Description

This vintage dulchir, or julkhyr, with its almost contemporary look dates to the middle of the 20th century. It was made in Uzbekistan, or possibly in Afghanistan by Uzbek weavers.

These rugs with their very deep pile were intended to be sleeping rugs, much like southwest Persian gabbehs, for instance.

It is made in four panels: two for the field, each measuring about 35 cm in width, and two for the plain blue borders, each 8.5 cm wide. The design is simple: red elongated diamonds are placed inside a row of rectangles on alternating white and and dark blue grounds, followed by a row of alternating green/blue and orange grounds. This sequence is repeated throughout the field. The simplicity of the design would suggest that it was made for domestic use rather than to be sold. This is another parallel to the gabbehs produced in Iran in the 19th century.

It is woven over a thick sinuous warp, with the knots tied over the upper warp in a symmetrical Turkish knot. This means that the knots are not visible on the back – only the warps are showing (see additional image). The weft is straight. In one of the borders the carpet has a double weft, all the other panels are single wefted. The wool is very loosely plied, adding to the fluffy feel of this loosely woven carpet.

The dulchir is in excellent condition.

£850