Lot 130

ANTIQUE CAUCASUS CARPET FROM KARABAKH

A hand-knotted wool rug on a wool warp from the southeastern Caucasus—the Karabakh region. The rug features a typical geometric design and an attractive color palette on hand-spun soft wool. The four dominant, complete, and wildly flared octagonal medallions in the field are framed by so-called crab and floral borders, and contain important Caucasian motifs. These include, above all, inner hexagons with hooks, each surrounded by four highly stylized and extremely geometric—originally Chinese—dragon motifs, which reached the Caucasus via the Silk Road as early as the Middle Ages, appearing on admired Chinese porcelain, bronzes, textiles, and the like. It is worth noting that the rhombuses with curved hooks represent the so-called “magic eye,” a symbol of good fortune intended to ward off evil; this motif, found not only in folk Islam but also among neighboring non-Islamic communities, is surrounded by so-called “protective hooks” designed to safeguard the carpet’s owner, and whose origins are very ancient (and can likely be traced back to the territory of Asia Minor/Anatolia).