EAST CAUCASUS, MID 19TH CENTURY

The archaic village design of this soumac is dominated by a column of four wide octagons each filled with a large 'Crivelli' star surrounded with small geometric devices and filler motifs including animals, amulets and flowers. The use of the ‘Crivelli’ star in pile carpets dates back to the second half of the 15th century, as can be seen in the famous Anatolian fragment in Budapest, and the ‘Anatolian design’ Spanish carpet in the V&A (HALI 6 / 1, p.49, figs. 4, 5). A comparable soumac, but with three large octagons and a more simplified border of eight-pointed stars within octagonal surrounds, is illustrated, J. Thompson, Carpet Magic. The art of carpets from the tents, cottages and workshops of Asia, London 1983, pl. p18.