Yet another Ensi - ID help needed

[Joe Lawrence Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Joe Lawrence]

Here is an unusual Ensi. I haven’t seen one like it before. I did send a picture of it to a well known person associated with Turkoman rugs who said it was very interesting and Ersari looking yet Tekke. I was lucky to stumble upon this piece a few months ago.

The size is 145 x 104cm. I little smaller than most. I can assume it’s an unusual piece based on the previous owner. No need to mention names but had the ability to buy what he wanted.

Thank you in advance for any info.

Joe Lawrence

[Joe Lawrence Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Joe Lawrence]

This is the backside

[PaulSmith Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close PaulSmith]

You have some interesting pieces, for sure!

I really don't think this is a Tekke piece. Colors, designs, etc. are not Tekke. The selvage wrapping appears to be brown, not the blue you'd see in a Tekke, and the warps sure don't look like the standard ivory of a Tekke, but the gray-brown of Ersari weaving. I think it is definitely Ersari, and IMO second-half 19th-c., however, while it has the distinctive Ersari ensi border (interesting how the openings in the C-shaped elements are filled with four knots of the red color), a small elem at the bottom, and a quartered field--so certainly many ensi features--but it lacks the arch. I have seen other unusual small Ersari rugs that have been called ensis, but I wonder if the weavers were making small rugs (dowry rugs?) that had ensi features, but were not for hanging.

In any case, another beautiful Turkmen weaving in great shape.

[Joe Lawrence Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Joe Lawrence]

Great info and observations. Thank you.

[Steve Price Administrator Find all posts View Profile Close Steve Price]

I agree with Paul. Nothing about it says Tekke to me.

Steve Price

[James Blanchard Junior Member Find all posts View Profile Close James Blanchard]

Interesting rug. I agree with others that I highly doubt it was woven by Tekke weavers. Beyond the design and palette, the presence of dark coloured warps strikes me as being very unusual for Tekke weaving.

My guess would be Ersari, or perhaps Uzbek weavers.

James

[Joe Lawrence Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Joe Lawrence]

It’s quiet here so I thought I’d revisit this. When I bought this, someone had secured the selvages with a machine. I removed them to find black course goat hair that was about 50% intact. I removed the goat hair and replaced it with the 100% brown wool that was made with natural dye…so they said. At least the price tag suggested it. I have also fixed and secured the fringes with the traditional double knot. The size is 103 x 150cm.
I ran this by a very well known author on rugs and they couldn’t say for sure what is was. I am assuming that it was expensive back in the day as most pieces were. The previous owner who passed away in 1997 was well known and very wealthy. I bought it from his assistant that had it in storage for nearly 30 years.

I cannot find any similar example anywhere. Any further thoughts on this would be appreciated.

[Chuck Wagner Administrator Find all posts View Profile Close Chuck Wagner]

Joe,

It's not easy to tell, but it looks to me like the knots are open-left, the opposite of a typical Tekke knot. And, the weave seems rather loose. Coupled with characteristics mentioned previously, I'd say this one falls dead center in the enormous catch-all Ersari bin.

Regards
Chuck

[Phil Smythe Member Find all posts View Profile Close Phil Smythe]

Joe,It's not easy to tell, but it looks to me like the knots are open-left, the opposite of a typical Tekke knot. And, the weave seems rather loose. Coupled with characteristics mentioned previously, I'd say this one falls dead center in the enormous catch-all Ersari bin.
Regards
Chuck

First, lovely carpet Joe!

Now re Chuck's observation above re 'open left' knots. No disrespect meant to someone as knowledgeable as Chuck - and while I have no knowledge basis for any input as to whether Tekke or Ersari - from what I am seeing they appear open right to me. So, seeing as I would like to further my education, which is it Joe?

[Steve Price Administrator Find all posts View Profile Close Steve Price]

First, lovely carpet Joe!

Now re Chuck's observation above re 'open left' knots. No disrespect meant to someone as knowledgeable as Chuck - and while I have no knowledge basis for any input as to whether Tekke or Ersari - from what I am seeing they appear open right to me. So, seeing as I would like to further my education, which is it Joe?

I don't know any way to distinguish open right from open left without knowing which end was woven first. You can find that out by running the back of your hand along the direction of the warps. It will encounter less resistance in one direction. That direction is the one going towards the end woven first.

Steve Price

[Joe Lawrence Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Joe Lawrence]

Thanks for all the responses. It’s open left.

[Phil Smythe Member Find all posts View Profile Close Phil Smythe]

I don't know any way to distinguish open right from open left without knowing which end was woven first. You can find that out by running the back of your hand along the direction of the warps. It will encounter less resistance in one direction. That direction is the one going towards the end woven first.
Steve Price

With no disrespect meant Steve, as I bow to your knowledge , I must beg to differ, somewhat anyway.

That is, while what you say seems certainly to be true almost all of the time with regards differentiating a symmetric knot from an asymmetric knot, it appears it is possible to do so with regards differentiating an asymmetric knot left from an asymmetric knot right via the back of a carpet.

For instance, I have an 'acquaintance', a dealer I have bought from in past, that has done a ‘survey’ over the years with regards 100’s and 100’s of close up photos he has had taken of the back of carpets that have passed through his hands, and differentiating an open right from an open left and vice versa was, he found, possible 99% of the time using his method. (And was why - from Joe's back side photo - I felt comfortable with 'opposing' Chucks speculation as to what way the knot was open in Joe’s. )

Even in the book Turkoman by James Cohen, in which there are 30 carpets that he shows close up photos of the back and describes the knot type, only one there does not seem to conform to the above method for differentiating, and that one may simply be incorrectly described (i.e. typo’d) as it were. But let me state again, it is only 'works' for asymmetric left or right differentiation, not for asymmetric knot / symmetric knot differentiation.

Anyway, certainly not meaning to be argumentative, just voicing an 'opinion' that seems to be backed by real-world experience.

[Steve Price Administrator Find all posts View Profile Close Steve Price]

Hi Phil

The only way I know how to distinguish knot types is from the pile side. That doesn't mean there is no way, just that I don't know about them or how to use them. I am baffled by the notion that there is any method that's independent of knowing which end was woven first, so I assume that your friend has a way of determining that from a photo of the back. In the words of Hamlet, There are more things on heaven and earth than are dreamed of by your philosophy. "You" in this case means "me".

Steve Price

[Joe Lawrence Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Joe Lawrence]

Back on topic, the rug is Asymmetric open left.

[Phil Smythe Member Find all posts View Profile Close Phil Smythe]

Back on topic, the rug is Asymmetric open right.

Yes you had already said asymmetric right above Joe. And I didn't think I had strayed too far off-topic. Just replied to Steve that it seems it is possible to tell what kind of asymmetric knot it is from the back of a carpet without needing to know which way is down as it were (i.e. where the weaver started).