SOUTH CAUCASUS, MID 19TH CENTURY

The arrangement of rows of ocatgonal guls on the present rug is often associated with Kazak rugs of the south Caucasus however the intricate filler decoration of multiple interlocking hooked stems within each gul is less common. Ian Bennett illustrates two smaller Gendje rugs with single column formations of similar guls (I. Bennett, Caucasian Rugs, London, 1981, pl.151 & 152), while a rarer, multiple-columned rug sold at Nagel, 15 November, 1996, lot 61. There is, perhaps, more than a passing resemblance to the distinct hooked palmettes frequently used by the Kashkuli nomadic weavers in south Persia which are recorded by Robert Pinner as having appeared in some paintings of Hans Memling as far back as the 14th century (James Opie, Tribal Rugs of Southern Persia, Portland, 1981, p.40). The heightened amount of yellow, ivory and azzure-blue in the colour palette of this rug is notable and is another highly attractive element of its overall appearance.