Antique Textile Art in Milan (MATAM), is a sort of complement to the Crivelli e Brera exhibition catalog mentioned in the earlier post. MATAM's edition explores in great detail the carpets and textiles seen in the works of Venetian painter Carlo Crivelli.

[Rendering of Museum of Antique Textile Art in Milan scheduled to open in 2011.]

Some rug junkies are familiar with the 'Crivelli star,' a classical rug design named for the Renaissance artist, and in the spring 2010 issue Hali notes that the unusual sixteen-pointed star is famously seen in The Annunciation, 1486  (detail view shown at top).

[Ruthie Sommers design, October 2006 issue of California Style Magazine.]

I know sticky, steamy weather and jewel-toned wool rugs don't necessarily go hand in hand (in summer, oriental rugs seem to look great by a pool in L.A. but not so seasonal in Georgia where they are often rolled up this time of year). Still, if you want to see a selection of stellar antique rugs, click here to check out textile dealer Moshe Tabibnia's blog and learn more about the recently closed show. Tabibnia is a leading supporter of education and force behind MATAM. There's an array of helpful information on the dealer's main site too; don't miss the images in Moshe Tabibnia Gallery's laboratory.

[1930s Khotan courtesy Allan Arthur.]

Loosely related past post: Khotan Rugs.