Bessarabian Folk Art

There has long been a fascination with the symbolism of the dragon and its depiction in carpet weavings. The design of ‘Dragon’ carpets consists of a field pattern composed of different colored overlaid lattices formed of pointed, serrated leaves creating intersecting lozenges, which alternately contain palmettes and are flanked by confronting stylized dragons, birds, or animal figures. The most archaic of the ‘Dragon’ carpets include dragon motifs with birds and running animals relatively naturalistically drawn, which stand either alone or in confronting pairs facing a tree. The Graf carpet, originally found in a Damascene mosque, now in the Islamiches Museum, Berlin, is considered to be the oldest example of this type, see Serare Yetkin, Early Caucasian Carpets in Turkey, Vol. II, London, 1978, p.8, fig.118. Yetkin defines four types of ‘Dragon’ carpet: ‘Archaic’, ‘Four-Dragon’, ‘Dragon-and-Phoenix’ and as a further combined development of the latter, the ‘Two-Dragon’ style, of which the present carpet falls into the ‘Dragon-and-Phoenix group along with other examples, some of which include two fragments, one in the Museum fur Kunst und Gerwerbe, Hamburg; another in the Christian Museum, Esztergom, Hungary, a complete carpet in the Kier collection; an incomplete example in the Textile Museum, Washington, D.C; the ‘Cassirer’ Dragon carpet in the Thyssen-Bornemisza collection, Lugano; the Ali Pasa Mosque carpet in Tokat, and a further example in the Vakiflar Hali Museum, Istanbul (S. Yetkin, op. cit. pp.16-20). It has been suggested that the earliest examples of the Caucasian ‘Dragon’ carpets...

This is an old Shirvan Kilim from the Caucasus region with a rare and beautiful color composition. Of the four countries that make up the Caucasus, Azerbaijan produces the most kilims, and the land has a long history of weaving. The nomadic tribes wove kilims and carpets as well as a wide range of storage bags and sacks, such as saffrash, khurgin and chula, and donkey and horse trappings. Smaller bags...

The kilims known as 'Bessarabian' were woven in the Russian regions of Ukraine and Moldovia. Intended to satisfy the demands of the Russian aristocracy at a time when continental int...

Unique Marasali prayer rug attributed to the Marasali group, this prayer rug from the Shirvan region has a beautiful vegetable dyed navy field and ...

Unique Marasali prayer rug attributed to the Marasali group, this prayer rug from the Shirvan region has a brilliant golden-yellow field and a diam...

Very unusual design, Kazak rugs are among the most sought after Caucasian rugs. This Kazak is a great example of a 19th century collectible piece. Measures: 3'3" x 6'6".

Origin and Inspiration: This stunning revival of the Akstafa Kazak Rug is a modern creation deeply rooted in the rich weaving traditions of the Caucasus, specifically inspired by the...

A wonderful and hard to find vintage EGE Art Line Scandinavian (Denmark) Pablo Picasso rug based on his work "Woman With Guitar". This work was part of...

There has long been a fascination with the symbolism of the dragon and its depiction in carpet weavings. The design of ‘Dragon’ carpets consists of a field pattern composed of differ...

This 3x5 Kilim rug is from the flatweave line in the Scandinavian rug collection by Rug & Kilim. Handwoven in wool and natural yarns, its design is a modern take on Rollakan and Rya ...

This traditional hand-woven Romanian Bessarabian rug has a shaded dark chocolate overall field with four elegant tonal floral vases radiating angled rosettes and delicate leaves, in ...

The kilims known as 'Bessarabian' were woven in the Russian regions of Ukraine and Moldovia. Intended to satisfy the demands of the Russian aristocracy at a time when continental int...