Two Turkmen Chuvals

[Mikko Saikku Junior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Mikko Saikku]

Dear all,

First, cordial thanks for all the learned comments on my two Baluch rugs I posted a couple of weeks ago! Here are the two Turkmen chuvals secured from the same auction.

The first one is somewhat of a mystery to me. The size is 78 x 112 cm. Seven colors: dark chocolate brown, blackish blue, white, wine red, orange-brown, bright red (mainly elem), and yellow (accents). The bright red and yellow are really pretty bright and could well be synthetic(?).





While there are many Tekke design elements, the palette reminds me of some Arabatchi weavings I've seen in the literature. The chuval is in very good shape, and I find it hard to try to date it to the 19th century. Also, the design is pretty crowded and the work(wo)manship excellent with a high knot count, which would make one lean to an early 20th century dating. Of course, it could presumably be of even more recent origin.





So, any ideas about the origin and age of this piece? I really have not encountered anything like it before.

Best,

Mikko

[Mikko Saikku Junior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Mikko Saikku]

And here's the second one. It is smaller (68 x 115 cm) and feels considerably older with plenty of wear and serious fading on the front. I believe the fading can be attributed to continued exposure to sunlight as the colors in the back seem quite natural. Six colors: wine red, bright red, medium blue, dark blue, dark brown (accents), and white:







The drawing, while more crowded than in early 19th-century pieces, still looks very traditional to me. To my taste, the design with such a limited palette and the execution are excellent while the knot count is considerably lower than in the first chuval:



If I had to make an identification, I'd say "Tekke, 2nd half 19th century," but I may be utterly wrong! All comments on the two chuvals will be greatly appreciated. Here they are on the top of my color reference Afghan (the top chuval is upside down):



Best,

Mikko

[Mikko Saikku Junior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Mikko Saikku]

I'm afraid I too managed to lose the photos. Here they are again:









Best,

Mikko

[Joe Lawrence Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Joe Lawrence]

Nice pieces! The first one has the “spider” motif as described by Moskova. This should be a starting point to research for a general age timeframe. The fading could have been caused by many things to include sun exposure like you mentioned, chemical washing from long ago and even the possibility of smoke if used in a dwelling.

[Mikko Saikku Junior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Mikko Saikku]

Thanks, Joe!

Any guesses about the origins of the brown chuval? (I did find a couple of Yomud chuvals with the same chocolate brown field in the internet.)

As for the other chuval, the difference between the front and the back is really pronounced:



Best,

Mikko

[Steve Price Administrator Find all posts View Profile Close Steve Price]

Hi Mikko

The mostly brown (purplish brown on my monitor) one has the look of a Chodor to me. If it is, the knots should be asymmetric open to the right. The very bright red in some places suggests early 20th century weaving, but otherwise I'd guess it to have been woven in the 19th century.

The other one puzzles me. From the back, it looks like a late 19th century Tekke, but the skirt isn't Tekke-esque at all.

Steve Price

[Mikko Saikku Junior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Mikko Saikku]

Hi Steve,

Good to hear from you. I'll try to figure out the knotting in the first chuval. And yes, Chodor seems like a good match.

Re the second chuval: Plate 20 (p. 44) in Pinner and Eiland, Between the Black Desert and the Red, depicts a Tekke chuval with a somewhat similar tree/flower design in the elem.

Best,

Mikko

[Mikko Saikku Junior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Mikko Saikku]

Hi all,

To my untrained hand, the pile feels to slant down and right (with the elem at the top of the rug/loom). The weave is really too fine for my myopic eyes to make out the knots, but here's a low-quality photo that may prove useful for the pros (with the elem at the bottom of the screen):



Found a chuval with very similar palette and design from the net. However, it's for sale so I can't provide the link. In any case, the seller claimed that while the chuval used a palette typical to the Chodor or Arabachi, "the weave and drawing of this piece are classically Yomut."

Best,

Mikko

[Joe Lawrence Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Joe Lawrence]

I knew I have seen a similar piece like the your first pic and just had to look on a wall in my house to find it.

My piece is missing areas on the borders and not perfect. It’s one of my favorite pieces and in my opinion, the oldest I have. The feel is very silky and soft and the knots are very fine and tightly woven. The color is unusual and my best guess it “could” have been caused from years of smoke from an Oy (yurt). I had it cleaned by a renowned expert and the color didn’t change. The back side is much clearer and you can see the wonderful colors better. I have seen similar pieces in catalogs and books dating this to the 18th and early 19th century. Not claiming mine is, just relaying what I’ve seen. Those that have seen it agree it’s a an early Tekke piece based on the motifs, color and weave.

[Mikko Saikku Junior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Mikko Saikku]

Hi Joe,

I believe we got it now for the second chuval I posted--except for the main border, the design of your rug is almost a perfect match. Another notable difference is the presence of those beautiful lighter blues in your rug. Based on literature, I associate those shades with the earlier Tekke.

Thank you!

Mikko

[Mikko Saikku Junior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Mikko Saikku]

Dear all,

I keep on coming back to the first chuval I posted in this thread. Here it is again:



Found a quite similar chuval from literature, i.e., Elena Tsareva, Turkmen Carpets: The Neville Kingston Collection (Stuttgart: Arnoldsche, 2016), 134, 223, Figure 100:





The elem and minor borders are different, but still... What do you think?

Best,

Mikko

[Chuck Wagner Administrator Find all posts View Profile Close Chuck Wagner]

Hi Mikko,

For your first chuval, try another low quality closeup view of a fold that exposes the knots, but this time, with the adjacent knots having different colors so we can associate a specific node with a specific tuft of pile...

Regards
Chuck

[Mikko Saikku Junior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Mikko Saikku]

Hi Chuck,

Will do--more soon!

Mikko

[Mikko Saikku Junior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Mikko Saikku]

Chuck et al.,

To my understanding, the knots open left (or are symmetric). Here's another bad quality photo:



The chuval does look younger than the one in Tsareva's book (more crowded, suspicious bright red and yellow in the elem)--early 20th century? But what would be the legitimate last date for "true" tribal Arabachi weavings?

Best,

Mikko

[Mikko Saikku Junior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Mikko Saikku]

Finally a somewhat better photo! (Located my old digital camera with decent macro function.)



Mikko