KAZAK REGION, SOUTH CAUCASUS, THIRD QUARTER 19TH CENTURY

The rugs of Lori Pambak, a village in present-day Armenia, can be recognised by the characteristic quatrefoil motif reserved against the octagonal central medallion. The design draws on two main influences. On the one hand, the arrangement of a main central medallion with two drop pendants, resembles Anatolian village rugs, derived in turn from Ottoman and Safavid book covers. On the other, the distinctive central motif is believed to be derived from confronted pairs of bird and animals, which resonated with Central Asian shamanic beliefs (Raoul E. Tschebull, Qaraja to Quba: Rugs and Flatweaves from East Azerbayjan and the Caucasus, London, 2019, no.28, p.130). The combination of these two influences – the one rooted in the urbane courtly culture of Istanbul and Isfahan, the other in the steppes – reflects a creative tension which runs through Caucasian weaving culture.

Though examples from the early 19^th century have more recognisable bird motifs in the central medallion, the large number of small motifs scattered across the field indicates that this rug was still likely woven well before the turn of the century. The design of the current lot, in particular the border, finds a close parallel in an example which was sold at Sotheby's New York, 27 September 2012, lot 4, or a further example formerly with Peter Bausback, sold by Rippon Boswell, 5 December 2009, lot 113.