Early 19th Century Red and Blue Khotan Carpet

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Early 19th Century Red and Blue Khotan Carpet

About the Item

Central Asia has a rich tradition of weaving—the history of which we can only reconstruct in fragments. From late antiquity, caravan towns stretched across the Silk Road from the borders of the Persian Empire to China sharing a common cultural ethos encompassing language, economy and material culture. This said, despite their historic links with Turko-Islamic Central Asian culture in western Central Asia, the oasis cities of East Turkestan—what is now the Xinjiang Autonomous Region of China—developed their own distinct tradition of pile weaving in the 18th and 19th centuries as part of the Qing Empire. This piece, however, draws on the full spectrum of Central Asian oasis traditions. With a distinctly Khotan weave and palette this historic East Turkestan carpet employs an array of ornament derived from ikat textile design of the oasis cities of the Trans-Oxus region in what is now Uzbekistan and Tajikistan. With remarkable clarity of design, octagonal elements from this textile tradition uniquely form the main border. Likewise, rows of ornamented blue medallions—so essential in the repertoire of Khotan pile weaving—here contain an array of abstract geometric motifs derived from silk ikat design. It is tempting to postulate then, a direct borrowing by carpet weavers in Khotan from imported silk textiles from further west in Central Asia. This, however, may not be so clear cut. Indeed, several indicators suggest that the weavers of this carpet were working from an intermediary pile weaving tradition rather than directly from silk textile models. This may be seen by the inclusion of rows of diamond latch-hook motifs in the field and a tell-tale geometric inner border, both of which are found in Ersari Turkmen and so-called Bashir pile carpets from the Trans-Oxus region of Uzbekistan of the type that also employ ikat derived designs. Regardless of its particular cultural history, this is a great carpet that can hold its own aesthetically with the best of its type.

Dimensions:
Width: 74 in (187.96 cm)Length: 145 in (368.3 cm)
Materials and Techniques:
Wool,Hand-Woven
Place of Origin:
East Turkestan
Period:
Early 19th Century
Date of Manufacture:
Early 19th Century
Condition:
Areas of re-knotting throughout. This rug has not been acid washed.
Seller Location:
San Francisco, CA
Reference Number:
Seller: 171941stDibs: LU85554258553