Code: KUBJ0626
Age: circa 1890
Size: 115 x 175 cm
Size (ft): 4'0" x 5'8"
Structure: wool pile, ivory wool warps and ivory wool wefts.
Knots: Gördes (Turkish, symmetrical)
Condition: Very good pile throughout, with areas of corrosion in the dark brown wool. The resulting relief contributes to a pronounced 3-D appearance in certain sections of the composition. Minor repairs.
Description: The design ultimately derives from Safavid-period carpets featuring stylized vegetal ornamentation. The composition is organized around a vertical sequence of five interconnected palmette, or shield-like, forms that rise through the center of the field. Each is accompanied by curling leaf motifs, while additional leaf-shaped elements extend diagonally beneath them, creating a strong sense of movement throughout the composition.
The field is further enriched by a variety of smaller palmettes and leaf forms arranged along the sides. These elements are rendered in a distinctly zoomorphic manner. Some motifs evoke animal heads, while others suggest birds or avian forms. Such visual transformations of vegetal motifs into animate forms constitute one of the more distinctive features of the Azerbaijani carpet design tradition.
Although Bijov rugs are generally among the larger weavings produced in the eastern Caucasus, examples of this size are comparatively uncommon. Furthermore, while Bidjov rugs are often woven in a relatively coarse structure, the present example displays a finer weave. This increased fineness allows the complexity of the design to be preserved and clearly articulated despite the carpet's smaller format.
Among the known comparable examples are:
1856 dated Brooklyn Museum Kuba rug, North East Azerbaijan. Brooklyn Museum
So-called Kuba Bijov rug, second half of the 19th century, Southern Hillside Kuba region, Devechi (present-day Shabran) district, northeastern Azerbaijan. Published in Luciano Coen and Louise Duncan, The Oriental Rug, plate 75.
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