SOUTH CAUCASUS, LATE 19TH CENTURY AND EARLY 19TH CENTURY

The Kazak rug in the present lot is particularly intriguing on account of its unusual composition. The square panels and chequerboard effect of the field are most closely related to the flat weaves Ian Bennett describes as ‘brocaded rugs’, whose origins are themselves unclear (I. Bennett, Oriental Rugs: Volume 1 Caucasian, Woodbridge, 1981, pl.155, pp.342-345). The pile technique and white ground double-S border are, however, typical features of the Kazak region. We cannot find a direct comparable that links these two elements nor one that quite matches the charm or complex movement created by the present lot.