Posted by Wendel Swan on December 05, 1998 at 15:49:59:
Pat Weiler made some astute observation under “Is this a prayer rug.” He further noted the similarity of the style of Rug #3 (I believe it to be a mafrash side panel) to Plate #11 in Oriental Rugs of the Hajji Babas, which is a “prayer rug” of the so-called Fachralo group. Clearly these two weavings are of the same tradition.
In tracing the heritage of Caucasian rugs, one can readily see designs taken from Anatolian rugs. A prime example would be the “box” Karachov Kazak, which has a format identical to that of the 2-1-2 or small pattern Holbein rugs. This 2-1-2 design is also common in rugs from around Kagizman in eastern Turkey.
I am intrigued by border designs. Clearly the border of Rug #3 is essentially the same as that of Plate #11 in Oriental Rugs of the Hajji Babas. Both borders are adaptations of one of the most fundamental designs in the rug world: the single plane lattice.
The image you see in this posting looks like a mat from the same tradition as the bag face and the prayer rug. In fact, I “wove” it in cyberspace from the border image of the side panel to illustrate the universality of certain designs and the techniques by which designs are copied and transmitted from one area to another.
By changing the colors somewhat, one can imagine an ashik design in Turkmen rugs or a Kurdish rug or countless other types. And it is quite possible to envision the mafrash panel as having a field superimposed upon this infinitely repeating single plane lattice design.
Wendel