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Masterpieces IV There are 45 Lots.
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Startpreis / Startingbid
7 500 €Lot: 1
Three Fragments of a Salor or Saryk Tent Band523/256/240 x 34 cm (17' 2" / 8' 5" / 7' 10" x 1' 1")
Turkmenistan, ca. 1800 or before
Condition: fragments, very good for its age, good pile, slight signs of use at sides and ends, minor small repairs, very good overall condition
Provenance: ex Hans-Christian Sienknecht collection
Warp: wool, weft: wool, pile: wool and silk with cotton highlights
A magnificent piece. There is hardly any other tent band that can boast such jewel-like colors and such a generous use of silk. It is notoriously difficult to attribute Turkmen tent bands to a specific tribal group and to substantiate this with hard facts. However, a certain consensus has emerged among collectors.
Jürg Rageth wrote in "Turkmen Carpets: A New Perspective" on page 463 regarding a Salor band: "The generous and, above all, systematic use of lac-dyed wool is very unusual and points to an attribution to the Salor, the only group among the Turkmen who systematically used this insect dye on wool in large quantities."
On pages 583 to 585, he identifies specific pattern characteristics that are also found in the present band and which he unequivocally attributes to Saryk bands. The highly knowledgeable collector Hans-Christian Sienknecht identified the band as Saryk and referred to it as a "showpiece" (Hali 200, page 187).
When placed together, the three fragments make up almost the entire length of the tent band. The colors of this extraordinary band are outstanding, and the fact that a relatively large portion of the white ground is visible underscores the cheerful radiance of this precious work.
Estimate: € 12000 - 160007 500 € -
Startpreis / Startingbid
3 000 €Lot: 2
Eagle Group I Torba120 x 46 cm (3' 11" x 1' 6")
Turkmenistan, mid 19th century or before
Condition: good, full pile, both ends and left side slightly incomplete, minor small moth damage
Provenance: ex Hans-Christian Sienknecht collection
Warp: wool, weft: wool und Seide, pile: wool
The Aksu pattern - from the Turkish "ak" meaning "white" or "clean" and "su" meaning "water" - is relatively rare in Turkmen weavings, though it appears more frequently in Göklan carpets than in those of other groups. In some cases, the pieces show a connection to Salor works. In his book "Turkmen Carpets," page 238, Jürg Rageth considers an exact attribution to Adler I or III difficult, as the knotting does not fit precisely with either group. He also notes in the foundation that the silk for the weft - which, of course, is not visible - is dyed here with cheaper madder instead of the usual insect dyes.
Jürg Rageth makes a quite extraordinary observation on page 703, where he notes that the knots dyed with lac consist of 18 individual threads each. He suspects that the yarn was produced for a woolen fabric and not for a carpet. He writes: "It was twisted together by the carpet weaver for the small torba until the material corresponded in volume to a normal, 2-thread carpet knot."
These hangings were produced in pairs but have mostly been separated over time. A preserved pair of these rare pieces from the Hoffmeister Collection, albeit in a fragmentary state, was sold at Rippon Boswell in Auction 108, Lot 88. Another very similar example can be found in Rautenstengel/Azadi, "Kultur der Turkmenen," fig. 21a, as well as two others in Dodds/Eiland, "Oriental Rugs from Atlantic Collections," figs. 213 and 214.
Estimate: € 6000 - 80003 000 € -
Startpreis / Startingbid
5 000 €Lot: 3
Early Tekke Main Carpet227 x 173 cm (7' 5" x 5' 8")
Turkmenistan, ca. 1800 or before
Condition: according to age, reduced in width, mostly good pile, several old repairs, kilim ends reattached and partially damaged, clear signs of use
Provenance: ex Robert Pinner collection and ex Hans-Christian Sienknecht collection
Warp: wool, weft: wool, pile: wool
This stunning Tekke main carpet is one of only six known examples featuring this border. It was first published by Robert Pinner and Michael Franses in "Turkoman Studies I" on page 102 and in Color Plate IV, 1980. At that time, only one other carpet of this type from the Menzel Collection was known.
The meander border with curled leaves was associated with Caucasian shield carpets in the publication. However, there is also a clear connection to tent bands. Jürg Rageth distinguished three different shades of red in the wonderful field, which form a subtle abrash ("Turkmen Carpets: A New Perspective," page 631).
A third carpet was acquired by the dealer David Reuben at Bonhams (Hali 117, page 113) and published as number 1 in his catalog "Gols and Guls II." This is likely the oldest of this small group and can be dated with considerable certainty to the 16th/17th century (Rageth, page 631). Radiocarbon dating of this specimen suggests a date of origin between 1650 and 1820 (Rageth, pp. 631 and 160).
The fourth specimen was auctioned by Rippon Boswell on November 20, 2004, Lot 181, for € 38,400.
This one had a slightly muted base color, but was complete and also displayed the beautiful green found in our example, which is missing a row of guls.
A rare opportunity to acquire a wonderful, extremely rare Turkmen rug of outstanding provenance.
Estimate: € 10000 - 150005 000 € -
Startpreis / Startingbid
3 000 €Lot: 4
Tibet Tiger Rug154 x 89 cm (5' 1" x 2' 11")
Tibet, early 20th century
Condition: good, low pile in places, scattered small repairs, slight signs of use
Warp: wool, weft: wool, pile: wool
Depictions of tigers or tiger-striped patterns on textiles have a tradition in Asia dating back at least 2,000 years. Whether woven or embroidered, as in the case of the oldest known piece from Noin-Ula, they symbolize strength, power, and authority. In Tibet, only someone who possesses such qualities is permitted to sit on such a rug.
Tibetan weavers produced carpets with natural depictions of tigers in a wide range of levels of abstraction, down to simple line drawings. The "tiger lips" are clearly visible on our piece. For the indentations on the sides with their beautiful salt-and-pepper knotting, it is best to compare the cover of Mimi Lipton's book "Tiger Carpets from Tibet", particularly the back cover.
Obviously, the tiger's head is not shown on our piece - or is it? No, but the ears are depicted at the bottom left and right.
On page 74 of Lipton's book, there is a photograph of a carpet that could have been made by the same weaver as the one shown here. To see it more clearly, however, you have to turn the book upside down.
Another example can be found in "La Tigre e il Fiore di Loto," Museo Nazionale Preistorico ed Etnografico, Plate XC.
Estimate: € 6000 - 80003 000 € -
Startpreis / Startingbid
4 000 €Lot: 5
Large Tibet460 x 152 cm (15' 1" x 5')
Tibet, early 20th century
Condition: good, scattered low pile, both upper corners slightly restored, scattered small repairs
Warp: wool, weft: wool, pile: wool
Large-format Tibetan carpets are extremely rare, but can measure over five meters in length. These were generally not made for monasteries, but for royal households. Smaller carpets featuring Chinese-influenced brocade patterns do exist, but they are also rare.
In Thomas Wild's book "Drumze: Metamorphoses of the Tibetan Carpet", Plate 26 depicts such a carpet whose ground color resembles that of our piece. The version shown there also features the brocade medallion as an endless repeat, with medallions cut off at the sides and both ends, though without a border.
For pieces with a border, the T-shaped meander border is the standard. In Hallvard Kåre Kuløy's "Tibetan Rugs", such a piece with a similar ground color is shown. This one also has a more elongated format than ours; unfortunately, the dimensions are not specified.
In Franz Bausback's small exhibition catalog of the Grelle Collection, "Lamaist Meditation Rugs from Tibet", a brocade-patterned rug with a meander border in the same base color is also depicted. What is remarkable in comparison to the examples mentioned, aside from the size of our piece, is the exceptionally delicate design of the medallions.
The small patterns in the field are often called "frog's foot" patterns, but are likely more closely related to the Buddhist flame symbol.
Estimate: € 6000 - 90004 000 € -
Startpreis / Startingbid
4 000 €Lot: 6
Double-sided piled Gabbeh186 x 116 cm (6' 1" x 3' 10")
Persia, ca. 1930
Condition: very good, good pile, minor small repairs, slight signs of use
Warp: wool, weft: wool, pile: wool
This exceptionally rare, double-sided Gabbeh is woven from high-sheen wool in excellent colors. As early as 1901,
Laura Belle Holt wrote of the very first Gabbeh ever published: "There is a fine sheen on the surface. This rug is quite heavy, and its very oddity makes it interesting to the collector." She described it as an "Arabian Rug" and "probably woven in the vicinity of Shiraz."
This rug, inserted between pages 58 and 59 in the book, features a field of squares that are inscribed multiple times within other squares. In our piece, the squares are designed with increasing wildness from top to bottom. This freedom in the design is also found in some Gabbeh from the Bornet Collection, such as numbers 29 and 30 in "Gabbeh, The George D. Bornet Collection, Part 3."
In the Holt piece, the field is surrounded by seven narrow borders, some of which feature minute motifs, whereas in our piece a pixelated effect can be observed. On the reverse side is a stepped polygon in striking colors on an aubergine-brown ground. This arrangement of red stepped diamonds is reminiscent of Qashqai kilims. In the book "Mystik der Gabbeh," Siawosch Azadi shows a Gabbeh with red bar diamonds and several colored borders on plate 13.
The fact that our rug is also double-sided is very rare. It is a rug of outstanding quality and, at the same time, a feast for the eyes.
Estimate: € 6000 - 80004 000 € -
Startpreis / Startingbid
2 000 €Lot: 7
Akstafa Soumak Horse Cover184 x 165 cm (6' x 5' 5")
Caucasus, ca. 1900
Condition: excellent
Published: "Tribal Rugs", Jenny Housego, 1978, plate 5 and "From Ushak to Yarkand II", Eberhart Herrmann, 1979, p. 69, No. 31
Warp: wool, weft: wool
This exceptionally beautiful, flat-woven horse blanket was published in color on plate 5 in 1978 by Jenny Housego in her groundbreaking book "Tribal Rugs". Shortly thereafter, it came into the possession of Eberhart Herrmann, who offered it for sale for 18,500 DM and published it as number 31 in his second catalog, "From Ushak to Yarkand".
Even nearly half a century later, the piece remains in the same excellent condition and boasts wonderful colors. At first glance, a yellow animal figure catches the eye, standing in a row with five others. The steeply erect tail feathers, the small hooks at the top of the head, and the small beak identify these figures as rather plump depictions of peacocks.
Standing atop them are two-headed quadrupeds, whose heads, in turn, also resemble peacocks. This style of representation is found on several of these flatweaves. The color-separated red and blue fields are completely filled with small rosettes and other motifs: a classic 'horror vacui'.
A strict, white-ground coffered border, as frequently used by the Khorasan Kurds, encloses the various fields. In Auction 108, Rippon Boswell offered a comparable piece under lot number 202.
Estimate: € 4000 - 60002 000 € -
Startpreis / Startingbid
4 000 €Lot: 8
Bidjar Vagireh231 x 138 cm (7' 7" x 4' 6")
Persia, mid 19th century
Condition: good, low pile, lower right corner restored, scattered small repairs, slight signs of use
Warp: wool, weft: wool, pile: wool
For reasons that remain unexplained, sample pieces of carpets have survived mainly from northwestern Persia, and particularly from Bidjar. It is possible that this was related to the second carpet revolution triggered by European and American demand. In 1883, the firm Ziegler & Co. distributed small mats, likely Vagireh, to its weavers so that they could properly fulfill their orders.
This piece features a Gerus design and is made to look almost like a finished small rug. However, at the bottom, the main border is shown only as a section within the field. The white-ground leaf border would then have been woven twice as a secondary border in the carpet to be produced.
These pieces could be shown to buyers but also served as a reference for the weavers. Clients could then choose which patterns and colors they preferred. The field in the classic Gerus design could be ordered in blue instead of the warm red, or the secondary border could be chosen as the main border.
In this respect, these Vagireh are not only important evidence for research on carpet traditions but are also popular collector's items.
Estimate: € 6000 - 90004 000 € -
Startpreis / Startingbid
5 000 €Lot: 9
Early Sivas Kilim380 x 145 cm (12' 6" x 4' 9")
Turkey, mid 18th century
Condition: according to age, partially corroded brown, sides and ends partially damaged, several small holes, signs of use, sewn on fabric
Warp: wool, weft: wool
Truly old Anatolian kilims are now rarely found, as they are practically nonexistent in their country of origin. Auctions of private collections, such as that of Jack Cassin on June 26, 2022, in Philadelphia, have fetched prices of up to $187,000; see Hali 213, page 158 and following.
This wonderful Sivas kilim features a large red field in the center and multicolored stripes at both ends. This particular layout, along with kilims consisting exclusively of stripes or double niches, is associated with their use as camel blankets.
Color and form are what make old Anatolian kilims so appealing, and the subtle colors of this early example enhance the formal design. The central field, beneath which the loads rest, is emphasized by a slightly deeper red. Four wider colored stripes in a slightly varied rhythm adorn the flanks of the camel. Alongside these are fine stripes in delicate colors, which are a hallmark of very old kilims from the Sivas region.
The Prammer Collection includes a related kilim, published in "Early Anatolian Kilims, Prammer Collection" as Plate 27. It features a similar pattern layout but omits the additional motifs in the field and stripes. Interestingly, the Prammer kilim also features a slightly different shade of red/pink in the field, which is bordered in blue. He writes: "5 000 € -
Startpreis / Startingbid
4 000 €Lot: 10
Early Central Anatolian Yastik80 x 58 cm (2' 7" x 1' 11")
Turkey, ca. 1800 or before
Condition: good for its age, scattered professional restorations, signs of use on sides and ends
Published: "Weise Collection - Ambassadors from the Orient", Roland Weise, 2019, page 10
Warp: wool, weft: wool, pile: wool
Back cushions are called "yastik" in Turkey. They exist both as piled wool pieces and as gold-brocaded silk velvet items. Both versions feature "Ladik"-style borders extending beyond the border frame. Some patterns are very similar in both versions, while in others the connection is not so easily discernible.
Our cushion was published in Hali 3/3, page 237, in the review of the Böhmer/Brüggemann exhibition. On page 239, Herwig Bartels suggested that the pattern of the yastik might have been influenced by Anatolian kilims. However, considering the Ottomans' fondness for tulips and carnations, one can naturally imagine that the horizontal flowers represent tulips and the vertical ones carnations.
Brian Morehouse examined the price trends of yastiks in Hali 217, pages 106 - 113, and also presented a piece very similar to ours. He compared the vertical flowers to cut flowers in the borders of 16th- and 17th-century Turkish carpets.
In this context, a fragment of a carpet with this field pattern on a red ground must be mentioned; see Rippon Boswell, May 20, 2000. The ground color of this carpet corresponds to the ground color of the majority of other yastiks with this design. Further white-ground examples can be found in Hali 176, page 108, as well as at Rippon Boswell, November 20, 2004, Lot 128, discussed in Hali 116, page 117. For a comparable velvet yastik with carnations and tulips, see Hülya Bilgi, "Çatma & Kemha," Istanbul 2007, number 42.
Estimate: € 6000 - 80004 000 € -
Startpreis / Startingbid
6 000 €Lot: 11
Early Melas Prayer Rug158 x 111 cm (5' 2" x 3' 8")
Turkey, first half 19th century
Condition: very good for its age, low pile but not worn, corroded dark brown, minor small repairs
Published: "Anatolian Carpets from Four Centuries", Franz Bausback, 1978, p. 103 and "Weise Collection - Ambassadors from the Orient", Roland Weise, 2019, page 11
Warp: wool, weft: wool, pile: wool
An absolutely exemplary specimen of this popular group of prayer rugs. This widely published piece features tulips and carnations on a beautiful yellow-ground border, a style that was so popular among the Ottomans. Another green floral motif is visible, each outlined with a delicate red contour line. The weaver has playfully scattered secondary motifs across the sunny yellow background; only at the top has she chosen a more open version.
The classic red field of our rug is likely unique due to one detail: the second lower lateral indentation makes it appear like a rocket intended to ascend directly into paradise through prayers. In the white field above, floral motifs can be found, as we know them from the so-called Transylvanian rugs. The white outer border is also typical, whereas one of the inner secondary borders is rare. We do, however, find it twice in "Through the Collector's Eye," Rhode Island, 1991, No. 8.
The three depictions in the field have been interpreted either as cypresses or as botehs. In his text accompanying his collection, collector Roland Weise quite aptly calls them 'steppe candles'. The green 'steppe candle' at the bottom left seems to bend in the wind in such a way that it interrupts the row of small yellow flowers.
The rich colors, the harmonious design, and the excellent condition make this rug "the one to have."
Estimate: € 10000 - 150006 000 € -
Startpreis / Startingbid
5 000 €Lot: 12
Early Ghiordes Prayer Rug161 x 122 cm (5' 3" x 4')
Turkey, ca. 1700
Condition: good for its age, low pile, corroded brown, both ends slightly incomplete, some old repairs
Warp: wool, weft: wool, pile: wool
A handful of 16th-century rugs featuring columns and niches are known to exist. Perhaps the best known is the Ballard Carpet at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, Inv. No. 22.100.51. However, the niches in these carpets are round, and the depiction of the columns in these courtly works is significantly more naturalistic.
Some Turkish rugs preserved in the churches of Transylvania feature three pointed niches and six columns. Like the pieces in Transylvania, our rug displays arabesques in the spandrels and, above them, a panel with tulips and carnations. This rug also features an additional panel with a palmette motif.
In Stefano Ionescu's book "The Transylvanian Heritage," numbers 362 - 365 are comparable. Almost without exception, pieces with three niches there have a cartouche border, whereas ours has a border of palmettes, rosettes, and hyacinths. This border is already visible in the Ballard carpet and also occurs in Transylvania on pieces with only one niche.
Rich, multiple secondary borders are practically never found in Transylvania. Most Ghiordes prayer rugs feature only two columns. Ghiordes rugs have always been highly sought after by collectors. The famous collector James Franklin Ballard owned eleven of these magnificent pieces.
Estimate: € 8000 - 120005 000 € -
Startpreis / Startingbid
12 000 €Lot: 13
Kütahya Yatak203 x 196 cm (6' 8" x 6' 5")
Turkey, mid 19th century
Condition: very good, good pile, scattered professional restorations
Warp: wool, weft: wool, pile: wool
Heavy, high-pile, more or less square rugs from Anatolia are called yatak, meaning "sleeping rug." On cold nights, one sleeps comfortably on them, well insulated by the thick pile. The majority of these usually red-ground pieces show large Memling güls surrounded by small star-octagons.
On our beautifully abraded field, only the star octagons are shown, drawn almost in a circle. Their multicolored nature initially obscures the fact that they are arranged diagonally in their ground colors. This creates a very charming, orderly chaos.
There are only a few comparable pieces with the same field. One is illustrated in Hali 50, page 165, from 1990, where a "hefty price" of 11,000 USD was lamented; shortly thereafter, another appeared in Hali 52, page 177. A piece with faded colors and in poor condition can also be found in "Turkish Handwoven Carpet," Volume 3, Number 0291.
However, none of these pieces features the exceptional border with interlocking diamonds. One is tempted to call it unique, but there are simply no one-of-a-kind pieces among carpets that belong to a tradition. A fragmentary piece was sold by Rippon Boswell in Auction 93 as lot 59 for €6,150. This fragment from the Poppmeier Collection resembles ours so closely that one must assume it came from the same weaver's household.
In our well-preserved sleeping rug, the stars seem to float above the ground, while the border on the sides adds visual appeal. It is fascinating to see how, in the minor borders, the relatively simple design gives way to a disruption in the pattern, as if the weaver had lost control or interest there.
Estimate: € 20000 - 3000012 000 € -
Startpreis / Startingbid
4 000 €Lot: 14
Ladik Prayer Rug175 x 105 cm (5' 9" x 3' 5")
Turkey, ca. 1800
Condition: good for its age, low pile in places, corroded purple and dark brown, sides and ends slightly incomplete, several small old repairs
Warps: wool, weft: wool, pile: wool
Many very old Ladik rugs have been found in mosques, particularly in Konya. Ladik itself is located about 35 km northeast of Konya. Donating such pieces to mosques was considered a pious act, and it is believed that rugs were woven specifically for this purpose, particularly in Ladik. They usually have a red field, though beige is also found.
In this particular example, the beautiful midnight-blue field features leaves and flowers in the spandrels, similar to those found on rugs from Transylvania. We are also familiar with the tulip panels from these rugs, though in Ladik rugs they may well be depicted at the bottom as well. Classically, the main border has a yellow ground and is decorated with carnations and cross-shaped flowers.
In Julia Bailey's seminal article "Ladik Prayer Rugs" in Hali 28, pages 18 - 25, the first piece shown is a prayer rug very similar to ours, though with the difference that the gable is depicted three times and the spandrel has a green background. Ladiks have more colors than their Transylvanian counterparts, and in our piece we also find aubergine and light blue. Classic antique Ladik prayer rugs have always been a "must-have" for a well-curated collection.
Estimate: € 6000 - 90004 000 € -
Startpreis / Startingbid
8 000 €Lot: 15
Large Dazkiri388 x 175 cm (12' 9" x 5' 9")
Turkey, second half 19th century
Condition: good, mostly good pile, both ends slightly restored, partial corroded dark brown, some minor repairs
Warp: wool, weft: wool, pile: wool
Dazkiri, a small town in the Menderes Valley in southwestern Anatolia, lends its name to a series of carpets, some of which incorporate patterns from Ushak and Transylvanian carpets. In the past, some of these were attributed to either Bergama or Konya - or, if necessary, to both.
Brian Morehouse gave a lecture at the IXth ICOC in Milan, which formed the basis for an article in Hali 121. On pages 100 - 107, he outlines the development of the patterns of the "Menderes Village Carpets." He traces the medallion, rendered in a beautiful yellow, back to Ushak carpets and illustrates this with a small medallion carpet from the late 16th or early 17th century, page 103, also in McMullan, number 84. This also shows the four-pass design of our medallion, the four flowers inside, and the spandrels on the far right and left.
Morehouse connects the triangular pendants on it to a prayer rug in Topkapi Palace from the 15th or early 16th century, page 101, as well as Rogers, "Topkapi Carpets," plate 40. He compares the cartouche border and the corner designs to the West Anatolian rugs preserved in Transylvania. In the green and blue corners of this example, the rosettes and the diagonal leaf forms bear witness to this.
In our elegant carpet, woven in wonderfully vibrant colors, several water jugs are also featured.
Estimate: € 12000 - 160008 000 € -
Startpreis / Startingbid
4 000 €Lot: 16
Fragment of an early antique wall hanging50 x 50 cm (1' 8" x 1' 8")
Middle East, 4th - 6th century
Condition: fragment, mounted on frame
Published: "Weise Collection - Ambassadors from the Orient", Roland Weise, 2019, page 25
Wool on linen fabric
Very old textiles have survived primarily in arid regions such as the Taklamakan Desert, the Peruvian coast, and Egypt. These were generally grave goods and therefore often consisted of clothing. In Egypt, the overwhelming majority are plain-woven and/or embroidered. More rarely, pile-woven tapestries were included. These hangings frequently depict dancers, figures from Greco-Roman mythology, and biblical characters.
From the meander border at the top, one might conclude that our fabric comes from a register hanging. The famous "Elias" hanging in the Abegg Foundation in Switzerland features a similar border that divides various pictorial panels ("Textiles of the Mediterranean Region," numbers 7 and 10; the latter also in HALI 140, page 63).
The graceful Dorcas gazelle turns toward the figure dressed in green. In ancient Egyptian depictions, these gazelles are often shown being led on a leash by female gift-bearers. During the Pharaonic period, these beautiful animals were associated with regeneration and healing. Whether such ideas have survived from much earlier times is, of course, speculative. Perhaps it simply stands, as in biblical imagery, for feminine beauty, elegance, and grace - something one would certainly wish for in the afterlife.
Such an elaborate, likely quite large wall hanging was certainly intended for a wealthy and important person.
Estimate: € 6000 - 80004 000 € -
Startpreis / Startingbid
8 000 €Lot: 17
Çatma Textile170 x 149 cm (5' 7" x 4' 11")
Turkey, 17th or 18th century
Condition: good for its age, some abrasions, partially corroded silk, clear signs of use, backed with fabric
Silk and metal threads on cotton
Turkish velvets, known as Çatma, have survived mainly as cushions, whereas larger examples that served as wall hangings are significantly rarer. This piece is particularly striking for its complex design, which is reminiscent of Safavid spiral-vine carpets. Cartouches with inscriptions also appear on carpets and silk fabrics from this period, particularly on carpets of the 16th-century "Salting" group, such as the example in the Musée des Arts Décoratifs in Paris (HALI 126, page 103).
The border of our velvet features Arabic proverbs and aphorisms. The pointed oval medallion bears a complex design reminiscent of certain Islamic ceramics. To produce wider velvets in cushion formats, the two halves were woven one after the other using the same settings on the draw loom and then joined together. As a result, the inner design of the medallion is rotationally symmetrical.
A velvet loom is far more complex than a standard loom, and to produce a two-coloured velvet one requires two pile-forming warps as well as another warp for the foundation weave. It is therefore hardly surprising that this elegant and precious textile was woven more than once. A similar piece was sold at Christie's on 26 October 2017 as lot 254 for £32,500. That example, however, was in better condition, although Christie's dated it to the 19th century.
Estimate: € 12000 - 160008 000 € -
Startpreis / Startingbid
8 000 €Lot: 18
Kaitag Textile96 x 68 cm (3' 2" x 2' 3")
Caucasus, 18th century
Condition: good for its age, slight abrasions, scattered small repairs, slight signs of use, backed with fabric
Silk on cotton
Even more than 30 years after the "discovery" and publication of the first monograph, Kaitags are still something special. This may be due, on the one hand, to the limited number of surviving embroideries, and on the other hand, to the fact that these textile works of art never cease to surprise. In our piece, the eye is naturally drawn immediately to the kaleidoscope-like square from which the central medallion seems to leap out. This design is likely unique. To achieve this effect, the otherwise standard running stitch had to be abandoned. Instead, the individual squares were filled with simple stitches crisscrossing back and forth. Only if you look very closely will you discover that attempts were made here and there to use the overcast running stitch. However, the pattern is actually too intricate and irregular for this. The embroidery technique in this section, as well as the color scheme, resemble a piece featured by Hagop Manoyan in Hali 163, page 87. If we now look at the overall view, we see quite familiar forms, but also discover a bird in the upper left corner of the round medallion. This, too, is freely embroidered.
In Robert Chenciner's seminal book "Kaitag. Textile Art from Daghestan," a piece is illustrated under number 36 in which the upper and lower corner borders are quite similar. He writes that the medallion, which features appendages in his piece, could originate from Persian medallion carpets. Under number 42, however, he shows a piece that he associates with Ottoman velvet cushions and whose center resembles ours. The comparison with the cushions also explains the orange stripes outside the border in our fantastic example. For such a cushion, called a yastik, which also explains the design of the orange field, see "Çatma & Kemha. Ottoman Silk Textiles," number 40. Embroiderers from Dagestan, inspired by textiles from other cultures, have created unique works of art through their artistic interpretations that continue to inspire us.
Estimate: € 12000 - 180008 000 € -
Startpreis / Startingbid
12 000 €Lot: 19
Star Kazak215 x 169 cm (7' 1" x 5' 7")
Caucasus, second half 19th century
Condition: good for its age, good pile, partial corroded dark brown, both ends incomplete, several old repairs
Warp: wool, weft: wool, pile: wool
In his book "Carpets from the Caucasus", the German "carpet guru" Ulrich Schürmann wrote the following about a Kazak:
"The fiery intensity of the colors and the patterns, which could almost be called abstract, are unsurpassed in their barbaric beauty." The esteem for this group of rugs, now known as Star Kazaks, has not changed since then. They are among the most sought-after of all Caucasian carpets.
In Hali 3/1, on pages 17 - 26, Michael Franses and Robert Pinner divided the 18 known pieces at the time into four subgroups, which differ mainly in their borders. The largest group in terms of numbers is Group C, to which this piece also belongs.
The field pattern of these pieces is, in principle, always the same, yet the overall impression can be completely different.
Some appear quite rigid and reveal little of the ground, while others seem dynamic and full of tension. There is little doubt as to which group our rug belongs.
In most cases, two red octagons are visible alongside one whole and two truncated, usually halved, blue stars. The design should, however, be understood as an all-over pattern, and this is particularly beautifully demonstrated here, as the upper star is fully visible.
In his magnificent book "Orient Stars," collector Heinrich Kirchheim analyzed the pattern on pages 31 - 33 and compared it to Azerbaijani silk embroideries. Had he been familiar at the time with the embroidery we sold on November 16, 2019, as Lot 27, it would certainly have been mentioned in the article as well. See also Hali 209, pages 88 - 91, on the subject of the pattern.
Even though more than 18 examples are known today, such a rug - especially when it is drawn in an expressive and dynamic manner - can be described as highlight of any collection.
Estimate: € 20000 - 3000012 000 € -
Startpreis / Startingbid
4 000 €Lot: 20
Alpan Kuba333 x 113 cm (10' 11" x 3' 8")
Caucasus, ca. 1870
Condition: very good, good pile, corroded brown, minor small repairs
Warp: wool, weft: wool, pile: wool
This wonderful, rare Kuba captivates with its excellent craftsmanship and beautifully vivid colors. At both ends of the field are vases from which, like a cornucopia, a wide variety of flowers spring forth. In the center stands a double vase, and if one were to place a mirror there, the entire rug would appear before one's eyes - so perfectly is its symmetry maintained.
In addition to the rug's great precision, the weaver has incorporated small irregularities that delight the wandering eye. Above the central vase, for example, two details can be seen in the red roses that do not appear elsewhere. Small symbols appear here and there in the field, as well as triangular shapes on the sides of the field. At the bottom, at the beginning of the rug, she intended to have a row of flowers accompany the border, but quickly realized that this would overwhelm the main pattern.
The main border is taken from the Chichi rugs, which also originate from the Kuba district. A rug offered by Rippon Boswell in Auction 80 as Lot 216 features this border as a motif at the upper edge of the field. This piece on a brown ground resembles ours, particularly through the same use of bold diagonal lines, but lacks the mirror symmetry. The heart-leaf tendril in the secondary border is also found there.
This rug, in excellent condition and rich colors, is a prime example of Caucasian weaving art.
Estimate: € 6000 - 80004 000 €