| |
"Karabagh
or Kazak Rug
Southwest Caucasus, ca. 1800
1.60 x 2.10m (5ft 3 x 6ft 11in)
Warp: wool, natural tan/grey; Z3S
Weft: wool, light red, Z2S, 4 shoots
Knot: wool, Z2S; symmetric,
approx. 60 per sq.in. (900 per sq.dm)
Sides: 3-cord light red wool selvedge,
innermost cord wrapped into the pile
Summers Collection
This
rug has an interesting history. It first came to light in New York,
when dealer Berdj Abadjian – the source of a few other famous rugs –
bought it from Blau for the princely sum of $700. A few years later he
sold it on to the present owners, describing the risible $300 profit as
"interest".
In 1982, the rug was presented at the Hall of Flowers, San Francisco,
in 'Reflections of Infinity', a landmark exhibition of nearly 150 rugs
from local collections (see Hali Vol.4, No.4). Organised by the late,
great collector, John Phillips, and curated by Jim Blackmon, this was
the first exhibition in the Bay Area that gave enthusiasts some idea of
the depth of quality in the Bay Area, although on a somewhat smaller
scale than 'Oriental Rugs from Pacific Collections'. For some reason
the piece never made it into that ICOC exhibition, although it was
published in the catalogue.
The rug is aptly described by Dennis
Dodds in his Hali
review as "wildly beautiful". Its exaggerated scale and extravagant
design recall classical Caucasian carpets, but Dodds
rightly draws our attention to a 'transitional' weaving in Yetkin's Early Caucasian Carpets
in Turkey (Vol.1, p.28) with comparable spandrels. Both
weavings provide a link between the earlier 'classical' tradition and
the later widespread village weaving culture throughout the Caucasus."
www.cloudband.com Passage to California, Marcuson, Hall and Purdon
|
