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Another in the series (see Plates 17 & 18) of
finely woven “plain” sumakh bags woven by Azarbayjani nomads who
probably wintered on the Moghan Steppe and summered on or near Mount
Sabalan, this chanteh is very close in color and design to plate 70,
Wertime, Sumak, and to a second one in a Texas private
collection.
This bag has the same guard borders as the shears cover (Plate 18).
It also has the same main border of stars alternating with inward
facing arrow forms seen on “beetle” bags -- another member of this
cluster -- making the relationship between them clear.1
Bird-like figures appear in the
corners of the field, as in plate 10.
Similarity and variation of design, like that found in this bag, are
some of the most intriguing areas of inquiry for rug collectors. Did
the weavers value the preservation of existing designs, or the
creation of new ones, or both characteristics simultaneously? How,
in fact, did new designs evolve, or how were they acquired in this
conservative weaving culture, if many weavers were hewing to a norm?
Some of the possible sources for design innovation include
intermarriage of tribal peoples, design requests by dealers, inflow
of designs from refugee or traveler groups, and exposure to other
artistic media.
If 19th century ethnographers or folklorists had asked detailed
relevant questions of the weavers of these bags, we would have a
more complete picture.
RET
1) For an example of a “beetle” bag, see
Eiland, M. (ed.), A World Of Oriental Carpets And Textiles, Washington, D.C., 2003, p. 138
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