The 1931 Persian Art exhibition and its Templeton legacy

Persian carpet reproductions and designs by Templeton�’s of Glasgow

The Persian Carpet in the WestPersian carpets have appealed to Western tastes forcenturies, C. E. C. Tattersall, writing in 1934 accountedfor their unfaltering appeal by suggesting that �“thisadherence to a tradition that only gradually changed isthe keynote of Oriental craftsmanship.�”

Their vibrant colouring and vigorous design make abold and powerful aesthetic statement. From their firstarrival into Western Europe they have always retainedthose associations with rarity and luxury. They retainassociations with power, privilege and masculinity.

The Victoria and Albert (then known as the SouthKensington) Museum began a process of carpet collectingin the last three decades of the nineteenth century. Theacquisition of the Ardebil carpet raised the profile of thiscollecting practice. The Templeton archive contains manyexamples of carpet patterns copied from the V&Acollection, some of these went into production, such asthe Chelsea, Ardebil and Kum carpets.

IntroductionFor my placement I was assigned to the Stoddard-Templeton design archive. My task was to catalogueand repackage the Persian carpet designs and patterns,which were scattered throughout four large drawers.Upon completion of cataloguing I provided a contextualhistory for the designs.

Whilst cataloguing carpet designs, some weremarked with V&A catalogue numbers and dated, whichsuggested that they had been copied from V&A designs.Further research into dates and catalogue numbersrevealed that there had been an Exhibition of PersianArt, held in Burlington House, London in 1931. Itbecame clear that Templeton designers had probablyattended this exhibition, copied designs for inspirationpurposes and possible future reproductions byTempleton.

The 1931 ExhibitionThe Persian Art Exhibition of 1931 was the largest andmost extravagant display of Persian art in Britain todate. It encouraged the publication of many books onthe topic of Persian art, especially carpets. The 1931exhibition followed in a Western tradition of the displayof cultural wealth and prowess.

People could purchase art, to show off theirartistic sensibilities in their home. Carpets fulfilled thispurpose, for the rising professional classes,reproductions of exotic carpets could be bought forreasonable prices in department stores. Books werepublished on the subject of Persian art to educate andinform their aesthetic preferences. These carpetreproductions were a profitable venture for carpetcompanies, designers were sent to these exhibitions andmuseums in order to copy designs for production.Templeton�’s were no different in this respect.

Designers and art students were encouraged tovisit this exhibition, with special rates or opening hoursespecially for them. Many designs in the Templetonarchive are dated from 1931.

Chelsea carpet reproduction

Chelsea carpet reproduction on display in Templeton�’s show room, circa 1947

Kum carpet reproduction

Carpet reproductionsTempleton�’s, like many other carpet manufacturers atthe time, made reproductions of popular carpetdesigns.

Who purchased these? Templeton�’sproduced carpets for domestic use, but their biggestcustomers were hotels, cruise liners and evengovernment buildings, at home and abroad. Persiancarpets were popular as they still retained thoseallusions to grandeur, without the cost of purchasing agenuine oriental carpet. In a domestic setting, they takeon a more intimate meaning, instead conjuring upromantic links with the exotic, suggesting a bohemianlifestyle.

In the 1930�’s London was in the grip of a�“Persian fever�” and its only sensible to assume that thistrend spread to the other cities in the United kingdom,including Glasgow. Templeton�’s readily responded tothe latest consumer tastes. Their catalogues displayvarious reproductions of famous carpets, such as theChelsea or Ardebil, and include variations on colourschemes.

Kum carpet on display, from The Templetonian, June 1938

The Trinitarias CarpetCarpet manufacturing firms acquired original orientalcarpets to study them for design purposes, so theycould copy them and reproduce them in theirfactories. In the case of Templetons they purchased asixteenth-century carpet, the Trinitarias carpet, in1948.

Sketch dated Feb 1931 of seventeenth-century silk

carpet from Shah Abbas II�’s tomb at Kum, probably from

Persian exhibition.

Copy of an Ardebil vase

Sketch of a seventeenth-century silk Persian carpet, from 1931 Exhibition. Dated February 1931.

Trinitarias carpet reproduction

One section of a larger design taken from a carpet from the Palace of the Forty Columns at Isfahan (sketch dated 1931)

Tracing of a border of a silk carpet lent by C.E.C. Tattersall of the V&A, dated May 1931

Contextual information on a sketch taken from a carpet from the Palace of the Forty Columns.

Variation of the Ardebil carpet by Templeton�’s.

Reproduction of a carpet from the Florence

museum by Templeton�’s.