Posted by Jim Allen on August 09, 1999 at 20:36:39:
In Reply to: Re: rug 4 only posted by Mike Tschebull on August 09, 1999 at 19:17:10:
: 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
: If the rug you show has asymmetric knots, it would be a first. The format is common in Qarajeh - called "pushti", and an export item. Probably originally they were slightly squarer, smaller cushion faces - to lean against the wall on. The cushions are still made and used, just not with the design you show.
: Incidentally, the village name, transliterated from Turki to English, on paper, looks like "Garajeh" to me, but the more commonly, if less logically used version is "Qarajeh". What you're using is the old German version, not appropriate for English speakers. "Karadja' appears on no Iranian map.
: "Relatively nomadic people" as a description of the probable weavers simply doesn't hunt. Read the relevant anthropology to get a clear view.
: Mike
: You are correct, it is symmetrically knotted. Jim