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Carpet

late 19th century (made)
Place of origin

WARP: grey wool, probably a combination of white wool and dark brown hair; Z2S; 15 threads per inch (60 per dm).

WEFT; light brown wool; Z-spun, unplied; 2 shoots after each row of knots; 14 knots per inch (48 per dm).

PILE: wool; 8 colours: orange, yellow, dark blue, blue, dark purple, pink, dark brown, white; asymmetrical knot open to the right and tied around 2 threads; 105 knots per sq. inch (1440 per sq. dm).

SIDE FINISH: 4 cords overcast in pairs with alternating dark red and (faded) dark purple wool.

END FINISH: Lower: 7 cms. plain weave in bands of white and purple with a fringe of loose warp threads 19 cms. long. Upper 5 cms. plain weave as above with a fringe of warp threads grouped in 7s and tied with a single knot; 14 cms. long. Only dark brown hair remains in the fringe because the woollen component has decayed, although it can be seen in the signle knot and in the warp.

DESIGN: Field: dark purple ground with 4 rows of 15 bands of irregular horned diamonds alternately white and pink, the pink having a vertical dark blue hooked bar and 3 diamonds and 4 stylised flowers. The bar in the white diamonds is pink with the same decoration. Offset at 5 rows of smaller irregular diamonds with a blue or dark blue ground. There are 14 and 2 half bands of these, all containing an 8-pointed orange star containing a dark blue and white quartered diamond and in the four corners, a pink, white - centred triangle. Each of these secondary irregular diamonds is enclosed by a fine pink and white line bearing pink and white flowerheads which, when joined vertically, create a lattice-like appearnance. The pattern along both sides is inconsistent - flowers in the lower half and half diamonds in the upper half.

Main border: along the sides this has a white ground with opposed hooked triangles paired by colour; along the top and bottom the white ground has stepped lozenges each containing 4 diamonds.

Inner and outer borders: red ground with geometric meander in purple with blocks of various colours.

Outermost border: only along the sides and the top edge, undecorated purple pile, along bottom, purple diamonds with white crosses. The border is infilled with white triangles.

Upper and lower bands: dark purple ground with a band of 9 plants hooked top and bottom , each with three pairs of serrated leaves, separated by a hooked vertical stem bearing theee 3-pointed motifs in white and yellow. At the exrteme top and bottom there is a narrow band of a chevron-like design in several colours. At the lower right hand corner, there is a row of 4 stepped lozenges.


Object details

Category
Object type
Materials and techniques
Brief description
Middle East, Textile, Carpet; Turkoman
Physical description
WARP: grey wool, probably a combination of white wool and dark brown hair; Z2S; 15 threads per inch (60 per dm).

WEFT; light brown wool; Z-spun, unplied; 2 shoots after each row of knots; 14 knots per inch (48 per dm).

PILE: wool; 8 colours: orange, yellow, dark blue, blue, dark purple, pink, dark brown, white; asymmetrical knot open to the right and tied around 2 threads; 105 knots per sq. inch (1440 per sq. dm).

SIDE FINISH: 4 cords overcast in pairs with alternating dark red and (faded) dark purple wool.

END FINISH: Lower: 7 cms. plain weave in bands of white and purple with a fringe of loose warp threads 19 cms. long. Upper 5 cms. plain weave as above with a fringe of warp threads grouped in 7s and tied with a single knot; 14 cms. long. Only dark brown hair remains in the fringe because the woollen component has decayed, although it can be seen in the signle knot and in the warp.

DESIGN: Field: dark purple ground with 4 rows of 15 bands of irregular horned diamonds alternately white and pink, the pink having a vertical dark blue hooked bar and 3 diamonds and 4 stylised flowers. The bar in the white diamonds is pink with the same decoration. Offset at 5 rows of smaller irregular diamonds with a blue or dark blue ground. There are 14 and 2 half bands of these, all containing an 8-pointed orange star containing a dark blue and white quartered diamond and in the four corners, a pink, white - centred triangle. Each of these secondary irregular diamonds is enclosed by a fine pink and white line bearing pink and white flowerheads which, when joined vertically, create a lattice-like appearnance. The pattern along both sides is inconsistent - flowers in the lower half and half diamonds in the upper half.

Main border: along the sides this has a white ground with opposed hooked triangles paired by colour; along the top and bottom the white ground has stepped lozenges each containing 4 diamonds.

Inner and outer borders: red ground with geometric meander in purple with blocks of various colours.

Outermost border: only along the sides and the top edge, undecorated purple pile, along bottom, purple diamonds with white crosses. The border is infilled with white triangles.

Upper and lower bands: dark purple ground with a band of 9 plants hooked top and bottom , each with three pairs of serrated leaves, separated by a hooked vertical stem bearing theee 3-pointed motifs in white and yellow. At the exrteme top and bottom there is a narrow band of a chevron-like design in several colours. At the lower right hand corner, there is a row of 4 stepped lozenges.
Dimensions
  • Maximum length: 396cm
  • Minimum length: 378.5cm
  • Maximum width: 217cm
  • Minimum width: 208cm
  • Weight: 41kg (Note: weight including roller)
  • Weight: 18kg (Note: weight excluding roller)
  • Length: 4.15m (measured along right border)
  • Length: 4.1m (measured along left border)
  • Width: 2.04m (measured along top border)
  • Width: 2.1m (measured along lower border)
Production
Carpet: Turkoman

cf; Bogolynbov (1973) ill.23 "Chodor carpet from Khiva". N.B. Editor JMA Thompson's general comments, especially on colour and warp tension.

Schurmann (1969) ill. 12 "Chodor, 1st half of the 19th century" NB. pseudo lattice in ill. 13.

Tzareva (1984) ill. 115 "Chodor Khali, 19th century" and ill. 114 "Chodor Khali, fragment, last third 19th century".
Azadi (1975) ill. 12, "Chodor, 18th century, possibly earlier".

mentioned "Turkoman Rugs in the V & A." by R Pinner and M. Franses (intro by Donald King) analyses by L. Pinner. Hali 1980 Vol.2, No.4, p. 303, 310, 315.

J.E. Ryall, Mayfield, Sussex. 1924/99
Gift CECT (?) "Yomud Turcoman" 1924
"Chodor Turcoman" GWD. 1952
Collection
Accession number
T.16-1924

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Record createdFebruary 16, 2006
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