The
The Law on Culture (No.506-IVQ of 21 December 2012) defines artisanship as intangible cultural heritage, encompassing applied, traditional, decorative, and national fine arts. Works of fine arts (including plaques, pictures, drawings, engravings, stamps, lithographs, patterns, sculptures, original art collections and montage) and works of applied art (carpets and carpet products, gold, platinum, silver, precious stones, copper and clay items, ceramics) are classified as cultural values.
Law on Legal Protection of the Samples of Azerbaijani Folklore (No.460-IIQ of May 16, 2003) also applies to examples of applied arts and folk crafts, including graphic arts, paintings, series drawings, shadow paintings, forging and carving, sculpture, ceramics, clay, mosaics, metalwork, copper and bronze castings, silkworm breeding, carpet weaving, copper smithing, jewellery, tanning, embroidery, basket-making, clothes, ornaments, patterns, musical instruments, carpentry, architectural works and other such examples.
The Law on the Protection and Development of Azerbaijani Carpet Art (No.799-IIGD of December 7, 2004) regulates the relations arising from the preservation, study, promotion, and development of Azerbaijani carpets, which are woven in the historical territory of Azerbaijan and are currently hand-woven by folk artisans, masters, and artists. This law is a brilliant example of concrete and practical visual arts and crafts legislation.
First, it underlines that the Azerbaijani carpet is a material and spiritual wealth of the Azerbaijani people, the result of intellectual activity, reflecting the aesthetic outlook, artistic talent, originality and cultural identity of the people, and provides the primary indicators of the Azerbaijani carpet as follows:
- Type of carpet (pileless and piled carpet);
- Carpet art schools (Guba, Shirvan, Derbent, Baku, Ganja, Gazakh, Borchali, Goycha, Karabakh, Nakhchivan, Tabriz, Ardabil, Zanjan, Khalkhal, Urmia, Garadagh, Marand, Maragha);
- Carpet names (names determined by the place of weaving, taste, composition, the pattern of the carpet);
- Sample (a technical project of the composition and pattern of the rug to be woven, prepared by the artist);
- Artistic features – composition of the carpet (pattern and colour arrangement), ornament (national pattern and its elements), colour (colour shades or colour solution).
Second, the relevant executive authority must compile and maintain a register of Azerbaijani carpets to create a database on the type, school, names, weaving techniques, dye composition, and artistic features of the carpets.
Third, the law provides for the certification of Azerbaijani carpets, i.e., the words “Azerbaijan” and the name of the school of carpet weaving are woven with loops on both mass-produced and individually woven Azerbaijani carpets. The carpets are certified in accordance with the procedure established by the relevant executive authority to determine their conformity and artistic significance to folk art samples.
Comments are closed.