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Southwest Caucasus
Circa 1860
162 x 115 cm (5’4” x 3’9”)
Symmetrically knotted wool pile on a wool
foundation
A unique example of its type, this Karachop
prayer rug is characterised by a rectangular
niche enclosing square devices and chequered
motifs typical of the so-called Karachop-variant
design (see for example H.M. Keshishian, The
Treasure of the Caucasus – Rugs from
American Collections, (Washington, 1992) plate 3:
23). These elements are clustered around a
striking zoomorphic motif that resembles an eagle
in flight. At the base of the niche we see a pair
of foot palms, to which corresponds a pair of
hand palms located in the upper compartment,
indicating the position of prayer. A curious
feature is the presence in the latter compartment
of a cartouche containing an enigmatic sequence
of Arabic numbers (starting with five, followed
by 225 repeated three times). The waterbug-type
motifs that decorate the border are sometimes
seen on Fachralo prayer rugs, although they are
known to frame some of the earliest Karachop rugs
( see for example J. Bailey, M. Hopkins, Through
the Collector’s Eye – Oriental Rugs
from New England Private Collections, (Rhode
Island, 1991) plate 18: 63).
http://www.albertolevi.com/ata3/scheda.asp?TL=ENG&IDCat=8&IDRug=6
| Bibliography:
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R.
Kaffel, Caucasian Prayer Rugs, (London,
1988). |
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