An Eagle Group Chuval

Over at Rapistan Review,George Gilmore reports the discovery of an Eagle Group Choval at an outoftheway Auction House in Radford Virginia,the appropriately named Ken Farmer Auctions.

Gilmore Chronicles

A good foto is unavailable at this time,but the piece ended up selling for $8050.

1-Ken Farmer Auctions 30 September 2012-lot 301

At least 12 other examples are known.The ornate Elem is the chief characteristic.In the above form it is more typical of the design on the Eagle Group Torbas with Palmette design,of which five pieces have been published

2-Werner Loges

The more standard design is a row of distinctly bird-like bouquets

3-Elmby III-16

In another variation one can almost hear the flattering of wings

4-Sienknecht Collection

Not all the group members would attract much attention without their flashing skirts,appearing then as rather humdrum Yomut Chuvals.

Available technical information on the Eagle Group 9er Chovals:

Persian knotted to the right:The Baker,Sienknecht,Smith,Wiedersperg and NERS pieces.

Turkish Knotted: Elmby III-16 and the Farmer piece.

No Info available: Edelman 1981,Elmby V-24,Frauenknecht,Pinner Sale 79,RB 47-25,Newman Collection.

A Group Portrait can be viewed HERE

This compendium is doubtless incomplete.The author would be grateful for reproductions of further pieces,and the missing technical info.A complete rundown on this Group is planned for next year.

5-New England Rug Society

An unusual Transylvanian

1-anatolianpicker

Published on rugrabbit by anatolianpicker,this Turkish carpet sports a carpet-within-a-carpet design scheme.The "inserted" mihrab has been woven with a beige brown wefting connecting diagonally to the red weft of the remaining carpet.The ground is a bright yellow,whereas the upper niche and border areas are a typical salmon colour.The yellow areas follow the lazy-lines so carefully that one must rule out the possibility of re-piling.Although worn to a kilim-like consistency,the double-mihrab must have been conspicuous when new.Another example,however,bears a similar secondary design visible only from the back

2-Rippon Boswell 17 May 2003-Lot 70a-sold for 45,600 euro

Weaving the RB example must have been particularly difficult as it entailed creating a kilim within a carpet.Presumably a second weaver would have controlled the work`s progress from the back,or the contours could have been sketched out on the warps.The effect on both carpets is unusual and mysterious.Perhaps more examples exist?The author has often wished for a software which would turn over the corners of rug photos,in order to study their structure.

See Hali 129,page 15,and APG Hali 130-123.

Update 25.11.2017:the author has recently discovered an illuminating lecture delivered at the ICOC by Stefano Ionescu and Ali Riza Tuna  in 2007,and published in 2011.It deals with structure in Transylvanian carpets and also cites three examplesall from the Black Church in Brashov.