Persian

Carpet, flatweave, kelim, slit-tapestry with wool with outlining and weft float patterning; Central Asia, Baluchistan, 19th century

WARP: white wool; Z2S; 12-14 threads per inch (50 per dm).

WEFT: wool; Z2S; 13 colours: red, light red, yellow, dark green, green, dark blue, light blue, very light blue (faded), pink, dark brown, brown, black, white; 25-43 threads per inch (100-160 per dm).

SIDE FINISH: one cord coarsely oversewn with red and blue wool. The upper right ends in 4 plaits and tassels.

END FINISH: Lower: Warp loops through which two length of weft have been passed. Above this are two rows of weft twining in white wool, two rows in red and one row of weft twining in red/dark blue. Then there is a band of red plainweave with one row of light blue in the middle. There is a narrow band of weft float patterning in red and yellow between two thin bands of dark brown/white. Above this is a repeat of the red band with light blue.
Upper: red band with light blue band in the middle, narrow band of weft float patterning in red and yellow, repeat of the red and light blue band and then one row of weft twining in light red and light blue (extends in a plait on the upper left). Below this is a fringe of warp loops grouped in 12s and secured with two rows of knots.

DESIGN: Field: dark blue ground with toothed diamonds containing a smaller toothed diamond offset in bands of 9 or 10. The bands of 9 have, to each side, the smaller interior toothed diamond. They form converging and diverging diagonals which create two and two half diamond-filled lozenges along the length.
Borders from the centre:
(1) Along the sides are six narrow interlocking borders in red/green/red/yellow/red/light blue. Along the top and bottom these are narrow bands which do not interlock.
(2) Reciprocal diamon heads in dark brown and often black and white outlined in red.
(3) Along the sides an interlocking band in black (sometimes blue). Along the top it becomes a band of weft float patterning in red and brown bordered by narrow bands of brown and white; along the bottom it is in red and dark blue and is not bordered.
(4) Red ground divided into blocks with bars of weft float patterning along the side and stripes of interlocking dark blue/white along the top and bottom. Each block contains either a toothed diamon (see field) or a hooked diamond. Some blocks also contain small botehs.
(5) as (2) linked by a dark blue interlocking stripe.

Catalogue Date: 18.3.98

This is a simple motif - a small diamond with a serrated edge - but colour has created diamonds within diamonds. Although only a detail can be shown, there are a total of 52 small diamonds along the length of this kelim.

2182(IS)-1883