Image Carpets

Antique Rare Shirvan Rug – 160402

This extremely attractive and collectible  Shirvan rug belongs to a small and particularly desirable group of  pieces, all from the same accomplished workshop and dating from the first half of the nineteenth century. All the known examples, not more than a half dozen at present have, as here, a middle blue ground with a delicate lattice enclosing colourful geometric palmettes. Further there is an implicit border of stars in octagons around the outer edge of the field, as in all known examples. The border is, however, unique to this rug: an ivory ground with octagons enclosing fishhooks . In all the other published pieces, the offwhite border has the Caucasian chalice and slant leaf design. The pile is velvety and of original height. At each end is a beige wool weft-faced plainweave strip and a well-preserved knotted warp net. The wool warps  are mixed tan and brown, indicating a Shirvan rather than Kuba origin. The weave is fine with  about 150 knots per square inch.Many rugs from this desirable group are dated . This rug is not, but it fits securely in the first half of the nineteenth century. A date of c.1835 cannot be wide of the mark. Other examples are published in major auction, dealer and exhibition catalogues. All examples are in medium blue. There are no red, yellow, ivory or dark blue pieces known from this very select class.