EAST CAUCASUS, EARLY 19TH CENTURY

The present lot is a variant of a group of east Caucasian flat-weaves that take their design stimulus from the so-called 'Dragon' carpets woven in Armenia from the 16th to the 18th century. In his research on the subject, Alberto Boralevi concludes that there is such uniformity between the various types produced in the Caucasus, that he is led to believe that they were likely woven in the same area, if not the same village of Kusary, located in the foothills of the Greater Caucasus, (A. Boralevi, Sumakh: Flat-woven carpets of the Caucasus, Firenze, 1986, p.27). The border of this carpet is comparable to the Wher Collection 'Dragon' Soumac which is dated 1806 AD (see Sean Gough, 'Dragon Soumakhs', in HALI, vol.6, no.3, 1984, pp.246-53, p.253 and Serare Yetkin, Early Caucasian Carpets in Turkey, London, 1978, Vol.II, pl.159, p.39). This example uses a higher proportion of pale blue than other known examples along with a light golden-yellow in the border which together establish a particularly attractive palette.