A richly patterned Soumak from the northeastern Caucasus, woven in the 19th century with an unusually varied assortment of boldly drawn floral and geometric forms.
The deep indigo field is densely populated with stylized palmettes, rosettes, blossoms and angular vegetal devices, individually rendered in saturated shades of madder red, blue, green, ivory and golden yellow. The floral vocabulary closely recalls the celebrated Kuba “blossom” rugs, whose fields are similarly animated by large, colorful palmettes and rosettes arranged against dark grounds. Here, however, that familiar Kuba decorative language is translated into the crisp, graphic structure of Soumak weaving rather than knotted pile.
Soumak is a distinctive flatweave technique in which colored wefts are wrapped around the warps, creating a durable textile with a finely articulated, slightly raised surface. The technique lends itself particularly well to the angular drawing and intricate ornament seen throughout this example.
An elaborate series of borders surrounds the field, including a broad red band filled with large floral medallions and geometric devices, narrow ivory floral guards, and an outer reciprocal meander.
With its generous scale, saturated indigo ground, complex drawing and beautifully softened colors, this is a particularly expressive example of nineteenth-century Caucasian Soumak weaving, combining the graphic strength of the technique with the exuberant floral vocabulary associated with Kuba blossom carpets.
Size: 5'10" x 8'4" [178cm x 254cm]
Age: Q3 19th Century (1850-1875)
Type of Rug: Soumak
Origin:Northeast CaucasusÂ
Material:Â WoolÂ
Pile Height: Type of Rug:Flatweave
Condition: Very good with old repairsÂ
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BK2910
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