UZBEKISTAN, MID 19TH CENTURY

The Lakai people, who live predominantly in Southern Uzbekistan but also in parts of Afghanistan and Tajikistan, are known for their formidable history and colourful embroidery. A diverse range of forms – bag faces, cushion covers, tent bands, suzani – are united by their decoration in bold colours, including a group which like the present lot are embroidered on a red ground (Kate Fitz Gibbons and Andy Hale, “Lakai: the Bad Beys of Central Asia”, HALI, issue 75 (1994), pp.69-79). Too fragile for use as a floor cover, textiles of this size are likely to have been used as bed covers. Two further examples are published by Alastair Hull and Jose Luczyc-Wyhowska (Kilim: The Complete Guide, London, 1993, p.267).