Early-19th Century Caucasian Rug

Description

The antique Caucasian rugs get their name from the area in which they were made – the Caucasus. The Caucasus … more The antique Caucasian rugs get their name from the area in which they were made – the Caucasus. The Caucasus is a region that produces distinctive rugs since the end of the 18th century and the antique Caucasian rugs are primarily produced as village pieces rather than the fine and intricate city productions. Caucasian rugs are best known for featuring bold geometric and tribal designs in primary colors.

The antique rugs from the Caucasus are primarily made of materials that are (or were) particular to their tribal provinces and some of the styles that are “typical” or better known to the Caucasus region are Shirvan, Dagestan, Kuba, Kazak, Karachopf rugs. Caucasian Rugs are probably the most widely collected type of antique rugs. The strongest market for Caucasian rugs has to be Italy who appreciates these rugs for their tribal and primitive designs. Another reason why the Italian market is so strong is the fact that most of the rooms as considerably smaller than those in the USA – since the Caucasian rugs are smaller in size (rarely bigger than 5 x 8 ) they are the perfect size for their rooms.

Chief countries of origin were Kuba, Dagestan, Shirvan, Talish and Baku in the East, and Ganjeh, Kazak, and Karabagh in the southwest Caucasus. While Caucasian carpets tend to feature floral designs, their style or rendering is usually highly abstract or geometric, with considerable emphasis on rich and varied color.

Central Asia is the pre-eminent region for nomadic rug production. Chief among the rug producing Central Asian nomads were the Turkomans, whose work is prized for its precise weave and drawing and meticulous allover repeat designs, although generally in a subdued or restricted palette. Turkoman rugs are often called “Bokara” in the rug trade, after the chief central Asian city from which they were exported to the West. Other central Asia nomads like the Baluch, Uzbeks, and Khirgiz produced bolder designs with a brighter, more varied palette, but their pattern repertory is still closely related to that of the Turkomans. In addition to floor rugs or carpets, many central Asian weaving were made as storage bags and decorative trappings. less