Page 198 - ART OF THE ISLAMIC AND INDIAN WORLDS Carpets, Ceramics Objects, Christie's London Oct..27, 2022

The motif that remains open to interpretation
however, is the zoomorphic form within each corner
of the ivory medallion. Although they resemble
four-legged animals with a blunt hammer-head, it is
more probable that these heavily abstracted forms
represent the branched fruiting trees, that became
increasingly geometric in form in the 'Garden'
carpets woven in the latter years of the 18th century.
Eight other examples have been published, one in
the Rudnick Collection, which is dated and most
likely reads 1833 (J. Bailey and M. Hopkins, Through
the Collector's Eye - Oriental Carpets from New
England Private Collections, Providence Rhode
Island 1991, p.66, no.20); one by E. Gans-Ruedin,
Caucasian Carpets, New York, 1986, pl.118, two
by Eberhart Herrmann; the first dated to either
1844 or 1850 (E. Herrmann, Seltene Orienteppiche
IV, Munich, 1982, p.152, no.46 and Herrmann,
Kaukasische Teppichkunst Im 19. Jahrhundert Ein
Bilderbuch, Munich 1993, p.61, pl.45); one of slightly
shortened proportions by Ian Bennett, (Bennett,
Oriental Rugs, Volume I Caucasian, London, 1981,
p.79, no.66), two examples that sold at auction in
the same week; Sotheby's London, 28 April 1993,
lot 16 and Christie's London, 29 April 1993, lot 357,
and the most recent to appear on the market which
sold in these Rooms, 26 October 2017, lot 313. The
Gans-Ruedin and Bennett examples, display two
columns of double 'Memling' guls above and below
the central medallion while the others all have three.
Apart from the Rudnick example which has a
'Shield' border, all of the other rugs share the
same border pattern that consists of a series of
small hexagons enclosing a large 'S' motif, with
every other hexagon set within paired double-
ended zoomorphs. The origin of this design stems
from earlier Caucasian 'Dragon' carpets, and is
almost identical to that of an eighteenth century
east Caucasian rug, formerly in the collection of
the late Peter Lehmann-Bärenklau, which sold in
these Rooms, 19 April 2016, lot 20. The border is
most frequently flanked by white ground guard
stripes which display small flowerheads with a
further inner frame of small space-invader motifs.
Unique to the group, the present lot has an
arrangement of small alternating yellow and ivory
flower heads forming an additional frame within
the central field which also sees the inclusion of
■*186 This wonderful rug is a formerly unpublished flowering trees and shrubs on either side. The two human figures flanking the central medallion.
addition to a small and rare group of blue-ground once eight-pointed medallion, that is an archaic
A KAZAK RUG
SOUTH CAUCASUS, FIRST HALF 19TH Caucasian rugs whose design is dominated by form found in early Anatolian and Caucasian rugs, An interesting rug in the Vakiflar Museum combines
CENTURY a prominent decahedral gabled ivory medallion. and which continues to be used throughout the elements of this field with a debased version of the
The overall pattern echoes that of a group of nineteenth century in Fachralo rugs, here has
Light localised wear, minor spots of repiling and border but replaces the Memling guls with minor
associated repair, mostly in very good condition earlier 17th and 18th century north west Persian been simplified to just six points. Further more, Karatchopf octagons (Serare Yetkin, Early Caucasian
7ft.5in. x 6ft. (225cm. x 184cm.) carpets, whose designs were based upon the the formerly square compartments filled with Carpets in Turkey, London 1978, Vol.1, pl.98). When
Persian garden plan known as the "Four Gardens" trees, are replaced here with "Memling" guls,
£25,000-35,000 US$29,000-40,000 discussing this rug, Tschebull (op.cit. pl.40) questions
or Chahar Bagh (M.S.Dimand & J. Mailey, most commonly associated with the weavings
€29,000-40,000 the short pile, loosely packed wefts and unusual end
Oriental Rugs in the Metropolitan Museum of from the Moghan district in the Caucasus.
braids, as not being typical characteristics of Kazak
Art, New York, 1973, p.84, fig.116). The smaller
rugs but as HALI suggests, despite having strong
lozenges that extend above and below the
Moghan and Gendje attributes, further research
central medallion on the present lot, are linked
is required, ("Auction Price Guide", HALI, June/July
by a narrow vertical channel which represents
1993, Issue 69, p.147). Of this rare group, the present
the streams and ornamental pools that feed the
rug is one of the best preserved.
196 In addition to the hammer price, a Buyer’s Premium (plus VAT) is payable. Other taxes and/or an Artist Resale Royalty 197
fee are also payable if the lot has a tax or λ symbol. Check Section D of the Conditions of Sale at the back of this catalogue.