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I recently purchased a prayer rug which the dealer described as Marsali, which is what it looked like to me. But I now wonder whether it might be a Daghestan rather than a Shirvan. Also, I have never before seen a prayer rug with columns extending up from the top of the mihrab to the border. Does this feature help to identify the rug's origin? Also, any opinions about age? Larry Gerber
Great piece! With my limited knowledge, I'm forced to quote Bennett's classic (p. 252): "Differentiating between Kuba, Dagestan, and Shirvan prayer rugs is rather like a game of blind man's buff."
Wish I could help, but maybe we'll get additional comments on your and my prayer rugs from the members.
I don't know what those vertical elements are all about, but my best guess is that it was woven in Marasal in the late 19th century. I'd be more confident if the field had a lattice around the botehs.
Thanks for the response. I have had other people raise doubts about the weave being Marsali, but even though I have been collecting rugs for quite some time now, I have never really learned to identify weaves.
I have to admit this is a very challenging piece to identify. I did find two examples that are similar in an obscure book, “All Color Book of Oriental Carpets and Rugs”, Stanley Reed 1972.
You can clearly see the similar border motifs in the Daghestan example and then the unusual columns above the Mihrab from the Shirvan. The pic is an example from the 19c.
Sorry, I was unclear. I think Larry's and the first published example are both Shirvan. The other published one is probably Shirvan as well, but I'm less confident about that attribution.
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