The Caucasian Rugs
C001: Marasali Shirvan , mid 19th c. 3' 6" x 4' 2". This rug is unusual in that it contains small amounts of very fine camel hair pile in several botehs. Here is a close-up of the boteh in sunglasses, In spite of all of the hoopla that pervades the rug world, I don't think any of these "Black Marasali" rugs are earlier than the second quarter of the 19th C. Designs don't evolve backwards and there is a lot of fanciful dating out there.
C002: Another Marasali, my newest treasure. I found this at the San Francisco Tribal Arts Show February 2011. This one is dated "1304"(CE 1886). 4' x 4' 5". Here is a larger image.
C003: Shirvan with a Blossom or "Snowflake" design. 3' 3" x 4' 3". This rug is dated "1297" (CE 1880) and contains a small amount of early aniline red (which has faded to brown as seen in the border and continuing across the rug). The infinity aspect of the design is particularly striking. Image of the knots.
C004: A Shirvan with a blossom design, 4th Q. 19th C., 3' 3" x 4' 3", this rug really glows in strong light, see a small area close-up , or for more detail, here is a close-up of a single blossom, and the back of the same blossom, showing the individual knots.
C005: A Perepidil Kuba, the first one of these I have ever found interesting enough to add to the collection after 30 years of looking. Most are way over-crowded or worse. This is a small rug, 2' 7" x 3' 4", which combined with the relatively high knot count (180 KPSI), may be why the design works.
C006: A snowflake design Kuba, circa 1875. 3' 10" x 4' 8".
C007: An Akstafa Prayer Rug , late 3rd Q. 19th C. , 2' 11" x 6' 1" . Here is a Close-up of a lower center area, Here is a Border Close-up , and here are the Knots of the same border area , Black wool is generally corroded giving a sculpted effect . These are primative images I need to replace. This rug is in mint condition.
C008: A medallions and peacocks Akstafa, dated "1263" ( AD 1847), 4' x 8' 9". This rug blew me away when I saw it. I have looked for one of these rugs for a long time, and this is the first one I have ever seen with this level of archaic artistry. The human figures are particularly well drawn. The rug is in excellent condition overall. The outer border has been very skillfully rewoven.
C009: This Bordjalou Kazak was last seen in a 1971 exhibition. The field design reminds one of Turkoman Güls. It is in near mint condition with soft full pile and glowing colors. Rug size: 3' 10" x 4" 11".
C010: An unassuming small Kazak is the first antique rug I acquired in 1978. I still have it. Rug size: 2' 10" x 4' 10".
C011: I am not sure if this is a rug from the Shirvan or Kuba area. It is dated "1274" (AD 1858), which is totally believable (back of date). Both this rug and the Marasali have small areas of "sulfonic blue", indigo that was treated with sulfuric acid and has now faded to a pale green-blue (image of knots). This is not a synthetic dye (Some may consider this the first SD, but it goes back centuries). . See the close-up to get a feel for its incredible depth of color (in the center of this image is a small "star" woven in silk). This rug also is in near mint condition, including the original fringe. Rug size: 4' x 9' 4".
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more items and more images to be added....stay tuned.....