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26
Shahsavan tribal confederation
Northwestern Iran
Saddlebag, 19th century
This sumak saddlebag was made for everyday use
by a weaver of the Shahsavan, a confederation of
nomadic Turkish-speaking tribes who inhabit
the plains of northwestern Iran and the southern
Caucasus. It was once believed that cruciform
elements like those appearing in the multicolored
diamonds indicated an Armenian Christian
origin, but the fact that the Shahsavan are Shi'ite
Muslims contradicts this theory.
This is only half of the complete saddlebag; the other part would
have been identical to this one, the two
halves being joined by the colorful kilim panel with their openings
facing one another. This bag is a striking
example of both the dyer's art and the
weaver's skill in manipulating color to create a composition of
surprising vitality.1
M.H.
1. For similar weavings in
pile and sumak techniques, see Parviz Tanavoli, Shahsavan:
Iranian Rugs and Textiles, New York,
Rizzoli, 1985, pls.
175, 263, and 265.
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| SIZE:
28 x 20 in. (71.1 x 50.8 cm.) |
| WARP: wool, Z3S;
brown |
| WEFT
(BAGFACE): cotton, Z2S X 1;
blue |
| WEFT
(BACK): wool, Z2S; orange, red |
| WEFT
(KILIM): wool, Z2S; ivory, dark red, red,
gold, light green, blue, dark purple |
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SUPPLEMENTARY WEFT
((BAGFACE): wool, Z2S; ivory,
dark brown, dark red, red, orange, gold, light
green, blue-green, dark blue, light blue, light purple |
| ENDS: brown wool
weft-faced plain weave, turned under |
| SIDES:
supplementary weft wrapped around 2 warps |
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THROUGH THE COLLECTOR'S EYE |
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Oriental Rugs from New England Private Collections |
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