拍品专文
Warp: wool (coarse), light to medium brown, natural, Z2S, some mixing
Weft: wool, medium to dark brown, natural(?), Z2S, 2 shoots alternating approximately equally wavy
Pile: Wool, Z2, no alternate warp depression, asymmetric knots open right, H7 1/2 x V9, woven inverted
Sides: not original
Ends: top (actual): not original; bottom (actual): remains of dark brown weft-faced, Z2, wool plainweave
Colors: liver, old ivory (often eroded), soft yellow, navy, light blue (eroded), deep blue green, brown-black
This asmalyk appears to be unique among the known published examples of Turkman weaving. The coloration, structure and many of the individual design elements support an Ersari attribution and the technical characteristics suggest an early date. The branched clover-leaf design, most familiar as an interior motif in Gulli guls, seen in the pentagonal central reserve can also be found used in a similar fashion in the central horizontal rectangular reserve on in elems of Ersari and Saryk engsis (see Loges, E. Rugs and Carpts from Central Asia, The Russian Collections, 1984, pp. 44-47, plates 16, 17 and 18 for Saryk examples with this motif in the central panel.) In Hali 88, p. 54, Mehmet Erdogan advertises an unusual Ersari Chuval that also employs this clover-leaf pattern in three of the pentagonal niches of the field. The oversized ascending branch and latchhook motifs of the border here are also extremely unusual. At first, these motifs are reminscent of the latched box elements seen in the elems of some Yomud and Ersari engsis (see Mackie, L. and Thompson, J., Turkman Tribal Carpets and Traditions, 1980, pl. 79 for a Yomud example.) However, the archaic, almost totemic, drawing of these motifs and their near dominance of the overall design are more akin in feeling to motifs seen in Turkman tentbands.
Weft: wool, medium to dark brown, natural(?), Z2S, 2 shoots alternating approximately equally wavy
Pile: Wool, Z2, no alternate warp depression, asymmetric knots open right, H7 1/2 x V9, woven inverted
Sides: not original
Ends: top (actual): not original; bottom (actual): remains of dark brown weft-faced, Z2, wool plainweave
Colors: liver, old ivory (often eroded), soft yellow, navy, light blue (eroded), deep blue green, brown-black
This asmalyk appears to be unique among the known published examples of Turkman weaving. The coloration, structure and many of the individual design elements support an Ersari attribution and the technical characteristics suggest an early date. The branched clover-leaf design, most familiar as an interior motif in Gulli guls, seen in the pentagonal central reserve can also be found used in a similar fashion in the central horizontal rectangular reserve on in elems of Ersari and Saryk engsis (see Loges, E. Rugs and Carpts from Central Asia, The Russian Collections, 1984, pp. 44-47, plates 16, 17 and 18 for Saryk examples with this motif in the central panel.) In Hali 88, p. 54, Mehmet Erdogan advertises an unusual Ersari Chuval that also employs this clover-leaf pattern in three of the pentagonal niches of the field. The oversized ascending branch and latchhook motifs of the border here are also extremely unusual. At first, these motifs are reminscent of the latched box elements seen in the elems of some Yomud and Ersari engsis (see Mackie, L. and Thompson, J., Turkman Tribal Carpets and Traditions, 1980, pl. 79 for a Yomud example.) However, the archaic, almost totemic, drawing of these motifs and their near dominance of the overall design are more akin in feeling to motifs seen in Turkman tentbands.