Bag face of hand-knotted woollen pile, west central Asia, 19th century

Bag face of hand-knotted woollen pile on woollen warp and weft.

Warp: cream wool; Z2S; 28 threads per inch (110 per dm); depressed. The density of warp threads has been reduced across the top band of the field.

Weft: brown wool; Z2S; 2 shoots after each row of knots; 19 knots per inch (77 per dm).

Pile: wool and silk; 7 colours: dark red, red (wool) and pink (silk), yellow, dark green, dark blue, black; asymmetrical knot open to the left tied around 2 threads; 247 knots per sq. inch (4235 per sq. dm).

Side Finish: incomplete but evidence on the right-hand side of one cord oversewn with red wool.

End Finish: Lower: plain weave with red wool; cut. Upper: cut.

DESIGN: Field: yellow ground with three bands of 12 curled leaf motifs in colours contrasting with confining hexagons, each having vertical, parallel sides with saw-toothed upper and lower sides plus an extruding stem that joins to make overall lattice. Fourth band (second from bottom) has 12 small curled leaves alternating with diagonally divided rectangles. Extra-worn leaves and whirls are in pink silk.

Main border: dark red ground with a linked, small gul motif.

Inner and Outer borders: dark red ground with dark green and dark blue hexagonal cartouches, every fifth with a pink silk ground, each cartouche enclosing an S-motif.

Upper Band: red silk ground containing black, hooked lozenges, each infilled with four yellow flowerheads.
Lower Band: red wool ground with small, blue crosses with the lower arms hooked and interspersed by small yellow flowerheads.

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, 304, 315

Purchase from Wm. Newton, Barnes, London SW13. One of two for £5.10.0. "Turcoman tentbag" ATBW "... in knotted silk and woollen pile. They are of the most excellent quality and easily surpass anything of the kind that we already have." C.E.C.T.
Each offered at the "moderate price of //36" CECT . I bought for Dept. and 1 for Circ. for total of £11. "... of convenient size for circulation" ATBW

cf: Elena Tzareva (1984) ill. 12. "Salor Torba, pub. Bogolynbov (1908"
A.A.Bogolynbov (1973) ill. 38, "Salor Torba from Teke-Khana". [Editor JMA. Thompson refs. to "a superb piece in the Vict. & Alb. Museum Collection (no. T.28-1932)"]

Although octagons are the typical motif in carpets and bag faces from western Central Asia, some pieces have distinctly floral patterns. Many of these stylised flowers have been woven with light purple silk. Silk reflects light in a different way to wool, adding lustre to the pile, but it has no functional advantage. It is, of course, expensive and therefore is a visible way of showing affluence.

CIRC.171-1932