Afghan rug ID help please

[Phil Smythe Member Find all posts View Profile Close Phil Smythe]

I wonder if anyone could satisfactorily attribute what tribe / group may have made this Afghan rug?

It came out of Afghanistan (Helmand province) in the latter half of the 1940’s and was bought 2nd hand there and the buyer, a semi resident, was told at the time it was already about “ten to fifteen years old”. Be that as it may, he says it certainly had some wear at the time he bought it.

He was told it is a Baluch, but it appears to have a rather childishly drawn Esari gul? Personally, I haven't a clue.

Whomever made it, it certainly has a lovely abrashed 'burgundy' background field. It also has about one 4.5" and one 6" long unpiled 'kilim' ends. Overall size is a little over 12ft by 5ft.

Thanks for any help.

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

Hi Phil,

I would say you were pretty well informed by that individual. The weft substitution work on the kilim ends is spot on for Baluch work, and contains classic Baluch motifs. The knotting is also very typical, as is the palette for that region. As for age, that makes sense too; I would gave guesstimated WW II era for this one, maybe even into the 1950's.

It is not unusual to see Turkmen motifs in the field of Baluch rugs; there is plenty of speculation as to why, but nothing definitive. I have a rug that I can't even pin down to a tribal group; it's simply a nomadic piece, with ersatz Turkmen guls on it.

Regards
Chuck

[Phil Smythe Member Find all posts View Profile Close Phil Smythe]

Thanks for that response Chuck!

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

Hi Phil,

It took a while to find these image files; here is an in-your-face example of a (clearly) Baluch weaving sporting a borrowedTurkmen motif:





Regards
Chuck

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

Your rug colors remind me of this one I picked up recently. It’s from the same era.

Joe Lawrence

[Phil Smythe Member Find all posts View Profile Close Phil Smythe]

Thanks for the input Chuck and Ortali. I never realized that the Baluch commandeered other tribes guls for their work.

And that is a nice one you have there Ortalia, what is the size? Going on the recliner in foreground I assume a bit smaller than mine?

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

Hello Phil. Thank you and it’s smaller than yours at approximately 3’10”x 6’.