An Orient of Silk and Gold

The exhibition “An Orient of Silk and Gold” where the trousseaux of the family members of Georges Antaki are showcased and directed by Jean-Louis Mainguy, is the invitation to a sensory experience, an immersion in the magical world of the city of Aleppo during the nineteenth century.

Aleppo, important metropolis of the Ottoman Empire, was the third city of this empire after Istanbul and Cairo. Great meeting place between East and West, place of exchange of cultures and goods especially with France and Italy, this meeting between two worlds was held in the caravanserais of the souks.

Souks and caravanserais

Jean-Louis Mainguy wanted to recreate the unique atmosphere of these souks located in the old city of Aleppo, declared World Heritage by Unesco in 1966. It is the largest covered market in the world, with thirteen kilometers of labyrinth that are shared between souks and khans (caravanserais) among which:

Khan Al Nahhasseen, place that housed the consulate of the Serenissima Republic of Venice from the fifteenth to the eighteenth and Souk Al Nahasseen that of copper craftsmen.
Khan Al Chouneh, traditional crafts shops of Aleppo, built in 1546.
Khan Al Jumrok, textile shopping center.
Khan Al Harir, silk khan
Souk Al Attareen, spice market
Souk an-Niswan, market for women’s items.
Suweika (Small souk in Arabic language), multiple khans and specialized markets.

The Hammam

Aleppo is also famous for its steam baths. In the nineteenth century, there were still some 150 hammams, some dating back to the fourteenth century. Many are still in office and have marked out his long history and an art of living. In a decor worthy of the Arabian Nights, the hammam, in this exhibition, appears in all its splendor with a copper basin overhung by a gigantic copper chandelier and blown glass gracefully lent by Serge Nalbandian. Many wooden frames were also lent by him.
The objects of the hammam keep scents of yore. The soaps in their precious boxes, the voluptuous perfumes recalling the roads of incense, Arabia Felix and Phenicia. There are wooden kabkabs, inlaid with mother-of-pearl, which avoided the contact of the feet with the very hot ground. The cups seem to smoke cardamom. Towels and washcloths are richly embroidered. Some Bokjas, in silk satin and gold thread, are called “Donato” in reference to the Venetian family, Dona Della Rose, who was established in the 17th century in Aleppo and wove them. Other silk or velvet bokjas are embroidered with gold thread, the bathrobe in linen sponge refreshes the body after the warmth of the bath. All this tells the refinement of a family and an era of Aleppo.

The patrician house

We leave the tumult of the souk and the hammam to go inside the patrician houses of an Aleppo of old. They are richly decorated with shimmering and gilded textiles like the famous Bursa velvet with tulip motifs so dear to the Sultan. Other decorations recall the French countryside, traditional motif of stem of wheat, daisies, straight out of the catalogs of the time and chosen during the trips of these families in Marseille.
Engravings from the book of Dr. Alexander Russel (the Natural History of the city of Aleppo) serve as a haven for the couch and the bedroom. To personalize this intimate place, Jean-Louis Mainguy has chosen to embellish engravings of the city of Aleppo as well as portraits of the ancestors of Georges Antaki: Homsi, Cubbé, Wakil …

Diwan private salon

The divans and cushions are covered with Donato silk satin from the 19th century. The chibouk (long pipe) with the tip of coral, enamel and vermeil is enhanced by a tassel of fine pearls. Posed next to a marvelous porcelain cup, close to a coconut hookah covered with silver with a silk pipe, these objects evoke the proximity of the master of the place.
In sumptuous reproductions, marking a setting of great authenticity, traditional musicians delight us with their rabab (string instrument of the family of lutes, also used by women), flutes and tambourines. We see men and women walking around, dressed in silk abaya, coats of brocade, Indian cashmere capes.

Bedroom

The bedroom is the place where the East and the West harmonize deliciously: bedding Alie Homsi, grandmother of Georges Antaki, her wedding dress and her ball gowns of the workshops of Madame Borel de Marseille, sheets all silk embroidered in Istanbul with his initials, vaporous negligee in silk lace, quilt embroidered with gold. All the elements of this trousseau compete with beauty and sensuality.
This exhibition from the collection of Georges Antaki brings to life the opulence of Aleppo, through the ages, a brilliant and refined life found in these shimmering fabrics of a period of splendor and a past art of living. Jean-Louis Mainguy was able to recreate the beauty of a lost time, by offering him a contemporary border. Thanks to him, all these clothes find the light of their past, stealthy in the heart of those who love the dream.