#utilitarian design

PUBLISHED APR 18, 2017

Charles Francis Annesley Voysey (designer) & J. S. Henry (maker), Hall settle, c. 1899

In previous posts I’ve shared examples of Persian rugs and Afghani War rugs. In this post are examples of Muslim prayer rugs, which are designed to be positioned between the worshipper and the ground, providing a clean surface upon which to sit and prostrate while engaged in prayer. All Muslim prayer rugs should display a “Mihrab”, or niche motif located in the upper part of the rug. This represents a “qibla”, or archway found in Mosques denoting the direction of Mecca. The “Mihrab” design is meant to indicate where  a practitioner will place his head while engaged in prostrations. I find many of the designs not only to be quite beautiful, but their very structured composition esthetically pleasing. It’s all food for thought in terms of my own work - both visually and conceptually.

On the go - WalnutStudiolo