From
the Publisher
Oriental Rugs Vol.3 - Afghanistan
The author provides a new introduction and two
additional chapters dealing with the huge refugee problem and
consequent changes in carpet production.
Forty supplementary colour plates illustrate and
enhance this new material which, combined with the original text and
illustrations, guide the keen collector and the first-time buyer
through a labyrinth of fascinating choices.
Author Richard Parsons, for many years buyer in
Afghanistan for the well-known firm O.C.M. (London) Ltd., treats the
reader to not only a veritable feast of carpets and rugs, all with
their attendant tribal origins and motifs vividly explained, but also
to a fascinating journey through the history of a diverse, colourful,
multiracial country.
The author shares his respect and admiration for
Afghanistan’s stoic people, who somehow, despite political upheavals,
forced resettlement, a harsh climate, and often primitive nomadic
living conditions, manage to fashion exquisite works of art which
reflect their pride in their many-faceted heritage. Afghan rugs, which
are instantly appealing due to their traditional colours and bold
designs, open up a whole new vista for the collector, from sumptuous
piled purdahs to flat woven prayer rugs.
The Author
On completing his National Service in Egypt, Richard Parsons spent some
time with the Colonial Service, before joining a Mining Finance house
and working for several years in West Africa before being posted to
Teheran. Here he fell in love with Oriental carpets and on completion
of his assignment in Iran, faced with the prospect of a London office,
he abandoned his career for the carpet trade, to the consternation of
his family and friends.
He subsequently joined the prestigious firm of
Oriental Carpet Wholesalers in the U.K., whose agents buy from all over
the carpet- making world for sale in the U.K. and redistribution all
over the world. After training at the London warehouse and in Iran, he
was sent to Afghanistan as assistant buyer. He soon took over full
responsibilities staying on in Afghanistan until 1979, when that
country was occupied by the Soviet Union, then went as buyer to
Pakistan, where he lived and worked until the end of 1981. Richard
Parsons now works in Hong Kong.
His knowledge and love of Afghan rugs have
prompted him to devote a great deal of time researching, writing and
recording for posterity the details of rug production and tribal
history in that remote but beautiful country. 1851491449
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