Description

This antique Khotan fragment is a real gem with the most jewel like colours.

It has five rows of four so-called coffered guls which are typical of Khotan rugs from eastern Turkestan. The guls are all systematically arranged on an orange ground: a yellow and brown element inside a light blue hooked border is followed by a light blue and orange element inside a yellow border, thus creating an alternate sequence of guls horizontally and lines of the same gul diagonally. The sweetest border on a beautiful blue ground contains diagonally placed plants with three flower heads alternately facing inwards and outwards.

This is a rare and extremely decorative example of its type, and even though it is a fragment, with most probably two rows missing in total, it is still a great find for any lover of central Asian carpets and textiles. The quality of the wool and dyes, too, is outstanding.