Where is Lembeck Castle? It is in Germany, in Westfalia on the north edge of the Ruhr area, the "Kohlenpott" (coal bin), the closely settled industrial area that for a hundred years was the center of German coal and steel production. In recent decades, it has been in flux with shifts to industries not identified with belching smokestacks. From Dusseldorf, one drive through the center of the Ruhr area towards the northeast, past the Hüls Chemical Works and the shut down coal mines, soon reaching an idyllic area of large farms with high silos, bountiful green meadows, black and white cattle, hundred-year-old oaks, along roads bordered by tall trees. One of the impressive avenues through the flat landscape leads straight to Lembeck Castle.
Mighty, baroque walls rise from the water of the broad moat that both protects and embellishes the castle, which seems twice as tall high thanks to its reflection in the water. Long before the industrial age, this fertile area of Westfalia was marked by agricultural prosperity and the landed nobility could afford castle-like homes. There are many moated castles in Westfalia but the upkeep of these centuries-old buildings devours immense sums. Some owners, such as those of Lembeck Castle, have opened their homes to the public and make the large, high rooms available for cultural events.
When I visited Lembeck in June, water was not just all around it but also coming from above. It rained for days! The sun was not to be seen, nor even located, behind the low-hanging clouds. It was depressing! But once inside, up the creaking stairs, in the high exhibition rooms, all my north German melancholy disappeared. Even in the subdued daylight, the cheerful colors of the central Anatolian kilims glowed. For those who know, love, and treasure the colors of Anatolian kilims, this exhibition was a special treat for the eyes. Even for entirely inexperienced visitors -- such as the cyclers who were just escaping from the rain and found themselves looking at the kilims simply to pass time -- it was a real pleasure. Industriously they filled out the questionnaire, "Which kilim do you like best?" and so on.
Not a single kilim has poor colors; none is tiresome or unsatisfying. Here no plain blue and red Yünçu hangs; no dull, indigo-sulfon-based greens are to be seen; not a single early aniline dye has snuck in. The rich palette of the warm colors of central Anatolian kilims rules. But there is one kilim from southeastern Anatolia with a cool cochineal red. For this courageous choice, I especially wish to congratulate the selection committee: Udo Hirsch, Ulrich Türck, and Dietmar Pelz.
All the kilims come from the collections of the members of the Freundeskreis orientaler Teppiche und Textilien in Westfalen, a rug society of which Dr. Pelz is president. More than 100 pieces were submitted for the first sorting; 60 survived to the second round; and 30 were finally selected for the exhibition and illustration in the catalogue. The anonymous selection process resulted, in most cases, in unanimous decisions, no doubt as result of the jurors' long experience with hundreds of Anatolian kilims; they were in agreement that color should have precedence over design.
In this exhibition, one approached the Anatolian kilim entirely and solely on the basis of aesthetics, especially the aesthetics of color. Here, in contrast with the Yayla exhibit in Berlin and Frankfurt in 1993, there was no effort to present "missing links" for esoteric theories about designs; therefore, no concessions in the aesthetic quality of the choices were made. The beauty of the individual colors and their harmonious combination with each other was the primary consideration. The combination of yellow, violet, and madder red is simply irresistible for the connoisseur of central Anatolian kilims and rugs, even if there are only plain stripes of these seductive colors! The reverse side of a few of the kilims were even shown, to present the unfaded colors. Good natural dyes do not fade entirely over even hundreds of years, but they do become subdued. The colors on the reverse side of a kilim are closer to the original intensity. This decision, to show the back side of the kilims, testifies to the exhibitors' bold emphasis on color.
None of the kilims in this exhibition has been restored. All are in more or less thin and fragmentary state, washed and sewn on linen backing. This treatment is completely satisfactory. The reviewer had to ask himself whether a complete kilim, much less one without patina or traces of use, i.e., one that had lain for decades or centuries in the often mentioned Anatolian trousseau chest, would have even a chance of getting into this exhibit. Perhaps, in this group in Westfalia; otherwise, they would not have had to show the reverse of some of the kilims. But esteem and high aesthetic classification of the fragment, of mere wear, of apparently visible age, is a trend of the times that has a strong following. Bertram Frauenknecht made the fragment acceptable in the 1980s. In David Black's trailblazing book in 1977, The Undiscovered Kelim, all the kilims are complete!
Since fragments are now marketable, and because of their handier size, it is understandable that the trade is providing them; from one make two, or better three! The practice results in a puzzle that bridges continents, when, for example, collectors in Europe and America compare photos and discover that they apparently have pieces of the same kilim!
The kilim illustrated in plate 24 of the exhibition catalogue (Illustration . ) shows a profusion of harmonious color combinations in 12 rhomboids on 12 fields. In the illustration, this large kilim (3.77 m long) may appear pale, but a closeup of one of the rhomboids, shown full page in the catalogue, demonstrates the unsurpassed glory of the colors, the intensity and harmony of just one of these 12 fields. Ulrich Türck, author of the catalogue, gives Cappadocia as the source of this kilim, not Karapinar, as is usual. Six other kilims are also attributed to Cappadocia. From their colors, they all are very similar to the knotted, yellow ground, so-called "Konya rugs"1. These rugs do not come from Konya, as we now know, but rather from mosques in Kappadocia, the famous volcanic limestone area in central Turkey with painted underground churches and cloisters, that until 1923 had a mixed Moslem and Christian population. Thus, because of their colors, these kilims have been attributed to Cappadocia. Apparently there were no other reasons for this classification.
PIate 29 (Illustration ...) shows a kilim with a yellow-to-gold colored field, very like the color on Cappadocian rugs (but strangely attributed to Konya instead of Cappadocia). The intensity of the color is apparent even on the small reproduction of this more than 4 meter long kilim. The rhomboid on the left half with the green border of hooks on the orange-yellow field especially strikes the eye. This kilim is paler on its reverse side. Apparently it lay with that side up for quite some time. It is unusual to find older kilims with color-fast natural dyes whose fronts have been protected in this way. Often newer kilims with synthetic dyes are handled in this way2 because the producers -- Yürüks -- have learned that the chemical dyes fade quite quickly. The "right" side should keep its colors longer, and is only turned up for special occasions, like weddings or circumcision celebrations, when the splendor of the colors is shown off.
The two piece kilim in plate 4 (Illustration ), of which only the central portion remains, is impressive not just for the various combinations of patinated colors but also for the four powerful hexagonal motifs with hooks. These make an archaic impression; they could be the origin for this rare type. But they probably belong to an offshoot in the history of this pattern. In the eyes of the weaver, the work is also not perfect, since the two halves do not aline accurately.
The exhibition demonstrates that, despite the volume of works published on Anatolian kilims, still unknown forms and types are being discovered. An example of this is the kilim with a black ground in plate 30 (Illustration ). The simple comb-like elements in yellow, violet red, red-brown, medium and dark blue, turquoise and white leap from the dark background towards the viewer. Although no system for the distribution of the colors can be recognized, the piece does not appear confused. The yellow border reins in the wildness in the middle and holds it all together. Due to the great interest in the exhibition it was extended, but only a relative few of the world-wide conununity of kilim enthusiasts will have been able to make their way to Lembeck castle in Westfatia. There is a consolation for those who could not get there. A catalogue in German and English with color reproductions of all the items and two full-page close-ups is available for DM 98 from Uta Hülsey (Postfach 100034, D-45461 Wesel) or from the publisher, Dr. Dietmar Pelz (Finger & Pelz, Postfach 101041, 45010 Essen). The catalogue is not just a picture book with excellent photos by Udo Hirsch but also has a 30-page essay by Ulrich Türck which is well worth reading and will, no doubt, again enliven the discussion of Anatolian kilims. The chapters are titled "Arrival of the Kilim in the West," "On the Aesthetics of the Kilim," "The Anatolian Kilim in its Historical and Ethnological Context," "The Question of the Origins of the Kilim." The last chapter has sub-headings: "The Neolithic Theory," "The Turkmen Theory," "Discussion of the Theories." The texts are based on in-depth study of the available literature, as over 100 footnotes attest. They are comprehensive, but not boring, and are clearly written. The presentation of the various theories about design sources is limited to the essentials, is balanced and not polemic. Ulrich Türck's contribution is another milestone in the still young attempts at an understanding of Anatolian kilims and really deserves a separate critique. The following, due to its brevity, is inadequate. I hope, however, that it will entice readers to inspect Türck's original text so that they can form their own opinions.
According to Ulrich Türck, the quality of a kilim can best been determined from aesthetic values. Aspects such as age, rarity, design, and source are secondary. He admits that an aesthetic judgment of kilims is, to a large degree, emotional and subjective. Agreement in the aesthetic judgment by different persons comes only with long common experience and intense visual training. The three-man jury for the selection of this exhibition experienced this. There was no effort made to detail concrete criteria for the aesthetic judgment of Anatolian kilims. It was only emphasized that the quality of the colors had precedence, color rather than form.
In the following chapters, "The Anatolian Kilim in its Historical and Ethnological Context" and "The Question of the Origins of the Kilim," the author offers an abundance of information from the literature and presents arguments for his thesis that the present Anatolians are still predominantly descendents of the original Anatolian population, which was absorbed by the Turkoman immigrants, even though the latters' language predominated. His conclusion culminates in the statement: "The Anatolian weaving groups are not simply Central Asian Turkomans but Anatolians carrying on the traditions passed down to them before and after their Turkification." In the discussion of the various theories about the source and derivation of kilim patterns and motifs, Türck's own position shimmers through. He considers the Turkoman theory to be weakly founded, leans rather to the neolithic theory, and would prefer that this be called the Anatolian theory which he feels is more appropriate. Since a neolithic basis for kilim designs has not yet been scientifically documented, Türck would not go back so far but still as far back as the Phrygian period in Anatolia i.e., into the 7th century B.C.
With this exhibition catalogue, Ulrich Türck has entered the "kilim arena" as a new "matador." The reader will await new contributions from him, in order to be able to enjoy glorious discussions and arguments -- free of polemic, of course.
I would like to congratulate the "Freundeskreis orientalische Teppiche und Textilien in Westfalen" in general, its president, Dietmar Pelz, and especially and specifically Ulrich Türck, the author of the catalogue for the exhibition Anatolian Kilims in Lembeck Castle. As one who has seen all the amjor kilim exhibitions in recent years, I feel Lembeck Castle was well worth the trip.
1 Examples of this group were first published in Brüggemann/Böhmer, Rugs of the Peasants and Nomads in Anatolia, 1980
2 See Ulla Johansen, Alttürkisches Leben im modernen Staat. In Mitteilungen der Deutsch-Türkischen Gesellschaft, Heft 22 (1958).