331 - Kazak Rug (warp, weft, and pile of wool), Southern Caucasus, circa 1900

Kazak Rug (warp, weft, and pile of wool), Southern Caucasus, circa 1900 202 x 155 The carpet is adorned with a large polychrome double medallion set between two multicolored cross-shaped medallions on a red background embellished with small geometric motifs. An ivory border featuring garlands of multicolored floral medallions is framed by two blue counter-borders with floral motifs. “The Caucasus, despite the diversity of its population, has always displayed a remarkable unity of style in its carpets. The colors are bright and bold, and the designs, assertive, tend toward pure geometric forms. Behind this unity, one can discern two influences that were not merely cultural: that of Ottoman Turkey, which controlled the western and central regions, and that of Safavid Persia (1501–1722), which once ruled all of Azerbaijan. Thus, carpets from the Kazak region, in the central Caucasus, often feature motifs from ancient Turkish carpets, preserving their legacy—much as a language preserves certain stages of its history in remote regions.” Bibliographic reference: Gilles, R., exhibition catalog “Le Tapis dans tous ses états,” Galerie Chevalier, Paris, 1995, p. 2. A defect (hole) and fraying