Meeting Announcement:

Scientific Techniques in Oriental Carpet Studies

with

Jürg Rageth

at

The Burke Museum

University of Washington Campus

Monday, April 17, 2006, 7:00 PM

“How old is it?” is one of the most confounding questions that we ponder when considering an antique rug or textile. Most collectible pieces come to us after many years and many owners – and little can be said with certainty about their true age. Sometimes the best that even an expert can offer is an opinion that a given piece is most likely “recent”, or, perhaps, “pre-20^th century”. Scholars have typically used art-historical methods to determine the age of rugs. Jürg Rageth is a pioneer in applying the scientific tools of radiocarbon dating and chemical dye analysis to this pressing question, and his research has shown that these techniques can add significant insight when combined with traditional art-historical approaches.

In his presentation, Jürg Rageth will describe and discuss the scientific identification of different sorts of insect dyes and the way they have been used by the Turkmen of Central Asia. He will show how the use of insect dyes changed over time, and how these natural materials were eventually replaced with synthetic alternatives.

Jürg Rageth is an independent Oriental carpet and textile researcher, based in Riehen, Switzerland. He has been involved with radiocarbon dating since 1995 and has published several articles on this subject. This presentation to STARS represents part of his recent work for a forthcoming publication on Turkmen carpets of Central Asia. As the head of the Basel rug society “Freunde des Orientteppichs”, he was the organizer of several carpet and textile symposia, which have been published under his imprint.

Meeting Schedule:

7:00 Mix and mingle. Announcements.

7:30 Jurg Rageth: Scientific Techniques in Oriental Carpet Studies

8:30 Show and tell – Please bring a rug or textile to share with the group. Turkmen pieces would be especially interesting, though Mr. Rageth is also an expert on Turkish kilims.

Please note: This meeting is free to members, $5 at the door for guests.

Meeting Location and Directions:

The Burke Museum is located at the Northwest corner of the University of Washington campus, near the corner of 17^th Avenue NE and NE 45^th Street. The Burke Room is on the left side of the lobby as you enter off of 17^th. Parking is available in the lot just South of the Burke Museum, or on the street in the University District.