KUBA REGION, EAST CAUCASUS, FIRST HALF 19TH CENTURY

The present rug, with its somewhat kaleidoscopic design, is one of a relatively small number of known rugs. The interlocking pattern comprises staggered rows of polychrome medallions separated by diagonally placed double-pointed bars with small, jagged leaves at each end. This arrangement recalls earlier examples of glazed and unglazed tile work, as well as early Azerbaijan embroideries of which some date back to the late 16th and early 17th centuries, (Raoul Tschebull, Qarajeh to Quba, London, 2019, p.236-7). See lot 73 and 74 in the present sale for two examples of early embroideries that illustrate this design source.

Frequently acknowledged as having been woven in the village of Alpan, Tschebull notes that it is more likely that these rugs were woven in the town, and surrounding region, of Zeikhur in the north east Transcaucasus and Daghestan. The drawing of the polychrome lattice in our rug is well articulated, as are the borders and the field’s width allows the pattern to be fully developed. All of the group are woven with the same blue and white 'running dog' outer guard stripe. A rug of much smaller proportion and displaying just a single column of three complete yellow stellate medallions, is dated AH 1230 / 1816 AD (Peter Bausback, Antike Orientteppiche, Braunschweig, 1978, pp.272-3). A comparable example is illustrated by Tschebull, (op.cit. pl.60), while a rich blue-ground example, formerly in a Massachusetts collection, sold at Grogan's, 12 June 2024, lot 7.