SOUTH CAUCASUS, DATED AH 1333/1915 AD

The cypress tree "prayer" format employed by the present lot is unusual and its design was "probably inspired by eighteenth-century silk ikats (resist-dyed textiles) or velvets from Central Asia and Persia" (R. Kaffel, Caucasian Prayer Rugs, 1998, p. 68). Rugs of this type have been attributed to other areas of the Caucasus as well. In Hali 54, Connoisseur's Choice: A Tree of Life Rug, Gérard Boëly discusses an example from his collection which he notes is probably from the Shirvan area and that employs a similar border to the present lot. Although the present example may not have been used for prayer, rugs of these types have largely assumed this classification because of their prayer format made by the directional cypress tree and niche.
For related examples, please see Anonymous, Sotheby's London, 27 April 1994, Lot 16 and Anonymous, Sotheby's New York, 11 June 2008, Lot 19.