Dr. Jeff Taylor on Transylvanian Carpet: "A Cultural Cocktail"

By: Pat McDonald

Posted: 11/24/09

Carpets. Found in every society and culture, these floor coverings may seem mundane and ordinary to the unknowing individual. After all, carpets are made for people to walk on and, generally, do not last for long periods of time due to wear and overuse. For a brief second, however, stop and think about the presence of carpets in the society today. Much like in the current societies found in the world, carpets have been items found and passed down through generations in history. With this in mind, it should come as no surprise that the history of carpet-making exists as a field of study. Spanning numerous academic disciplines including history, business and art, the role of carpets in societies has only recently become an area of discussion. In fact, in Dr. Jeff Taylor's lecture, "The Curious Cultural Cocktail of the Transylvanian Carpet," he states that "the study of carpets has only existed for around 100 years." In such a little amount of time, carpets have become one of the most hotly debated historical subjects, pitting culture against culture.

On Thursday, November 12, Dr. Jeff Taylor presented a lecture courtesy of the Tagaste program, Academic Affairs, the Human Arts program and sponsored by the History honors society, Phi Alpha Theta. According to www.hist.ceu.hu, Dr. Taylor is a history professor at the Central European University in Budapest, Hungary. Taylor is also the CEO of First European Shipping and the founder of Taylor Art Advisors, two companies he created, according to linkedin.com. It is clear to see the extensive background that Dr. Taylor possesses in art, history and business in running his own company. These three fields of study represent the important aspects of the role of carpets in history and the way in which they are studied. In fact, Dr. Taylor's knowledge and expertise in various academic areas appealed to the Tagaste program and Professor Irina Mukhina in procuring Taylor for the lecture. "The Tagaste program focuses on learning that is cross disciplinary and Dr. Taylor brings a knowledge of marketing and management as well as history to the lecture," said Professor Mukhina. This blending of academic disciplines served as the basis for Taylor's lecture topic.

The topic of the discussion focused on the Transylvanian Carpet and its role and presence in academia. Dr. Taylor pointed out that, "Every aspect of the Transylvanian Carpet-from production to design-is highly debated by scholars." For those who may not know, the Transylvanian Carpet refers to the ornate carpets found in the Transylvanian region although not necessarily originating there. When the study of carpets and carpet-making became a field of study, most of the older carpets were located in Transylvania, hence their eventual namesake. The main intellectual ideas expressed by Taylor centered around the two main debates in regards to carpets.

The first debate, as Taylor described it, has to do with "where the Transylvanian Carpets came from and who originally invented them." Traditionally, it is thought that the Islamic world and more specifically the areas of Iran and Turkey are responsible for the creation of these beautiful art forms. However, as Dr. Taylor points out, a book by Volkmar Gantzhorn titled Christian Oriental Carpets claims that "the Armenian Christians were the primary creators of the carpet designs." A controversial assertion in itself, the fact that Armenians and Turks have a troubled relationship only adds more fuel to the fire. Along with this debate, a secondary area of controversy surrounds the mystery around which society "is responsible for preserving the carpets that historians can look at," according to Dr. Taylor.

With the use of images of Transylvanian Carpets to supplement the lecture, Dr. Taylor presented a colorful and tangible aspect to the discussion. Professor Lance Lazar of the History Department said, "Dr. Taylor's lecture lived up to the them of curiousness as suggested in the title of his lecture." Assumption has always proclaimed serious intellectual debate as an integral part of the learning experience and this lecture reinforced that them. "The lecture was a way for a historian to showcase the place of history in the marketplace of ideas," remarked Professor Lazar. The Assumption Community experienced another lively discussion on an interesting lecture topic and Dr. Taylor delivered a presentation, which exceeded the expectations for a relatively unknown scholarly debate.