SOUTH CAUCASUS, SECOND HALF 18TH CENTURY

The design of the late seventeenth century and early eighteenth century 'blossom' carpets with sunburst medallions represents a transition away from the earlier Dragon carpets towards the overall floral carpets of the eighteenth century, while still retaining the ghost of the dominant diagonal lattice forms of the Dragon carpets. A kelleh with very similar drawing but on a red field is in the Boston Museum of Fine Arts (Charles Grant Ellis, Early Caucasian Rugs, Washington D.C., 1975, pl.17, pp.64-5). The blue-ground found here is more unusual for carpets of this origin. There is a related blue-ground example in the Zaleski Collection, which has wider secondary motifs down each side (Monique Di Prima, 'Showing His Hand', Hali 175, fig.3, p.66), while another similar blue-ground kelleh was sold in The Bernheimer Family Collection of Carpets, in these Rooms, 14 February 1996, lot 18.