Antique Caucasian Turtle Medallion rug ('Animal Gul' rug)


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Antique Caucasian Turtle Medallion rug ('Animal Gul' rug)

Code: KRBT0805

Age: 1890s

Size: 135x162cm

Size (ft): 4'5"x5'3"

Structure: wool pile, ivory wool warps and dark brown wool wefts.

Knots: Gördes (Turkish, symmetrical)

Description: The rug incorporates two medallions in the central field identified in the carpet literature as “animal guls.” Its weaving provenance corresponds to the region associated with the well-known Karabagh Sunburst (Chelaberd) rugs group. The main border likewise belongs to the so-called “crab” border type, a design frequently encountered in Chelaberd rugs.

The central field is horizontally divided into two compartments by an intermediary panel containing seven stars. This highly unusual compositional feature appears to distinguish the present example from all other currently known and published examples of the group, for no comparable specimen exhibiting this specific arrangement has thus far been documented.

The palette consists entirely of natural dyes, with no evidence of later synthetic or chemically corrosive coloration. The field further contains a rich assemblage of stylized tribal, zoomorphic, and avian motifs rendered in a highly abstract manner.

The rug formerly belonged to the collection of Eberhart Herrmann (see the original Eberhart Herrmann invoice confirming its 1983 acquisition below).

This document is the original invoice issued by Eberhart Herrmann (Teppich-Antiquitäten, Munich) dated 8 June 1983, confirming the sale of the present rug (presented as "South-West Caucasian rug, Kasak type, 19th century"). The invoice provides detailed technical and iconographic descriptions of the piece and serves as primary provenance evidence of its inclusion in the Herrmann collection.

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