Being called on the carpet isn’t necessarily a bad thing. At least, not at the Macculloch Hall Historical Museum.
Starting this Sunday, Nov. 15, 2015, you can see some exotic carpets collected by the late W. Parsons Todd.
His vast collection spans from China to Morocco; many of his most treasured antiques will be displayed at the museum in Morristown through April 10, 2016. Here are more details, from the museum:
Macculloch Hall Historical Museum Exhibits Rarely Seen Antique Carpets
Macculloch Hall Historical Museum (MHHM) presents Antique Carpets Through the Eyes of W. Parsons Todd, which features seventeen rarely seen antique carpets, and related books that informed rug collectors during the first half of the twentieth century. The exhibition, in the Schoolroom Gallery of the Museum, will be on view from November 15, 2015 through April 10, 2016.
The antique carpets and books are from the collection of W. Parsons Todd (1877-1976), founder of MHHM, which are now in the collection of the Museum. Beginning in the 1950s, Todd collected more than 60 antique carpets from a broad geographic area ranging from China to Morocco.
The primarily Islamic carpets on display include the Lion Bijar Carpet Fragment, made in the late nineteenth century in present-day Iran. Other carpets on exhibit include the Star Ushak Carpet, which was woven in Turkey in the late sixteenth or early seventeenth century, and, perhaps the most rare carpet in the exhibition, the Jacoby Lobed-Medallion Carpet, which was woven ca. 1800 in the southeastern Caucasus.
A selection of nineteenth-century saddle rugs created in Iran, and included in the exhibition, suggests the range and depth of Todd’s collection.
The specialized books and illustrations on display, and also part of Todd’s collection, provide insight into Todd’s “studies,” the history of carpet production, and also suggest the priorities of early twentieth-century collectors of fine textiles.
Programming for Antique Carpets Through the Eyes of W. Parsons Todd includes: What Mr. Todd Collected with Dr. Patricia Pongracz, Executive Director MHHM, on Jan. 24, 2016, at 2 pm; Curator’s Choice: A Tour of the Exhibition with Ryan Hyman, F.M. Kirby Curator of Collections, on Feb. 21 at 2 pm; and Art Underfoot; A Children’s Tour of Antique Carpets with Cynthia Winslow, MHHM Museum Educator, on March 13 at 2 pm and March 23 from 10 am to noon.
Additional lectures will be announced at a later date. For more information about the exhibition, see the Museum website: www.maccullochhall.org.
Antique Carpets Through the Eyes of W. Parsons Todd is made possible, in part, by the generous support of J&S Designer Flooring, Morristown, NJ.
This exhibition is supported, in part, by the F.M. Kirby Foundation. Macculloch Hall Historical Museum is a nonprofit educational affiliate of the W. Parsons Todd Foundation and received an operating support grant from the New Jersey Historical Commission, a division of the New Jersey Department of State.
Macculloch Hall Historical Museum preserves the history of the Macculloch-Miller families, the Morris area community, and the legacy of its founder W. Parsons Todd through its historic site, collections, exhibitions, and educational and cultural programs. The garden is open daily, free to the public from 9 am-5 pm.
MHHM is open Wednesdays, Thursdays and Sundays from 1:00-4:00pm. Admission is $8, Adults; $6, Seniors and Students; $4, Children 6-12; and free for Members and children under 5.
At 45 Macculloch Ave., Morristown. Call 973.538.2404 for more information.
