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Dear all,
Thank you for your input on the “Ali Mirzai” Baluch. Here’s my other recent Baluch acquisition, which frankly baffles me. It too comes from a local auction (originally from a bourgeois home). This type of Baluch rug, utilizing the Salor gul in its design, is sometimes featured in the relevant literature. Here are the photos of the rug from the auction catalog:
The size of the rug is ca. 180 x 100 cm. The six colors include medium/light red, white, medium/light brown, blackish brown (corroded), dark blue, and brownish/light yellow (for accents). More on those shades a little later! All colors seem non-synthetic to me. The pile is practically intact, except for the heavily corroded black-brown.
The rug feels like it has some age. The handle is soft and supple, reminiscent of Turkmen rugs. For a Baluch rug, the knot count seems to be on the high side (the ruler is in cm):
One striking feature about the carpet is, of course, the great difference in colors between the front and back:
I do not think this is the result from long-term exposure to direct sunlight, but rather from some sort of chemical treatment (bleaching). Cf. the thread about Joe’s Ersari ensi. In this case, the treatment fortunately seems to have been quite mild and we do not get the full “Golden Afghan” effect—the resulting palette on the front somehow looks almost “Turkmenian,” while the back retains the original coloration:
Cf. Siawosch Azadi's Teppiche in der Belutsch-Tradition/Carpets in the Baluch Tradition (Munich: Klinkhardt & Biermann, 1986), plate 30, pp. 146-147. Azadi identifies the rug as “Baluch, Salar Khani?, Kolah Deraz?, Khorasan, Torbat-e Hadari, Northeast Persia, 168 x 90 cm, ca. 1880” (asymmetrical knots). There is a limit of five pictures per entry so I'll post Azadi's rug separately below.
So what to make of my rug—its age and attribution? To me, the classic design and heavily corroded blackish brown suggest considerable age. Also, this type of bleaching probably has not been practiced for decades(?). On the other hand, the lack of kilims and the rug’s almost perfect condition with full pile (except for that corroded blackish brown) would suggest younger age.
In case the rug really was of greater age, would the chemical treatment generally destroy its collectability as an example of Baluch art? But whatever it is, it looks quite stunning after a snow wash and is definitely a keeper!
Best,
Mikko
Thank you for your input on the “Ali Mirzai” Baluch. Here’s my other recent Baluch acquisition, which frankly baffles me. It too comes from a local auction (originally from a bourgeois home). This type of Baluch rug, utilizing the Salor gul in its design, is sometimes featured in the relevant literature. Here are the photos of the rug from the auction catalog:
The size of the rug is ca. 180 x 100 cm. The six colors include medium/light red, white, medium/light brown, blackish brown (corroded), dark blue, and brownish/light yellow (for accents). More on those shades a little later! All colors seem non-synthetic to me. The pile is practically intact, except for the heavily corroded black-brown.
The rug feels like it has some age. The handle is soft and supple, reminiscent of Turkmen rugs. For a Baluch rug, the knot count seems to be on the high side (the ruler is in cm):
One striking feature about the carpet is, of course, the great difference in colors between the front and back:
I do not think this is the result from long-term exposure to direct sunlight, but rather from some sort of chemical treatment (bleaching). Cf. the thread about Joe’s Ersari ensi. In this case, the treatment fortunately seems to have been quite mild and we do not get the full “Golden Afghan” effect—the resulting palette on the front somehow looks almost “Turkmenian,” while the back retains the original coloration:
Cf. Siawosch Azadi's Teppiche in der Belutsch-Tradition/Carpets in the Baluch Tradition (Munich: Klinkhardt & Biermann, 1986), plate 30, pp. 146-147. Azadi identifies the rug as “Baluch, Salar Khani?, Kolah Deraz?, Khorasan, Torbat-e Hadari, Northeast Persia, 168 x 90 cm, ca. 1880” (asymmetrical knots). There is a limit of five pictures per entry so I'll post Azadi's rug separately below.
So what to make of my rug—its age and attribution? To me, the classic design and heavily corroded blackish brown suggest considerable age. Also, this type of bleaching probably has not been practiced for decades(?). On the other hand, the lack of kilims and the rug’s almost perfect condition with full pile (except for that corroded blackish brown) would suggest younger age.
In case the rug really was of greater age, would the chemical treatment generally destroy its collectability as an example of Baluch art? But whatever it is, it looks quite stunning after a snow wash and is definitely a keeper!
Best,
Mikko
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