Oriental Rugs Part 19

It is a relief to turn from these poor pieces to those woven half a century ago, with less obtrusive colouring and more chaste patterns.

Many of the old pieces are oblong sedjadehs, which have often a length almost twice the breadth; though the more modern pieces incline to smaller and nearly square sizes. There are also namazliks that do not always religiously follow the usual pattern; for now and then one is seen with an arch of several steps, rising from near the middle of the sides, and with a diamond for the sacred earth or pebble from Mecca, as is shown in Plate C, Fig. 12 (Page 61). The particular piece from which this was drawn was over fifty years old and was three fourths as wide as long. Scattered over the main field, which was yellowish brown, and the spandrels, which were white, were geometrically shaped flowers with long angular stems tinted with blue, green, and pinkish red.

The borders show as great diversity as the fields, but one stripe usually contains a concession to the Persian and another to the Caucasian tradition. For instance, the primary stripe may be of Iranian character flanked by the running latch-hook; or it may be the well-known crab pattern, while the adjacent stripe may be a running vine of simple form.

Many of these old pieces are very handsome and equal in artistic finish the best of Caucasian rugs; the drawing is carefully executed; the colours are rich; the weave is fair; but like the rare old rugs of Daghestan and Tiflis, are now seldom seen.

_Type Characteristics._ _Colours_, princ.i.p.ally red, blue, yellow, and white. _Knot_, Ghiordes. Knots to inch horizontally six to ten; perpendicularly, seven to ten. The rows of knots are only slightly pressed down, yet the warp is generally concealed at back. _Warp_, wool; one of the two threads encircled by a half knot is depressed below the other at back. _Weft_, wool, of medium or coa.r.s.e diameter, sometimes dyed red. A thread of weft crosses twice between every two rows of knots. _Pile_, wool, of short or medium length. _Border_, three stripes.

_Sides_, generally a double selvage of two or three cords, in lengths of different colours; occasionally a double overcasting attached figure-eight fashion. _Lower end_, a web and warp loops, or a braided selvage, one row of knots or more, and a warp fringe. _Upper end_, a web, a web turned back and hemmed, or a braided selvage, one row of knots or more, and a warp fringe. _Texture_, loose. _Weave_ at back is of coa.r.s.e grain. _Usual length_, four to nine feet. _Usual width_, one half to three quarters length.

SHUSHAS.-About seventy miles to the southeast of Lake Gotcha is Shusha, capital of Karabagh. Nearly two centuries ago, it was built by Nadir Shah on an almost inaccessible mountain side to guard the northern boundary of Persia, which had been extended to the Caucasus. It has now about twelve thousand inhabitants, and is the market place for numerous tribes that are scattered over the dry plains as far as the Aras river.

In this city and in the suburbs are woven rugs that are frequently imported to this country and sold under several names, yet are of a distinct type. They resemble the Karabaghs of the surrounding country but differ from them in their richer and more subdued colours as well as in the stoutness of weave. One thread of warp to each knot is doubled beneath the other, whereas in the rugs of the desert tribes it is only depressed.

_Type Characteristics._ _Colours_, princ.i.p.ally dark blue, red, and brown, with minor quant.i.ties of green and yellow. _Knot_, Ghiordes.

Knots to inch horizontally seven to twelve; perpendicularly, six to eleven. The rows of knots are only slightly pressed down, so that the warp shows at back. _Warp_, wool; one of the two threads encircled by a knot is much depressed below the other at back, and frequently doubled under the other. _Weft_, wool, of medium diameter, generally dyed red. A thread of weft crosses twice between every two rows of knots. _Pile_, wool of medium length. _Border_, three stripes. _Sides_, a double selvage of two or three cords, often attached to the sides in figure-eight fashion. _Lower end_, a narrow web and warp loops. _Upper end_, a web that is sometimes turned back and hemmed, and a warp fringe.

_Texture_, moderately firm. _Weave_ at back is of slightly coa.r.s.e grain.

_Usual length_, four to nine feet. _Usual width_, one half to three quarters length.

GENGHAS.-Over the land lying between lakes Gotcha, Van, and Urumiah, in Caucasia, Armenia, and Persia, tribes of mixed origin wander back and forth, but frequently gather at the yearly fair of Elizabethpol. During the period when the Persian rule extended over the country, it was the residence of a Khan and an important centre of trade. As it was then known as Ganja or Gengha, the weavings of these nomads, which were marketed there, acquired that name.

[Ill.u.s.tration: PLATE 52. PRINCESS BOKHARA RUG]

Naturally they are a heterogeneous lot containing ideas incorporated from many sources; but they resemble the Kazaks more than anything else, and are frequently mistaken for them. Yet some of the distinctions are very marked: they have a more oblong shape; the nap is shorter; and they are less stoutly woven. In the Kazaks a thread of weft, as a rule, crosses only twice between two rows of knots, which are firmly pressed down; but in these rugs a thread of weft crosses from four to eight times between two rows of knots, which are not firmly pressed down, so that the narrow filling of weft is sometimes even four times as wide as a row of knots and presents a bead-like appearance. In the colour scheme of numerous pieces, which in many respects resembles that of Karabaghs, is often a preponderance of ivory white. There is no characteristic pattern. The field may be covered with diagonal stripes as in some Shirvans; it may consist largely of lozenges fringed with latch-hooks and tarantula devices; again, it may have some large central figure surrounded by a motley lot of emblematic as well as apparently meaningless devices, or crudely drawn human, animal, or floral forms.

The borders, likewise, include a wide scope of patterns. It is, therefore, largely by the character of the weave, quality of material, and finish of sides and ends, that these pieces can be distinguished from other nomadic products.

_Type Characteristics._ _Colours_, princ.i.p.ally blue, red, and white, with minor quant.i.ties of green, yellow, and brown. _Knot_, Ghiordes.

Knots to inch horizontally six to eight; perpendicularly, six to nine. A half knot, as it appears at back, is longer than wide. The rows of knots are not firmly pressed down, so that the warp shows at the back. _Warp_, generally wool, occasionally goat's hair; each of the two threads encircled by a knot is equally prominent at the back. _Weft_, wool, of medium diameter and usually dyed red. A thread of weft crosses twice between every two rows of knots, but generally three and frequently as many as six or eight times. _Pile_, wool of medium length. _Border_, three or four stripes. _Sides_, a double selvage of two, three, or four cords. _Lower end_, a web, usually coloured red, and warp loops. _Upper end_, a web to which a braided selvage is often added, and a warp fringe. _Texture_, very loose. _Weave_ at back is of coa.r.s.e grain.

_Usual length_, five to nine feet. _Usual width_, two fifths to two thirds length.

BORDER STRIPES

Disregarding a very few floral secondary stripes that have been derived from Persian rugs, the Caucasian borders are characterised by geometric patterns, which distinguish them from other groups. But were it possible to trace them to their origin, it would doubtless be found that a very large number that are now strictly geometric have degenerated from leaf and flower patterns. Of the remainder, some are symbolic and others are crude copies of familiar objects. The more artistic and realistically drawn floral patterns appear in the less conspicuous secondary stripes; but on the other hand the primary stripes contain a number of unusually interesting patterns, which have been copied for centuries.

PRIMARY STRIPES.-The cup and serrated leaf pattern (Plate I, Fig. 1, opp. Page 226) appears so frequently in Shirvans as to be almost typical. It is also occasionally seen in Daghestans and Kabistans; but probably originated in Southern Caucasia or Armenia, since it is found similarly drawn in rugs woven in that district about 1500 A. D. It is a pattern that scarcely varies with time or locality except in the number of serrations to the leaf and in the shape of the cup.

Serrated leaf patterns, represented in Figs. 2 and 3, Plate I, are sometimes seen in Kazak and other nomadic rugs. It is not improbable that they have a common origin with the Shirvan cup and leaf pattern.

In the stripe represented in Plate I, Fig. 4, is a series of wine cup rosettes that are occasionally seen in the old rugs from the Shirvan district. In fact, the wine cup design is a favourite there.

Another stripe, in which a somewhat similar cup appears, is shown in Plate I, Fig. 5. This is an old nomadic pattern not frequently seen.

Fig. 6 of Plate I, represents the well-known Chichi border stripe, composed of rosettes separated by diagonally drawn ribbon-like bars. To the rosettes are attached tri-cleft leaves. This stripe suggests at once some Persian vine and flower.

What is known as the crab pattern (Plate I, Fig. 7), is seen in Kazaks and other Caucasian nomadic rugs, as well as in a few very modern Asia Minor pieces. Though its resemblance to a crab is noticeable, it is really a rosette to which are attached four crudely drawn leaves, that frequently contain smaller designs at their centres.

[Ill.u.s.tration: PLATE I. PRIMARY BORDER-STRIPES OF CAUCASIAN RUGS]

Slightly resembling the last is the so-called tarantula pattern (Plate I, Fig. 8), that was possibly derived from the stripe with an eight-pointed star (Plate K, Fig. 12, opp. Page 230); but it seems more probable that the inspiration is Iranian and that it is intended for rosette and double vine. This stripe is found in Kazaks, Genghas, Tcherkess, and other nomadic rugs.

Somewhat like the last is the stripe of Plate I, Fig. 9, that is now and then seen in old Tiflis and other rugs of Southern Caucasia. It suggests a geometric rosette and double vine.

Occasionally the dainty clover-leaf design, represented in Plate I, Fig.

10, is used by the nomadic weavers. It is almost the only reciprocal pattern found in a Caucasian primary stripe.

The repet.i.tive urn-shaped pattern of Plate I, Fig. 11 is once in a while seen in old rugs of the Daghestan country.

On account of the resemblance between the stripes shown in Plate I, Figs. 12 and 13, they have probably a common origin. Both are found in rugs of the Daghestan and Shirvan districts, and the former is occasionally seen in rugs of Asia Minor. Sometimes smaller advent.i.tious devices are placed at the sides of the stripes between the rosettes.

Resembling the last is the pattern shown in Plate I, Fig. 14, which is commonly seen in Shirvan rugs and kilims. It is purely geometric and resembles one used in Western Asia Minor rugs of the XV Century, from which it may have been derived.

Though greatly conventionalised, the pattern represented in Plate I, Fig. 15 is a vine and leaf derived from much more ornate forms, which may be seen in a XVI Century Asia Minor piece that is in the British Museum. It is now seldom copied, but was once a popular pattern for the Kazak and Kutais weavers.

Some form of the latch-hook appears in a large number of Caucasian stripes, but mostly in nomadic pieces. Figs. 16, 17, 18, 19, and 20 of Plate I, represent patterns found mostly in old Kazaks and kindred rugs.

The last one is also occasionally used as a secondary stripe. The patterns shown in Plate I, Figs. 21 and 22 are from stripes sometimes seen in the Daghestan and Shirvan districts.

A much more interesting stripe because of its well authenticated antiquity, is the one shown in Plate J, Fig. 1 (opp. Page 228). It is found in rugs made in Southern Caucasia two centuries ago, and according to Dr. Martin has been used since the XII Century. Probably as the result of copying, the design appears reversed in many old rugs.[30]

These stripes are seen in comparatively recent pieces, but princ.i.p.ally in those of the Daghestan and Shirvan districts. Though the latch-hook is suggested by the small triangular parts, it is more probable that originally they were intended for leaves. In a few stripes the design is elongated, and in place of a single crossbar there are several, forming a figure that slightly resembles a poinsetta, which is the term occasionally applied to it by weavers.

The stripe shown in Plate J, Fig. 2, which is found in Kazak and other nomadic rugs, is interesting as representing a vine of which the pendant flower is replaced by a T formed by latch-hooks.

In Figs. 3 and 4 of Plate J, are patterns of stripes found in rugs of the Shirvan and Daghestan districts. As they are several centuries old, they may be derived from Armenian patterns, to which they show kinship.

Both patterns are at times reversed as the result of copying.[31] A stripe also used in the same districts and probably of similar origin is seen in Plate J, Fig. 5.

Differing from any of these because of their utilitarian origin, are the separate designs, which arranged in perpendicular rows, form the "churn"

stripe of Plate J, Fig. 6. Each of them represents crude machines for churning milk, which were formerly used by the nomadic tribes of Southern Caucasia and Armenia, who constructed them out of logs with a length of about five feet, and placed the sharpened base in the ground.

Then hanging a goat's skin filled with milk over each of the sides, and seating themselves in the middle, they turned first one then the other.

As might be expected, these stripes belong entirely to nomadic rugs.

Figs. 7 and 8 of Plate J, represent stripes sometimes seen in Shirvans.

The latter is undoubtedly derived from the prayer patterns that are often used in these rugs.

What is known as the Georgian stripe is shown in Plate J, Fig. 9. It is found in Daghestans, Kabistans, Shirvans, Soumaks, Shemakhas, and Kubas.

Though a primary stripe, it is rarely placed at the centre of the border, but at the outer or the inner side, or at both sides with a less ornate stripe between. As a rule it accompanies only the more artistic rugs.

Generally the primary stripes of Soumaks are different from those of other rugs. A few appear in Figs. 10, 11 and 12 of Plate J. The last is interesting on account of the leaf-like forms of the octagonal designs.

[Ill.u.s.tration: PLATE J. PRIMARY BORDER-STRIPES OF CAUCASIAN RUGS]

The stripes seen in Plate J, Figs. 13, 14 and 15 are found only in nomadic rugs. The last is interesting princ.i.p.ally on account of the swastikas.

And old form now and then seen in the Daghestan-Shirvan cla.s.ses appear in Plate J, Fig. 16. It is an archaic pattern copied from a most interesting Daghestan prayer rug.

The stripe shown in Plate J, Fig. 17 is sometimes adopted in rugs of Southern Caucasia, such as the Kutais and Kazak.

Another very old pattern found in the borders of the Daghestan-Shirvan cla.s.ses is shown in Plate J, Fig. 18. Though it suggests the narrow tertiary stripes known as "barber-poles," it differs from them by being very much wider, and by containing bars of many different colours, as red, yellow, cream, blue, green, and brown, which generally contain short, oblong dashes.