The Met to Show Nomadic Weavings from the Collection of William and Inger Ginsberg
by Julie Musbach
- Sep 9, 2017
Woven bags produced by and for nomads from Iran, Turkey, and the Caucasus contained all of the necessities of life, from bedding to salt. Opening September 25 at The Metropolitan Museum of Art, the exhibition Portable Storage: Tribal Weavings from the Collection of William and Inger Ginsberg will highlight 19 distinctly patterned examples of woven bags, accompanied by one pile-woven saddle cover, that lend insight into a way of life practiced in the Middle East for hundreds of years. The gift, which came to The Met in 2015, greatly expands the Museum's holdings of tribal weavings from the region. The exhibition will also include two Islamic paintings from the Museum's collection that illustrate bags and trappings in use in traditional society.
