Posted by Pat Weiler on November 25, 1998 at 09:23:04:
In Reply to: Animal pelt? posted by Steve Price on November 25, 1998 at 06:16:09:
: Dear Salonistas,
: At the risk of exposing my lack of imagination, I'd like to say that while the motifs on the field could be read as those on an animal's pelt, I don't see anything else suggesting that this is what the thing represents. In fact, even among the animal pelt theory proponents there is disagreement about whether the motifs are stylized tiger stripes, stylized leopard spots, or stylized nothing in particular on a wolf.
: I don't see any of the anatomical landmarks that say "animal", none at all. No eyes, no legs, no tail, no teeth. Nothing. It could just as easily represent a brick outhouse or a field full of sheep.
: What am I missing here?
: Steve Price
Leopards: Parviz Tanavoli, Lion Rugs, p.49 "In Persian literature and popular culture the lion and leopard are clearly differentiated, but the tiger is usually confused with the leopard. This is because the leopard was and still is found in nearly every part of Iran but the tiger, which like the lion is no longer extant, was found only in northern Iran and parts of Fars Province."
Leopard skin rugs: Tanavoli, Kings, Heroes and Lovers, plate 56 and 57, show the leopard on rugs with the head up (similar to the top of the Yomud rug in question), claws extended (similar to the serrated edges of the Yomud) and two rectangular boxes at the bottom of the rug (similar to the rectangular devices in the Yomud), which were representative of the pouches carried by the Sufi dervishes.
Salatchak/leopard design: Tanavoli, Lion Rugs, p. 48,"Lion rugs are used to protect the tent and its occupants, for a lion rug in the tent or employed as a cover at night in an area where different kinds of dangerous animals roam can be very reassuring to its owner....and in addition to providing a sense of security is a sign of the bravery and pride of the tribesmen.
The weaver may have intended this as a cover over her young male relative. The design could have been adapted from the available pictorial format existing in the region.
The size and shape do conform to Yomud Salachak from the late 19th/early 20th century as shown in Uwe Jourdan Turkoman.