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Karagashli
Kuba area
Northeast Caucasus
Circa 1830
Cm 94 x 147 (3'1" x 4'10")
Symmetrical knot on a wool foundation
Among the rarest types of east
Caucasian rugs are certainly the Karagashlis,
which are characterised by a particularly fine
weave, silky wool, luminous colours and by an
ever-present border system. The directional
pattern is composed of an infinite repeat of
small shield palmettes on a rare golden-yellow
ground. The zoomorphic origin of this motif is
fairly understood. It can be connected to that on
eighteenth century Caucasian shield carpets,
which in turn refer to the pre-islamic motif of
the tree flanked by a pair of birds. The
outstanding palette and the strong archaic
feeling of the design allows us to date it to the
first half of the nineteenth century, that is to
a period anteceding the marketing of Caucasian
rugs in the West. Provenance: Lefevre &
Partners, London; M.L. Waroujian, London; Private
Collection, California.
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