Stunning old Tekke Main Carpet ... help to determine its age please

[Beate Bieniek Junior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Beate Bieniek]

I recently acquired a stunning Tekke Main Carpet at an estate sale. I'd like to learn more about this carpet, and also are keen to determine its age. The carpet is very sizable at 260 cm x 365 cm. Despite the size, it only weighs around 16-17 kg. It has a blanket feel to it, with soft grip. Although 10 weeks boxed up, it folded out without a crease. Overall in nice condition with even wear, and some heavier localized wear. Colors are earthy reds, browns, and accents in jewel colors including dark green and dark blue, also some charcoal and some specks of yellow. There are some whimsical motives in the border, people and animals it seems, apart from the more traditional motives.

Enclosed a set of photos I took, mostly front, some back. And of course I can supply more as needed.

I am interested to learn more about this carpet, and also receive insights as to age. Much appreciate the help of this expert community, and thanks a lot!

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

Hi Beate,

That's a very attractive rug, and I like any Turkmen piece a little bit more any time the weaver tosses in a few animals.

I think you are correct about a Tekke attribution, it has all the typical visual characteristics. If you are familiar with how to examine the knots, it would be helpful to know if they are symmetrical or asymmetrical, and if the latter, to the left or right.

As for age and region, I'll offer the following. Bottom line, I think it is late 1800's to early 1900's, maybe 20 years either side of 1900. I offer this judgement based on the following:
1) The aspect ratio of the major guls is roughly 1 : 1 On older pieces, the guls are typicaly much wider than they are vertically. The more squared off geometry is a later feature.
2) The apricot-orange dye in the alternate quadrants of the major guls is highly variable and looks like it has some selective fading. This is an indicator of synthetic dyes, dating after 1870 or so.
3) The pointed, turret-like minor guard border elements are a later feature and are often indicative of a western or southerm region close to the Persian or Afghan border. They are a common feature on Yomud pieces (yours is almost certainly Tekke) that are woven along the Caspian in far northeast Persia.
4) On the oldest pieces, the minor borders are very narrow and very simple; yours are wider and more complex.

Knowing some more about the knots would help narrow down uncertainties.

Let's see what others have to offer.

Regards
Chuck Wagner

[Beate Bieniek Junior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Beate Bieniek]

Hi Chuck ...

I am very grateful for your expert comments!

I have read up about knots and how to identify them ... while unable to apply this knowledge in practice. I do not know what I am looking at, and do not want to hazard a guess. So I made some more close-up photos in day light that might be helpful. I should be able to get even more close-up with a different camera as needed.

Photos 1 and 2 show the bottom carpet border; Photos 3 and 4 show one a the Tekke guels.

I also snug in another photo of the whimsical border details; this time a group of people with their animals. I agree with you Chuck; Turkmen pieces become even more likable with these little personal details.

I look forward to your further comments and the comments of other members of this community.

Thanks so much!
Beate

[Frank Martin Diehr Junior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Frank Martin Diehr]

Hi Beate, hi Chuck,

I concur. Though Turkomans are not my forte, judging by its large size, colours and arrangement of rigid guls and overall design, I would date it to no earlier than 1900, i.e. to ca 1900-1920. However, the panel with a number of nomadic animals squeezed into the wide border is an interesting recourse to tribal tradition, and, as far as I know, much rarer in Tekke rugs than e.g. in South Persian or Baluch rugs.

Kind regards

Frank

[Beate Bieniek Junior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Beate Bieniek]

Hi Frank,

Thank you very much for taking the time to look at my rug. Your insights are much appreciated.

I think your comment about the animals / people in the wide border is spot on; I've look at many Tekke rugs over the years and only found this in a few.

With many regards,
Beate

[PaulSmith Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close PaulSmith]

Nice Tekke main carpet!

I'm not an expert, but I agree that this one is on the late side (c.1900); however, I think it represents a special product for this later period. Several later features have been mentioned, and another is the 12 x 5 main gul arrangement; in these later carpets they really worked to get in more guls and borders. Chuck Wagner mentioned that older drawings of main guls tend to be wider than tall, and there are also versions of the Tekke guls from this later period that are oddly squished, because the weavers began pounding the knots down. It's interesting how many versions there are of this design! The main guls in yours appear to be missing a lobe at the top and bottom that would be found in earlier pieces. This main gul from my Tekke main carpet shows the lobe at the top and bottom for comparison. Another marker vaguely connected to age is what is in the center of the guls. Yours shows a rectangle, which is a later form. My example has a cross, and there are more elaborate centers that you can find in earlier work. Reducing the detail in the center of the main gul is one way that a weaver could pack more guls into the space.



The border octagons show that squished look a bit (in earlier work the border octagons are taller in proportion), but lack the proliferation of "rays" that generally are shining off of them in the drawing in this period. Instead the weaver brought in the older style of doodads in between the border guls, and kept her rays contained. I really like the details in the border of your carpet.

I am intrigued with the fancy elements in this piece, which is why I think this is above the normal commercial quality of many Turkmen carpets of this period. The animals and people, also a pale yellow (an old color in Tekkes and other Turkmen), the good green. I wonder if there's any silk or cotton in it... While a lot of Tekke weaving in this period was purely commercial, in my opinion, these traditional "older" details point to a special item, woven as a commission? a wedding? I don't know that I've ever seen that yellow in a piece from this period.

Cheers,

Paul

[Beate Bieniek Junior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Beate Bieniek]

Hi Paul

Thanks so much for your insightful comments. I especially appreciated the nuances you described - you have given me an new appreciation for Tekke guels! Your Tekke carpet for sure is an amazing piece, loved the lobed design of the guel on yours - very elegant.

The fancy elements in the border of mine indeed are special; rarely found. They feel personal, and perhaps it was a commission of some sorts as you say.

I have been wondering about silk content in this carpet too. I do not think there is cotton in it as it has a deep, lustrous sheen. I also think that the weight would likely be higher with cotton.

I also uploaded a few more photos that show the colors well .... best visible from the back ... including the lovely yellow.

Thank you again, and many regards,
Beate

[PaulSmith Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close PaulSmith]

Hi Beate,

If there were cotton in your carpet, it would be small bits, as with silk, so the difference in weight would be negligible (and I think cotton weighs less than wool, doesn't it?). Sometimes weavers used cotton because it is a brighter white than the standard ivory wool, and it is used to replace the ivory wool. So you follow an ivory detail with your eyes, and suddenly you'll come upon a bit that is clearly brighter, and if you look close, the fibers are different. If there's silk, it is usually a different color, but it might just be one little detail in one gul or something like that. Here is a closeup of a bit of a very old (first half 19th-c) small Tekke rug, where white cotton replaces ivory wool in part of a gul--you can see the difference in color and texture...



I just noticed one other thing that points to your carpet being a special product of its period. I believe that all the closer photos you have posted of the elem (end panel) of your carpet show the end closest to us in that first photo of the whole carpet you posted above. If I squint just right to see the other end, it looks like a different design. Is that right? Do you have a close up of that end? Having different designs on the ends like that is another thing you see in older work that is rarely (if ever) seen in carpets of this vintage. I think some people have speculated that in a carpet woven for a wedding, that the two families' pools of designs are brought together in the piece. This feature would be less desirable for commercial purposes, so it might be significant to see that here.

[Beate Bieniek Junior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Beate Bieniek]

Hi Paul

Most appreciative of your continued guidance; I am learning a lot!

First to the elem - the end panels. They are indeed different in design. I have partially unfolded the carpet to take photos that I post below:

Photo 1 and 2 are the bottom elem - the whole piece and a close up of the motif
Photo 3 and 4 are the top elem - again, the whole piece and a close up of the motif

The colors in the elem are more beautiful than my mobile phone allows me to capture; the greens / blues / yellows are all very rich in hue.

Taking these photos today, I sat down and examined the elem in more detail. The colors are very good, and the work is beautifully done. I've seen similar in older carpets and mats (before 1900).

I'll make a second post below on what I've observed regarding materials.

Thank you again Paul! :-)

[Beate Bieniek Junior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Beate Bieniek]

Moving on ... to materials.

I examined the guels, and in the whites I cannot spot the patches you described.

While there seem to be two types of material at work in the white of the guels ... not in patches, but rather in individual knots ... or better described as "stitches" over the knots ... the white areas have it (Photo 1 and 2), and also the light pink areas have it (Photo 3). This somehow gives the guels more texture. Best way I can describe it ... without really knowing what I am looking at (sorry!).

Photo 4 is a photo of the blue in the guels. The yarn feels different, and the light blue knots are flatter than the dark blue ones. While this could be a normal variation in the wool / dying; and the weaver simply using what is at hand at the time.

I look forward to your response Paul, and thank you again for your continued engagement.

And also looking forward to other community members weighing in ...

With kind regards,
Beate

[PaulSmith Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close PaulSmith]

The phenomenon you see in the knots has to do with which part of the knot you're seeing--there's enough wear that you can see the knot collars. This is not unusual in Tekke weaving because their work was close-cropped to begin with. The knot ends are usually darker because they reflect less light, while the knot collars, where the yarn is going across the two ends is lighter because it's shinier and reflects the light. Often blue yarn is fuller-looking because indigo actually strengthens the wool, so dark blue yarn would have more indigo than light blue/green. It is not uncommon to see different levels, especially in Baluchi weaving where the blues will be higher pile than the madder (red), and then the corrosive browns they use will be the lowest--you can have a 3-D textured effect there.

[Beate Bieniek Junior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Beate Bieniek]

Thanks much Paul for explaining this. I have read about 'wear down to the knot collar' and now I know what it looks like. I am very grateful to you for generously and patiently (!!!) sharing your knowledge.

Warm regards, Beate

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

Hi Beate,

Your close up views of the pile yield another piece of information: your rug's knots are asymmetrical, open right.



This topic (and the sometimes confusing diagrams) is discussed in detail on this discussion page:

http://www.turkotek.com/misc_00027/misc_27t3.htm

Regards
Chuck

[Beate Bieniek Junior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Beate Bieniek]

Hi Chuck

Thanks so much for your note on knots and the link to a most informative post. I worked my way through , and it is at times confusing indeed! :-)

I then studied my rug again, and for the life of me, cannot figure out how to determine the type of knot. So I am even more grateful to you for your determination that the knots on my rug are asymmetrical, open right.

Question to you please on what this means for my carpet ... i.e. ... even more likely that this is a genuine Tekke rug ....and is there a hint here as to age?

Thanks for any further insights you could offer :-).

Warm regards, Beate

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

Hi Beate,

Top or bottom ? Left or right ? Let your fingers do the walking...

When the knots are tied on the loom the pile points downward frm the node of the knot.

Rub your hand across the rug along, the long axis of the rug. The pile will feel smoother in one direction and rough in the other.

The smooth direction is top to bottom. When you feel the roughness you are rubbing your hand against the pile, so from bottom to top.

Then rub your hand across the rug's short axis (left & right). You should feel roughness when you rub from right to left, and relatively smoother from left to right, because yours is asymmetric open right.

In the image below, the upper arrow points at the node of the knot, the lower at the tuft of pile coming from that node (this is from one of your images).

Regards
Chuck