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62, KUBA CHICHI
PRAYER RUG
19th century, 4'6" x 3'11" [m. 1.40 x 1.22]
Warp; wool
Weft: wool, two shoots after each row of knots Knotting: Ghiordes, wool, 120
knots per square inch [1900 per dm.-]
Few Chichis were woven for religious purposes; hence, this Chichi prayer rug
is most unusual. Although the field is brown, the rug has the joie de vivre
characteristic of Caucasian products, for the figures woven into it are
large, aggressive, and brightly colored reds, blues, yellows, and white. In
addition, it has the personal touch of a pair of hands. Surrounding the
prayer gable are the stepped polygons so characteristic of the Chichi
region. The whole has a rough, attractive look that gives the design life.
The borders are the barber pole and rosette motif one expects in a Chichi
rug.
It is easy to see that the mihrab in this rug is not the Gothic arch of the
rug in Plate 34, nor is it the modified arch seen in Plate 73. Called a
prayer gable, it is decorated with three octagons enclosing dragon heads and
the 'T' design. A candle is in the neck of the gable and hands are on either
side of it. The hands are probably meant to indicate where the worshiper
should place his hands when using the rug. On the bottom left side of the
prayer gable is a comb, and a red comb is under either hand.
Chichis as a rule have a rather short pile but a soft handle. This rug, in
its exuberant, showy shape and primitive coarseness, is reminiscent of a
Kazak
published at Luciano Coen & Louise Duncan's The Oriental Rug
Lit: Luciano Coen & Louise Duncan's The Oriental Rug, plate 62
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