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Lot Essay
This recently discovered 'Bird' asmalyk is an exciting new addition to the twelve examples originally recorded by R. Pinner and M. Franses in 1980, 'The Bird and Animal Tree Asmalyk' in Turkoman Studies I, Aspects of the weaving and decorative arts of Central Asia, London, 1980, pp. 114-133. Since that list was published, further examples have appeared bringing the known number to approximately twenty, which includes three examples sold in; Christie's East, New York, December 6, 1988, lot 35, and Christie's London, 29 April 2004, lot 65 and 8 April 2014, lot 90.
Traditionally used in Turkmenistan during the wedding caravan, the bride would be seated upon an elaborately decorated camel where a pair of asmalyk, "a thing to be hung", would flank the camel on each side. These trappings were a reflection of the bride's skill at weaving, a trait that was greatly admired and valued by the Turkmen and were therefore often of the finest quality. Usually of five sides, but occasionally of seven, most surviving asmalyk are attributed to the Yomut tribe but the present lot is part of a rare and particularly special group attributed to the Tekke, which has two sub-groups, determined by their design, the 'Bird' and the 'Tree and Animal' type.
'Bird' asmalyk were first collected by the famous Russian ethnographer and photographer S.M. Dudin in 1900, when he acquired two pairs which were published in the St. Petersburg art periodical, Stary Gody in 1914 and in 1915 by the great Turkmenophile, Baron A. Felkerzam. The West was only to learn of the existence of asmalyk in 1927 when two examples of the 'Bird' type were illustrated in an article by F.V. Gogel in the Burlington Magazine. Our example relates closely to the much cited asmalyk in that article, which is now in the Museum of Oriental Art, Moscow (Pinner and Franses, ibid., fig.217, p.116).
Although all 'Bird' asmalyk share a layout of bird motifs within a serrated leaf lattice, there are considerable differences in the composition and design devices utilized in creating each piece. The present asmalyk and the Moscow example both display the ovadan border of curled, serrated leaf meander on an ivory ground on both side and lower borders, which is typical of the group. However, the execution of the border design on both remains visibly more open and evenly spaced with a thicker curled leaf at the terminus of each stem than some of the others. In addition, the field arrangement of a diagonal serrated leaf lattice where each lozenge is centered with a long-tailed bird with a white back and dark body is more densely filled than others and both examples display all the birds facing to the right.
The present asmalyk is also very similar in drawing and colouring to the example, formerly in a private Italian estate, that sold in these Rooms, 8 April 2014, lot 90, although that example had forty-two birds rather than our thirty. Other comparable examples include that which was formerly in the Arthur D. Jenkins collection, and the second pair of 'Bird' asmalyk collected by Dudin in 1900 (Pinner and Franses, ibid., fig.222-224, pp.118-119). In all three the birds are surmounted by wing-shaped ornaments but are not closed off by the inclusion of an additional upper pole as in a number of the other examples. The only major difference between these three asmalyk and the present example is that the birds face to the left rather than the right.
The present lot remains in very good condition which could be due in part to the care the Turkomans took in preserving their best rugs. Dudin wrote of the Tekke;
"ln none of any other items of housekeeping will you find better durability and better ability for long endurance. Pile textiles in this respect not only surpass all other textiles, but nearly all other materials including metals... besides they were seen as a kind of accumulated capital... they were collected and preserved as having an immutable value, giving cosiness to the furniture of the yurt and at the same time evidence of the prosperity of the owner." (Elena Tsareva, 'Thirty Turkoman Rug Masterpieces from
the Collection of S. M. Dudin, Part II', Oriental Rug Review, Oct/Nov 1990, Vol II, No 1).
The depth and quality of the colours, the finesse of the wool and the supple handle of the present asmalyk, are among the defining characteristics that give this group such a high reputation and are so sought after by specialist collectors of Turkmen weaving.
Traditionally used in Turkmenistan during the wedding caravan, the bride would be seated upon an elaborately decorated camel where a pair of asmalyk, "a thing to be hung", would flank the camel on each side. These trappings were a reflection of the bride's skill at weaving, a trait that was greatly admired and valued by the Turkmen and were therefore often of the finest quality. Usually of five sides, but occasionally of seven, most surviving asmalyk are attributed to the Yomut tribe but the present lot is part of a rare and particularly special group attributed to the Tekke, which has two sub-groups, determined by their design, the 'Bird' and the 'Tree and Animal' type.
'Bird' asmalyk were first collected by the famous Russian ethnographer and photographer S.M. Dudin in 1900, when he acquired two pairs which were published in the St. Petersburg art periodical, Stary Gody in 1914 and in 1915 by the great Turkmenophile, Baron A. Felkerzam. The West was only to learn of the existence of asmalyk in 1927 when two examples of the 'Bird' type were illustrated in an article by F.V. Gogel in the Burlington Magazine. Our example relates closely to the much cited asmalyk in that article, which is now in the Museum of Oriental Art, Moscow (Pinner and Franses, ibid., fig.217, p.116).
Although all 'Bird' asmalyk share a layout of bird motifs within a serrated leaf lattice, there are considerable differences in the composition and design devices utilized in creating each piece. The present asmalyk and the Moscow example both display the ovadan border of curled, serrated leaf meander on an ivory ground on both side and lower borders, which is typical of the group. However, the execution of the border design on both remains visibly more open and evenly spaced with a thicker curled leaf at the terminus of each stem than some of the others. In addition, the field arrangement of a diagonal serrated leaf lattice where each lozenge is centered with a long-tailed bird with a white back and dark body is more densely filled than others and both examples display all the birds facing to the right.
The present asmalyk is also very similar in drawing and colouring to the example, formerly in a private Italian estate, that sold in these Rooms, 8 April 2014, lot 90, although that example had forty-two birds rather than our thirty. Other comparable examples include that which was formerly in the Arthur D. Jenkins collection, and the second pair of 'Bird' asmalyk collected by Dudin in 1900 (Pinner and Franses, ibid., fig.222-224, pp.118-119). In all three the birds are surmounted by wing-shaped ornaments but are not closed off by the inclusion of an additional upper pole as in a number of the other examples. The only major difference between these three asmalyk and the present example is that the birds face to the left rather than the right.
The present lot remains in very good condition which could be due in part to the care the Turkomans took in preserving their best rugs. Dudin wrote of the Tekke;
"ln none of any other items of housekeeping will you find better durability and better ability for long endurance. Pile textiles in this respect not only surpass all other textiles, but nearly all other materials including metals... besides they were seen as a kind of accumulated capital... they were collected and preserved as having an immutable value, giving cosiness to the furniture of the yurt and at the same time evidence of the prosperity of the owner." (Elena Tsareva, 'Thirty Turkoman Rug Masterpieces from
the Collection of S. M. Dudin, Part II', Oriental Rug Review, Oct/Nov 1990, Vol II, No 1).
The depth and quality of the colours, the finesse of the wool and the supple handle of the present asmalyk, are among the defining characteristics that give this group such a high reputation and are so sought after by specialist collectors of Turkmen weaving.