A mysterious flatweave / Shahsavan mafrash panel?

[Mikko Saikku]

Dear all,

This flatweave was in the same lot with the Yomud chuval. I somehow found it quite fascinating--and those stylized birds look great in person. (I knew I'd seen the exact same bird design a few times before, but right now I'm only able to locate it on p. 52 of Benardout's Caucasian Rugs, in connection with Shirvan kilims).

I really have no experience on Central Asian flatweaves, so I didn't know what to make of it. It was listed as a "soumak" on the auction website, but the back is just fuzzy, not ragged, so I guess it is constructed with kilim technique(?). The size is 95 x 61 cm (37 x 24 "). It's made of two pieces that clearly have been stitched together later. It feels to be of considerable age, with fine weave and ancient-looking design. The colors are presumably all natural.


http://www.turkotek.com/show_and_tell/mikko_soumak.jpg



http://www.turkotek.com/show_and_tell/mikko_soumak_closeup .jpg


Originally, I had no idea what it was (although the palette looked vaguely "Caucasian" to me). However, a good friend with considerable rug knowledge just informed me that it looked like a Shahsavan mafrash panel to him. (The two joined pieces could presumably have been the end panels of a complete mafrash.) A Google image search with "Shahsavan mafrash" uncovered definite relatives of this item, including one with a practically identical design.

Thus I think my original question to "Show and Tell" re its origin has already been answered! Or are there other possibilities in addition to a Shahsavan mafrash panel?

Compared to images of Shahsavan mafrashes available on the internet, my piece looks (at least to me) to be of above-average quality re design and execution, including fineness of weave. Would anyone venture to estimate its age?

Thanks in advance,

Mikko

[Joel Greifinger]

Hi Mikko,

Those mafrash end panels deserve a serious WOW! :applause:

In his Sumak Bags of Northwest Persia & Transcaucasia, Wertime shows this example (p. 60, p. 117) that he dates to the 3rd quarter of the 19th century:

https://i.postimg.cc/05KmPRSt/Moghan1.jpg

On this older one (pl. 68, p. 125) , you can see the border stripe design from your piece:

https://i.postimg.cc/c4q3J9Md/Moghan2.jpg

Both of these are from the Moghan-Savalan region of northeast Azerbaijan in Iran.

Congratulations on a great find. :cheers:

Joel Greifinger

[Mikko Saikku]

Joel, huge thanks for the images (and for your kind words)--I think there is now no doubt about the geographical origin of these panels.

When comparing my piece with some of the images of similar pieces on the internet, I began to wonder about the fineness of weave. Mine seems to be drawn in much more detail than most--is there any correlation between fineness of weave and age in Shahsavan flatweaves?

Mikko

[Filiberto Boncompagni]

Hi Nikko,

I must join Joel in his congratulations! :clap: :clap: :clap: :clap: :clap: :clap:

And your panel is definitely Shahsavan: see the 'S' on the tails of the "birds"?
That stands for Shahsavan.

:monalisa: (I am kidding, of course).

Regards,

Filiberto

[Richard Tomlinson]

Hi Mikko

You have some splendid mafrash panels there!

I do not think we can draw conclusions about age based on fineness of weave. However, I think finely woven pieces are GENERALLY desirable (probably across the board). And sometimes, they point to a particular region - I think these Shahsavan bird ones are generally finely woven.

I collect Shahsavan pieces. These 'bird' pieces - you need to look in books at the old examples and compare drawing, as some of the later pieces tend to 'butcher' the birds and other motifs somewhat.

I would think the most important factor I would be looking at would be colour. Colour, colour, colour..

In the detailed picture you posted, there is a small shrub like motif. It looks like it has a deep, dark aubergine (verging on dark brown)

That MIGHT be indicative of age ... some of the really old pieces have a distinct dark purple.

I would say your pieces are likely 1880, possibly earlier.

Now all you have to do is find the long panels !!!

Cheers
Richard Tomlinson

[Patrick Weiler]

Mikko,

A great find! Usually these end panels are sewn together vertically, to approximate a "rug" shape. I don't recall seeing any sewn together horizontally.

Patrick Weiler

[Mikko Saikku]

Dear all,

Thanks for commenting--and I'm happy to see so many of you liked the Shahsavan panels.

Some further information on the panels: There is some wear, and I think some stabilizing work is clearly needed on a couple of corners. Any suggestions about how it should be done properly?

Here's a photo of the back of the joined panels. As you can see, someone sewed two cloth bands in the back (I really do not understand the function of the navy blue one). Would it make any sense to separate the panels if it can be done without causing further damage?


http://www.turkotek.com/show_and_tell/mikko_shahsavan_back .jpg


I always thought that soumaks would display hanging threads on the back, but this does not seem to have any. Any significance?

Richard was interested in the colors, so here's another photo.


http://www.turkotek.com/show_and_tell/mikko_shahsavan.jpg


Unfortunately my cell phone camera is unable to reproduce the true palette, so the colors here are much brighter, colder, and lighter than in reality. (For example, the yellow is really almost golden.) Unfortunately, the color of the "shrub-like" motif is not dark purple; it is more of a reddish brown close to the color of the red birds, but just a shade darker.

After posting a Shirvan-Baku Surahani/Ordutch Konagkend rug a few months ago, I ended up adding six books on Caucasian rugs to my library. I guess the time has now come to get something on flatweaves, too. Any suggestions in addition to Wertime's book? (There seems to be a book on the Shahsavan weavings by Parviz Tanavoli.)

Thanks again,

Mikko

[Mikko Saikku]

Additional comment to Patrick--I occurred to me that someone could possibly have made a pillowcase out of the two panels as a standard European pillow would fit this perfectly!

[Chuck Wagner]

Hi Mikko,

Congratulations on the very fortunate acquisitions.

I have found Heinz Hegenbart's book useful, with dual German and English text:

Seltene Webtaschen aus dem Orient

Rare Oriental Woven Bags

I have the 1982 edition, ISBN 3-921811-21-X

Regards
Chuck

[Filiberto Boncompagni]

Nikko,

This one is good:

Nooter, Robert H.
Flat Woven Rugs & Textiles from the Caucasus

ISBN: 0-7643-1961-2

[Lloyd Kannenberg]

Hi Mikko,

I second Filiberto's recommendation, it is an excellent reference. I have also found

Mafrash

Siawosch Azadi and Peter A. Andrews

ISBN 3-496-01022-2

to be useful, especially for Shahsevan weavings. Text in German and English.

Lloyd Kannenberg

[Mikko Saikku]

Thank you all for the scholarly recommendations--I'll definitely look into the availability of these books.

Any further comments on repair work, weaving technique, or colors regarding this piece?

Thanks again,

Mikko

[Joel Greifinger]

It was listed as a "soumak" on the auction website, but the back is just fuzzy, not ragged, so I guess it is constructed with kilim technique(?).

Mikko,

In terms of weaving technique, the panels look to be straightforward, finely woven weft-wrapping (soumak).

Joel

[Patrick Weiler]

Mikko,

One book which I find indispensable is Woven Structures, a guide to oriental rug and textile analysis by Marla Mallett.
I have had it for more than 10 years and find myself using it frequently.
It is the single rug book I use more than any other, though my rug book library is probably approaching 100 volumes - and there are others I would still like to acquire.

Patrick Weiler

[Mikko Saikku]

Joel & Patrick,

Thank you. I really need to learn more about the structural side of weavings--something I've always avoided, instead solely relying on visual aspects for identification. Not a good long-term strategy, I know...

Rug books really constitute a distinct genre: a couple of them can cost as much as a decent rug!

Mikko

[Richard Tomlinson]

Hi Mikko

I got to the point where I stopped buying rug books ... they are very expensive. And you can only learn so much.

If you spend time online, you can learn a lot from exploring rug auction results - photos, prices, some descriptions, and a general sense of what is 'collectable'.

Of course we don't all subscribe to the 'collectable' theory -- I personally buy what pleases me, but you need to keep your wits about you in terms of what you should spend.

Some collectors have excellent blogs with years of compiled images.

Regards
Richard

[Mikko Saikku]

Dear all,

FYI: Mallett's Woven Structures: A Guide to Oriental Rug and Textile Analysis is available from her personal website at a better price than those offered by used book dealers.

Mikko

[Joel Greifinger]

Hi Mikko,

This one just sold on the online marketplace, rugrabbit. I prefer the alternating colors in the motifs of the middle panel on yours. :clap:

https://i.postimg.cc/8cKc0kT3/Sanli-end-panel.png

Joel

[Mikko Saikku]

Hi Joel,

And thanks for the picture. Definitely a very close relative--and not surprisingly, I do agree of your judgement! What was their age estimate?

Best,

Mikko

[Joel Greifinger]

What was their age estimate?

Hi Mikko,

The listing has been taken down, but I don't think that the seller gave an estimate of the age. I think it would be safe to assume that your panels were likely woven some time in the second half of the 19th century. Perhaps a collector who concentrates on Shahsavan material will weigh in on more specific comparative features.

Joel