20

Southwestern Caucasus, Moghan district

Long Rug, probably 1833

Rugs of this rare type¹ are sometimes attributed to the Moghan district, where the use of hooked figures called "Memling guls" was popular. This piece differs from most other known examples in its border design, a palmette motif (inverted) that also appears in the Karachov rug (cat. no.18). The five white bars in the border on either side of the central medallion are an unusual improvisation. A broad spectrum of particularly rich colors enhances the visual impact of the rug. Despite an incorrectly written second digit, the date in the central medallion probably reads 1249 (1833 A.D.). Errors in woven dates serve as reminders that many weavers did not read or write and therefore did not understand the figures they were copying.

M.H.

1. For related examples, see Eberhart Herrmann, Seltene Orientteppiche IV, Munich, Eberhart Herrmann, 1982, pi. 46, and Raoul Tschebull, Kazak: Carpets of the Caucasus, New York, Near Eastern Art Research Center, Inc., 1971, pl. 40.