Saddle Cover thumbnail 1
Not currently on display at the V&A

Saddle Cover

19th century (made)
Artist/Maker
Place of origin

Saddle cover (made from something else and requires more thought)

WARP: cream wool; Z2S; 18 threads per inch (70 per dm).

WEFT: light brown wool; unable to ascertain spin and twist; 2 shoots after every row of knots; 21 knots per inch (86 per dm).

PILE: wool; 6 colours: dark red with some bleeding into the cream, red, dark blue, blue, dark brown, cream; asymmetrical knot open to the right and tied around 2 threads; 189 knots per sq. inch (3010 per sq. dm).

SIDE FINISH: Lower part: one cord oversewn with blue wool. Upper part: kelim band with slits; not using weft from the piled areas (which is fine) but using warp wool. Traces of a fringe.

END FINISH: Lower: maximum of 3.5 cms. of plain weave with cream weft; turned and stitched in place. Upper: one row of blue soumak the 3.5 cms. plain weave with cream weft.

DESIGN: two equal parts joined vertically. There is now an arch shaped with a band above it. The arch contains a square with two rectangles and several borders - the outer one contains stepped diamonds and the inner ones are checked. The band has a central hexagon with half a hexagon to either side; these contain a diamond motif. There is an "insert" in the sixth border from either side - there might originally have been a slit here.

Date catalogued: 21.6.94


Object details

Categories
Object type
Materials and techniques
Wool
Brief description
Saddle cover, 19th century, Central Asia
Physical description
Saddle cover (made from something else and requires more thought)

WARP: cream wool; Z2S; 18 threads per inch (70 per dm).

WEFT: light brown wool; unable to ascertain spin and twist; 2 shoots after every row of knots; 21 knots per inch (86 per dm).

PILE: wool; 6 colours: dark red with some bleeding into the cream, red, dark blue, blue, dark brown, cream; asymmetrical knot open to the right and tied around 2 threads; 189 knots per sq. inch (3010 per sq. dm).

SIDE FINISH: Lower part: one cord oversewn with blue wool. Upper part: kelim band with slits; not using weft from the piled areas (which is fine) but using warp wool. Traces of a fringe.

END FINISH: Lower: maximum of 3.5 cms. of plain weave with cream weft; turned and stitched in place. Upper: one row of blue soumak the 3.5 cms. plain weave with cream weft.

DESIGN: two equal parts joined vertically. There is now an arch shaped with a band above it. The arch contains a square with two rectangles and several borders - the outer one contains stepped diamonds and the inner ones are checked. The band has a central hexagon with half a hexagon to either side; these contain a diamond motif. There is an "insert" in the sixth border from either side - there might originally have been a slit here.

Date catalogued: 21.6.94
Dimensions
  • Maximum length: 45cm
  • Minimum length: 24cm
  • Maximum width: 51cm
  • Minimum width: 28cm
Production
The Anglo-Persian Carpet Co., S. Kensington. Purchased as one of seven pieces for a total of £3 "knotted pile wall bag; Ersari" (1925)
This is one of "7 interesting little pieces of Turcoman carpet-knotting, good in design, colour and technique"…. And one of four "tent-bags unlike any others in the Museum… the price for the seven pieces… is nominal" CECT to D?JBW (1924)

Mentioned in "Turkoman Rugs in the V & A", by M. Franses and R. Pinner (intro. by Donald King). Analysis by L. Pinner. Hali 1980, Vol. 2, No. 4, p. 303, 306, 315.

Parsons: plate 20. cf: Zin-i-asp (saddle cloth) "Older pieces are frequently damaged, the result of a fold formed whilst in use" eg. (66 x 36 cms).
Collection
Accession number
T.96-1925

About this object record

Explore the Collections contains over a million catalogue records, and over half a million images. It is a working database that includes information compiled over the life of the museum. Some of our records may contain offensive and discriminatory language, or reflect outdated ideas, practice and analysis. We are committed to addressing these issues, and to review and update our records accordingly.

You can write to us to suggest improvements to the record.

Suggest feedback

Record createdSeptember 18, 2008
Record URL
Download as: JSONIIIF Manifest