A Caucasian Carpet ?

001

A fragment which recently appeared in an obscure internet auction(001) was once part of  a larger patchwork ensemble sold at Sothebys,New York,in 1985(002)for $880.It belonged to the lower border area,which has actually been re-attached.The fragments were subsequently divided and dispersed;the top right hand section appeared in the Canadian Collections II Catalogue,as the property of Ross Winter(003).It was later advertised by Michael Craycraft.The lower right section was re-offered at Sothebys in 1995 at an estimate of $3-5000,fate unknown(004).A third portion,comprising the lower left field and border,was published in the 1999 ICOC Milan catalogue,Sovrani Tappeti(005).The upper left field is said to be in a Californian collection.The Italian example is of particular interest as it offers a technical analysis,which more or less corresponds to the border fragment(001),to whit:a bulky,short-fibre carded cotton warp ZS6(the border has ZS5),uncommon in older Persian carpets,which are invariably 4-ply,although cotton warp can be found in later Caucasian carpets with either Avshan or Harshang designs;a red weft varying from 2-5 shoots, and most importantly a Persian knot open to the right.This is unusual even in NW Persian weavings,and may indicate the participation of Turkmen weavers.

002

003

004

005

006-front and back,scans

The Trefoil border is not the usual type seen on Caucasian classical carpets,but may be presumed to derive from a spectacular Khorasan carpet,which also features the standard Trefoil border pattern(007 & 008)

007

008

A related carpet was auctioned at Bonhams in 2002(Sale price $ 75,040),and later surfaced with the Textile Gallery,London(see Hali 128,and the Hali Fair catalogue of 2003)By repute it hung in a Scottish hunting lodge for more than a century.It is narrower than the Sothebys carpet,lacking the inner guard stripe,but border and field design are very similar.Its structure is given as “wool pile on a wool foundation”.As there is no indication of Persian knotting,a Turkish knot with a woolen warp must be presumed and the carpet assigned to the classic Caucasian tradition.It seems altogether more lively with its lotus whirligigs (derived from the vase carpet repertoire) and fluid drawing.(009,010,011)

009

010

011

As indicated in the Textile gallery`s notes,the pattern is an adaptation of a Khorasan carpet,now in Berlin(012)The group has been discussed HERE.With their monumental draughtmanship they seem more like Durbar carpets,although an Indian origin can be ruled out.Reversing the telescope,their design origin can be found in Kirman,where large-scale Sickle Leaf carpets were a speciality,but this tradition does not run over 17th century Isfahan;thus we are missing a century of development(013)

012

013

Other 18th century carpets with a Sickle-leaf and Palmette arrangement as in the two pieces under discussion, did not fare so well.A Khorasan example from the Tom`s Collection(014,left),and a carpet with Voytech Blau(014,right) both imitate the central spinal design,but with the large leaves in a horizontal position.They seem quite negligent in their execution and choice of colour.

014

A last carpet,mentioned in the Textile Gallery`s description,features the same rare Trefoil border and was at the de Puy Sale held by the Andersen Galleries in 1925(015).Four classic Turkmen göls underline the possible involvement of Turkmen weavers in this enterprise.The carpet surfaced once more,in ghostly condition,at Sothebys in 2001.

015

Karachov Case Study

Sailer

Not a great deal can be said about the origins of the following carpets.Until Ulrich Schurmann,they were simply classified as Kazaks.Schurmann borrowed the expression from Kerimov`s vast and unwieldy “Azerbaijan Carpets”,which is full of unconfirmed attributions,but apparently strong on fieldwork.There the author illustrates a Karachov carpet said to be stored in the Shah Abbas Mosque in Ganja,and a 5-Year-Plan rug similar to a piece in the book of Isaev.Perhaps for Kerimov the problem lay in the proximity of Georgia and the Kvemo Kartli area of Borchalo to the major production areas for the Karachov,Borchalo(u) and Fachralo carpets,which were difficult to fit into his nationalist world-view.That chauvinism is without doubt the major stumbling-block for carpet scholars in the producing countries need not concern us here,but the area south of Tbilisi in the 19th century was inhabited by Georgians and Azeri Turks,with a minority of Armenians.It is likely that the carpets known as “Karachov”(or Karachoph,or Karachop)were created and woven by Turkish peoples,or by others who were well versed in the tradition of Anatolian and Turkmen carpet design.The prototype for the Karachovs has been often documented-the large pattern Holbein carpets and their 4-and-1 designs from the 16th century.However a carpet in the David Foundation,presumably Egyptian,anticipates the Anatolian design by several centuries.Georgia itself was the source of a number of very early carpet fragments unearthed in the Muguti cave complex,where additional finds of weaving equipment may indicate local production.Karachov is said by Irina Koshoridze to incorporate seven villages,and to lay in Eastern Georgia,however she fails to place it on her map.All other sources follow Schurmann`s book from 1960,but the author has been unable to find any mention of Karachov on a genuinely old map of the area,so the geography remains questionable.A collection of old maps can be viewed here:  Caucasian Maps . Assuming the Georgian attribution to be correct,the instigators of this large-scale production would have sat in Tiflis,itself a major carpet trading node.

Kerimov III-154-108,stored in the Shah Abbas Mosque in Ganja

The Shah Abbas Mosque in Ganja

David Foundation(previously with Yves Mikaeloff)

Early fragments found in the Muguti Caves,Georgia(see Hali 99)

Schurmann,1960

 

 
 



 

001

LEAF AND CALYX BORDER


 

002

Blue Field-Yellow Border

003

Bluegreen Field-Red Border

004

Bluegreen Field-Yellow Border

005

Green Field-Red Border

006

Green Field-Yellow Border

007

Green Field-Red Border-4 Boxes in Medallion

008

Green Field-Red Border SOT 2 type

009

Red Field-Blue Border

010

Red Field-Green Border

011

LEAF & 4 ARROWS


Green Ground-Yellow Border

012

013

Red Ground-Blue Border

014

RED GROUND-GREEN BORDER

015

HOOKS AND STARS

 Kotchak & 4 Arrows Border

016

Kotchak Border

017

Leaf & 4 Arrows

018

Leaf & Calyx Border

019

MEMLING MEDALLION




Blue-Green Ground

020

 Memling,Blue Ground

021

Memling,Green Ground

022

Memling,Red Ground,Rhomboid Stepped Border

023

Memling,Red Ground

024

Latchhook Center

025

Running Dog Medallion

026

Karagashli Medallions

027

ATYPICAL BORDERS


Four Arrow and Leaf Border

028

Four Arrow Border

029

Four Arrow,Diverse Border Motifs

030

Four Arrow,Kotchak & Latchhook Border

031

Four Arrow & Leaf-Four Panel Center

032

Four Arrow & Medallion Border

033

Four Medallion and S

034

Four Arrow,Yellow Border

035

Addorsed Animal Border

036

Borchalou Border

037

Crab Border





 Crab leaf Border

039

Fachralo Border,Green Ground

040

Fachralo Border,Red Ground

041

Latchhook Border

042

Leaf Variant Border

043

Medallion Border

044

Medallion Border,Tree Kazak type

045

Potato Stamp Border,Whiteground

046

Potato Stamp Border

047

Ramshorn Border

048

Scarab Border

049

Scrolling S Border

050

Swastika S Border

051

Turkmen Kotchak Border

052

Turkmen Sainak Border

053

Whiteground Leaf & Calyx Border

054

Whiteground Meander Border

054-A

Whiteground Rosette Border

054-B

Other Whiteground Borders

055

Karachovs with Fachralo Panel

055A

KARACHOV VARIANT WITH DOUBLE MIHRABS



Dated examples

056

057

Borchalou Border

058

Crabflower Border

059

Fachralo Border

060

Latchhook Border

061

062

Horizontal Hooks

063

Swastika S Border

064

Rosette Border

065

Sainak Border

066

Other Borders

067

KARACHOV VARIANT WITHOUT MIHRABS


Borchalou Border

068

Latchhook Border

069

Crabflower Border

070

Leaf & Calyx Border

071

Other Borders

072

TERMINAL KARACHOV VARIANTS


Kotchak Panels

073

Central Medallion

074

Holbein Medallion

075

Medallions with Chelaberd Border

076

Round Medallions

077

Kotchak Panels with Sainak Border

078

Variants,Other

079

080-Webb Hill