Posted by Jim Allen on August 09, 1999 at 17:48:30:
In Reply to: Re: rug 4 only posted by Wendel Swan on August 09, 1999 at 11:50:50:
: Dear Jim,
: I think that yours is quite possibly yet another example of a rug from Karadja, a village near Heriz that is perhaps best known for long rugs (more properly "kennereh" or side rugs). Generally, each "Karadja" long rug contains medallions of several shapes, one of which is the type in the rug you have shown.
: It is generally thought that the rugs with wool warps and wefts are older and that cotton was introduced later (much as one might say about Bidjars). Those considered "earlier" are generally quite fine with a supple handle and have deeply saturated colors on glossy wool. Some use a cochineal similar to that found in Karabagh rugs.
: These long rugs are not uncommon and don't seem to fetch prices in accordance with their high quality.
: The field elements of your rug are virtually identical to those that I referred to in Tribal Visions (plate 31), including the filler motifs, although the border is different.
: As to the identity of the weavers, I believe that issue has already been addressed on Daniel's bag faces. I don't believe they are Shahsavan, Michael Wendorf doesn't believe they are Kurdish and Mike Tschebull has said: "There isn't really an issue of ethnicity here." He would further clearly say they are not Shahsavan.
: I can't speak for them any further, but I don't believe any of us would venture an ethnic opinion on Daniel's piece or yours. It is just village weaving.
: The format of your is interesting. It seems to have been woven as a small rug and not as a bag of any kind. If you see evidence to the contrary, please let us know.
: By the way, are the warps wool as they appear?
: Wendel
: I think you did a marvelous job describing a rug you have never seen. Hermanns' repair guy in Istanbul says this is from Karaja and quite old. The rug measures 29 X 34 inches. Three cord overcast selvdge. Three thin wool wefts per row dyed red. Fine soft dark brown mixed with white warps. Pile feels like lambs wool. Approx. 50 KSI., asymmetric open right. Long silky pile. The color is much better in person and frankly better than 99% of all Caucasian rug color. I agree with Wendell, the low prices fetched for this material is a reflection of a vague ennui attached to their non-identification. People don't like to collect mysteries. I saw a runner in Istanbul from the same area with the glowing mellow dyes Wendell mentioned, took my breath away. I imagine these would be a great thing to collect. Jim Allen