Mer 1927
Albert Van huffel BE
Studio de Saedeleer BE
hemp or jute, wool
purchased from the Ghent orthodox community, 1981
This carpet was knotted by hand by Studio de Saedeleer for the dining room of the Ghent entrepreneur Albert Bruxelman. Both Elisabeth de Saedeleer, who was partly in charge of this weaving workshop, and designer Albert Van huffel were sought out during this time by Henry van de Velde to teach at the design school he had just founded in Brussels. At the same time, the Bauhaus weaving workshop, the school’s oldest and most productive, was reaching the peak of its abilities. Elisabeth de Saedeleer also frequented avant-garde circles: artists such as Jozef Peeters and Michel Seuphor designed for her. Like the weavers of the Bauhaus, she made use of unexpected colour combinations, experimented with fibers and highlighted the laws specific to textile and the importance of taking a comprehensive approach to designing a home. On the other hand, only a few designs of her own are known, she did not shy away from figurative work, and she was perhaps more intent on highlighting the craft than serving a social revolution with her art.
SOURCES
Ingrid De Meûter, Kleur voor wand en vloer. Het weefatelier van Elisabeth de Saedeleer (1902-1972), Stad Oudenaarde, 1993 (tent.cat.);
Met dank aan Marijke Detremmerie.