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Here is a rug I recently acquired. Conversations with the seller revealed this rug was purchased in Turkey in the late 1970’s. Upon initial inspection from pics, I was leaning towards an oddball Yağcıbedir rug (Sometimes falling under the umbrella of Western Anatolia or a Bergama rug) The Yağcıbedir rugs are produced in a number of villages south of Bergama to be clear. This is the region the Turkoman migrated to in the 11th century. Local lore says the Salor also migrated there in the 18th Century. These moves have been speculated as to why many colors and weavings have common similarities between the two regions, east and west.
My initial attribution of Yağcıbedir was due to the borders and also from the sellers tag still on the rug. The sellers shop was well known years ago and has been closed for years. The seller too assumed it was a Yağcıbedir rug more than likely from the border. The borders are 100% Yağcıbedir or a copy thereof.
I was also hoping this may have been an early DOBAG piece and the seller was off by a couple of years on the time of purchase. Although the field is not a traditional design, it is similar and was worth a shot.
The rug arrived and I was shocked at its condition. Other than securing the fringes because they were loose, the piece looks as it was made yesterday. The shocking evidence upon inspection was that the piece was woven asymmetrical open left. Hmm, not the traditional Turkish symmetrical knot. This would not be a deal breaker as some rugs in Turkey do use the Persian knot, the numbers are somewhat low. It can be however never ruled out.
My research within my extensive library and the internet over the last few weeks have yielded slim results on its attribution. The town of Konya and its immediate surroundings has come up, but with no definite results.
Here are the specifics;
Size:
1.18m x 0.75m or 30” x 47”
KPSI:
3 different counts produced the same results….63 KPSI or 977 KPSD.
Construction:
White wool warps.
Brown wool wefts.
Black Wool selvages, possibly goat hair.
Colors:
Red
white
Indigo Blue
Purple
Walnut
Dye: There are zero signs of fading. Using an eye loop, the colors are strong and breathtaking and consistent from the top of the pile to the knot. I have a strong feeling natural dye was used. A simple bleed test revealed no dye transfer.
The KPSI had been a little baffled. I assumed it would have been higher based on the fine construction and precise weaving. This low count is near a typical Yagcibedir rug and is consistent with a tribal weaving.
Attribution: Afghanistan? An oddball Turkish piece? This is the real mystery. Possibly done by a refugee that relocated from the east to Turkey? Any insights would be helpful.
My initial attribution of Yağcıbedir was due to the borders and also from the sellers tag still on the rug. The sellers shop was well known years ago and has been closed for years. The seller too assumed it was a Yağcıbedir rug more than likely from the border. The borders are 100% Yağcıbedir or a copy thereof.
I was also hoping this may have been an early DOBAG piece and the seller was off by a couple of years on the time of purchase. Although the field is not a traditional design, it is similar and was worth a shot.
The rug arrived and I was shocked at its condition. Other than securing the fringes because they were loose, the piece looks as it was made yesterday. The shocking evidence upon inspection was that the piece was woven asymmetrical open left. Hmm, not the traditional Turkish symmetrical knot. This would not be a deal breaker as some rugs in Turkey do use the Persian knot, the numbers are somewhat low. It can be however never ruled out.
My research within my extensive library and the internet over the last few weeks have yielded slim results on its attribution. The town of Konya and its immediate surroundings has come up, but with no definite results.
Here are the specifics;
Size:
1.18m x 0.75m or 30” x 47”
KPSI:
3 different counts produced the same results….63 KPSI or 977 KPSD.
Construction:
White wool warps.
Brown wool wefts.
Black Wool selvages, possibly goat hair.
Colors:
Red
white
Indigo Blue
Purple
Walnut
Dye: There are zero signs of fading. Using an eye loop, the colors are strong and breathtaking and consistent from the top of the pile to the knot. I have a strong feeling natural dye was used. A simple bleed test revealed no dye transfer.
The KPSI had been a little baffled. I assumed it would have been higher based on the fine construction and precise weaving. This low count is near a typical Yagcibedir rug and is consistent with a tribal weaving.
Attribution: Afghanistan? An oddball Turkish piece? This is the real mystery. Possibly done by a refugee that relocated from the east to Turkey? Any insights would be helpful.
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