Description

This antique Tekke Turkoman rug dates to the late nineteenth century.

Its field is a design of three columns of six main guls which are connected by horizontal and vertical straight lines. Vertically connecting secondary guls fill in the spaces inside this grid. They also appear as half guls on the sides. Octagonal rosettes alternate with strictly geometrical motifs, some of them typical of engsi borders, in the main border on the sides. The borders at the bottom and top of the rug are a sequence of rosettes, sixteen at the bottom and twelve at the top.

This difference is an indication of the way the weaving of this rug was progressing: not only is it wider at the bottom end, but it is also more “wonky” and somewhat busier in its design. The elem at the bottom end with its slightly random spacing and the idiosyncratically placed dividing lines between the tree motifs hint at a learning curve on the part of the weaver, with the top end very evenly and clearly spaced.

It is not too far fetched to speculate that the weaver was probably fairly young and “learned on the job”, certainly in terms of design, even though her good technical weaving skills appear to be very even throughout. Rugs like this always communicate an originality and charm which is sometimes lacking in perfectly executed carpets.

The quality of the wool is excellent, as are the colours, including a strong yellow.

The rug is in very good condition, with a small reweave in the top left hand corner.

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