Lot 110

ROYAL BUCHARA - TURKMENIAN TEKKE RUG

Hand knotted wool carpet on wool warp. It is a type of carpet that is known among experts as the "Haupt-Teppich" or "Main Carpet", or the central carpet for the inhabited circular yurt. Our specimen is a beautiful example of work that was once made in a nomadic environment from hand-spun wool of velvety quality, and as these pieces were traded from Uzbekistan at the turn of the century, the name "Royal Bukhara" was adopted for the purely classical and popular design of our specimen. The main motif of the refined geometric composition is the octagonal 'gulli göl' rosette, in our case in 4 vertical rows of 11 motifs. The dominant Tekke trunk rosette is complemented by a secondary element 'kurbaghe gul' ('frog') and an attractive wide border with other characteristic tribal motifs, dominated by the motif of ram's horns in ivory and indigo blue octagons. It is worth noting that, unlike the better-known oriental rugs from Persia and Anatolia, Turkmen pieces did not gain popularity among collectors until the late 19th century, when they earned a firm place in private collections and museums.