Persian rugs: The Complete Guide to Persian Rugs

Akstafa Rugs: The Oliveira Three Medallion Akstafa Rug

JBOC attribution Caucasian Rugs - Azerbaijan - Akstafa District - Azeri weavers

I spotted this Akstafa rug on www.cloudband.com offered by my dear friend J. C. Oliveira of Macau.

Trusted Resource List - Rug & Carpet Dealers Outside The U.S. - Jewel of the Caucasus.

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Oriental Rugs: See somewhat similar rugs with ‘Akstafa' medallions and without birds, on: Ian Bennett, Oriental Rugs - Volume 1 Caucasian, Suffolk, UK, 1981, plate 214; E. Gans-Ruedin, Caucasian Carpets, Thames and Hudson, London, 1986, pp. 216-217.

The Oliveira Antique Caucasian ‘Akstafa' Rug with Three Medallions

Size: 207 x 118 cm
Region: West Asia > Caucasus > Northeast Caucasus > Akstafa
Type: Rugs and Carpets
Date/Period: 19th century : last quarter
Structure: Knots: 54 (v) x 24 (h) = 1,296 / dm2
Condition: Excellent, with good pile all over, multi-coloured wool warp, cotton and wool wefting, natural dyes. It still keeps the original hard cotton edges on both sides as well as some of the selvedges on both sides of the fringes. Apart from a very slight oxidation in browns, this rug has excellent supple, soft wool with no problems whatsoever.
Full Description
A very beautiful ‘Akstafa' rug with three large medallions. The medallions are typical ‘Akstafa' large, squarish eight-pointed with the traditional cruciform interior design. This rug is unusual in many ways. There aren't many ‘Akstafa' rugs without the traditional large birds on the field. This is one of those few. Also it is uncommon to find those ‘T'-shaped motifs. The same is valid for the small cruciform hooked motif at the medallions' centre. But the most unlikely depiction is the profusion of Talish rosettes, so typical of Talish rug borders. We find it in this rug's borders and inside the medallions. This feature confirms Ian Bennett, Murray Eiland and Harold M. Keshishian's opinion that most of the denominated ‘Akstafa' rugs were actually not woven on the large town in the Kazak weaving district (near Lambalo and Shulaver) but rather on the Shirvan weaving area, probably on south Shirvan. The magnificent colours of this rug also suggest a southern Shirvan attribution.