NEW PERSPECTIVES ON THE TRINITARIAS CARPET IN THE COLLECTION OF THE NATIONAL GALLERY OF VICTORIA – TAASA Review September 2020
UNLOCK THIS ARTICLE
This article was originally found in the September 2020 edition of TAASA Review (Volume 29, Issue 3, Page 13).
The full article is available for free to TAASA Members.
Registeror Login
Susan Scollay O ne of the most significant examples of Islamic art in Australia is an unusually large carpet with an interesting provenance in the collection of the National Gallery of Victoria (NGV).
Known as the Trinitarias Carpet and recognised internationally as `the most important early carpet in a museum in Australia’ (Denny 2013), it remains little known to local audiences despite its unique place in the nation’s collecting history. Funded by the NGV’s Felton Bequest, the carpet was purchased in 1958 as a work of 16th or 17th century Persian origin, with connections to European royalty.
Occasional questions about its authenticity were raised after its acquisition, but mostly the Trinitarias remained in storage, rarely displayed and little researched...