George Davis Fine Arts & Antiques Gallery Central Asian Rugs

Vintage Samarkand Rug Size: 5'10" x 10'10" (177 x 330 cm) This vintage Samarkand rug from the mid-20th century is a refined example of East Turkestan weaving, renowned for its synthe...

Dramatic Pakistani Runner Rug made in a Kazak style. Features a field of bold sky blue covered in geometric shapes. Multiple borders frame the fiel...

A beautiful early 20th century Persian Kirman runner with a sweet petite floral pattern woven in pinks, golds, oranges, and indigos set against a cream colored ground, and surrounded...

This Uzbek 'Julkhyr' rug is very long, measuring 320cm in length. It was hand-knotted from 3 larger panels of very thick wool that were stitched together. A key feature of this rug a...

A vintage Persian tribal Turkoman rug in runner format handmade during the mid-20th century. Although this rug is of Persian origin, the roots of Turkoman rugs originated in the Central Asian region. Measures: 1' 6" x 10' 4" Central Asian Rugs & Carpets: Central Asia is a vast area stretching from Northeastern Persia to western China, and from northern Afghanistan to the southern edge of Russia. The carpets can be usefully divided into three groups: the nomadic Turkmen rugs of Turkmenistan, northern Afghanistan, and northeastern Persia; the non-Turkmen tribal pieces from Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, and Kirghizstan; and the urban creations of Khotan, Yarkand, and Kashgar, oasis cities of Western China (Xinjiang Province). Commercially, the most important group is from Khotan, the easternmost of the Chinese Turkestan cities. The craft of rug weaving is primarily in the hands of Muslim Uighurs. Khotan carpets mix purely Central Asian design themes with Chinese elements. Native Khotan devices include pomegranate trees, upright flowers, round medallions, and yellow or red grounds. Chinese motives include triangular fretwork corners, swastika fretwork, and Yun-Tsao Tou (clouds and rain) diagonally striped polychrome borders. Cotton foundations, asymmetrical (Persian) knots, and medium weaves are standard. Some vintage Khotan are in horizontal, pictorial layouts with multiple various vases and plants. Saphs (multiple prayer niche panel carpets) are also a Khotan specialty. Others employ stepped and layered lozenge medallions, singly or in pairs. Still others, almost all antique, feature a stylized version of the allover Persian Herati design. Many of the oldest pieces employ brown wool wefts. Antique and vintage Khotans are almost always in the k’ang (double square) layout, conforming to the local household plans. Only relatively recently has the 6’ by 12’ or 7’ by 16’ format been replaced by the 9’ by 12’ size. As a result, an antique room size Khotan carpet is very uncommon. Reds are cinnamon, tomato and rust, never wine reds, crimson, or scarlet. Yarkand, farther west on the old Silk Road specializes in multi-medallion long carpets while Kashgar, farthest west and most under Persian influence, has traditionally knotted allover pattern pieces with finer weaves, often with silk piles, and enriched with medal thread, on cotton foundations. Extant Kashgars go back to the 17th century, but the carpet craft in Chinese Turkestan must be much older as fragments have been recovered from local tombs of the early C.E. period. Kashgars are the rarest of all East Turkestan rugs. Most available vintage East Turkestan carpets are interwar Khotans, many with pleasingly soft decorative palettes. The non-Turkmen nomads include the Kazakh, Kirghiz, Uzbek, and Karakalpak groups. Like the Turkmen, they were once all seasonally migratory, dwelling in round felt tents (yurts), but have been settled, at least partially, in the villages, and have taken up crafts and agriculture instead of sheep herding. As a result, carpet production has transitioned from domestic tent use to commercial sale, but the roots of long traditions are still evident. The Uzbeks weave...

Hand knotted wool carpet with a central blue diamond motif surrounded by 4 opposing abstract with multi-colored abstractions between. Additionally the...

A beautiful early 20th century Persian Kirman rug with a large central floral medallion living in a field of even more clustered flowers, surrounded by a wide and elaborate border wi...

A wonderfully whimsical mid-20th century central Asian pictorial Khotan rug with a bucolic scene depicting several roosters, hens, and chicks in the foreground feeding amongst the re...

An early 20th century Afghani Bashir rug with multiple large central medallions on a crimson background surrounded by a complementary geometric zigzag borde...

An early 20th century Central Asian Khotan prayer rug with an all-over floral motif, surrounded by a wonderful "meandering motif" border.

Beautiful antique Turkish Anatolian Kars rug, hand knotted wool with a light brown field, tan and sandy cream accents in an all-over geometric design, circa 1910s This rug measures ...

A stunning early 20th century Persian Kirman rug with a central floral medallion with a stepped floral pattern with myriad flowers radiating out form the center, and filling a field ...