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Lot Essay
The design of the present rug is clearly a transitional stage in the development from earlier Caucasian 'Dragon' carpets of the 1700's, themselves descended from seventeenth century Safavid prototypes, to the floral carpets of the 18th century and later still the ubiquitous 'Eagle' Kazak rugs of the nineteenth century. Where before the medallions were enclosed within a bold lozenge lattice formed of large angular leaves, these have now disappeared, as have the stylised dragons, and have been replaced with saw-toothed, inverted bracket-shaped leaves at either end. The former constrained medallion has become more exuberant and dynamic in form with radiating arms with foliate finials, a form that continues throughout the nineteenth century where anything from one to four medallions can be found. The side axes on the present rug display symmetrical dark brown and golden yellow branches of part-cartouches which appear rather zoomorphic in form. A pair of impressive transitional 18th century carpets of large proportion, which show an ascending repeat design and include the same radiating medallion together with the complete cartouches on either side, are in the Ulu Cami (Great Mosque) at Divriği, Anatolia (see Setare Yetkin, Early Caucasian Carpets in Turkey, Vol.1, pl.25 and pl.26) and another, formerly in the Mosque of Lala Mustafa Pasa at Erzurum, is now in the Türk ve İslam Eserleri Museum in Istanbul, (Yetkin, op.cit, pl.27). Different arrangements of the same oranments are seen in another example in the TIEM (inv.no. 946; Yetkin, Plate 45), a carpet in the Textile Museum in Washington (inv.no.R.36.2.12; C.G. Ellis, Early Caucasian Rugs, Washington 1975, pl.15) and one in the Wher collection (Yetkin, fig.182).
When observing the progression of these transitional 18th century Caucasian carpets, it becomes clear that, in contrast to most carpet design developments, where frequently the clarity and success of the pattern is lost in a web of complexity and over-elaboration, this group achieves the opposite by a marked simplification in their designs and an observed emphasis on individual motifs. This results in a series of powerfully striking carpet designs from this region which become the benchmark for many later 19th century Caucasian weavings.
When observing the progression of these transitional 18th century Caucasian carpets, it becomes clear that, in contrast to most carpet design developments, where frequently the clarity and success of the pattern is lost in a web of complexity and over-elaboration, this group achieves the opposite by a marked simplification in their designs and an observed emphasis on individual motifs. This results in a series of powerfully striking carpet designs from this region which become the benchmark for many later 19th century Caucasian weavings.