The Hossam Aly Yomud Dowry Chuval

Here is one of the most fantastic Yomud chuvals I have handled in a very long time. It measures 2 feet 10 inches X 4 feet. It is extremely finely knotted at 10 horizontal by 19 vertical knots for a density of 190 knots per square inch. We know that in classical times a well to do Turkmen girl would produce an entire suite of dowry weavings for her marriage. Considering the large number of Yomud chuvals with ordinary weaves compared to the much smaller number of Yomud asmuldyks one has to conclude that not all pile Yomud chuvals are actually dowry weavings.

I have become interested in Yomud chuvals with borders identical to those found on asmuldyks and now theorize that these may well be the true dowry weavings. This piece is typical for the group. It has fantastic all vegetable dyes of very individualistic hues. The background is a rich light plum. There is a strong clear red and two deep blues, one seemingly black it is so deep. There is a rich apricot. The weave itself looks more like a Tekke weavings except it is done with a symmetrical knot. The pile of this piece is essentially mint. There is the obvious damage one corner of the skirt. Both upper corners have been professionally repaired. There is an ink stain near the bottom of the skirt. This stain tells me why the piece is in such immaculate condition. The English around the turn of the century were very fond of using the finest Turkmen bag faces as writing desk covers. I can't tell you how many great Tekke mafrash and torbas I have seen with ink stains on them. It is a matter of note that this Yomud chuval might have been used in this way because they , the English, only used the very finest weavings in this way. It is most interesting to find a Yomud that was chosen for that purpose. Actually I don't remember seeing more than a couple of Yomud chuvals finer woven than this example.

For all of the above reasons I feel that this very old Yomud chuval was in fact woven for a young girls wedding and truly represents an outpouring from her heart. I appraise this weaving at a solid 3,000.00 dollars in today's market.

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