A cotton and woolen saddlebag, Caucasian, late 19th century

Saddlebag complete with two pockets; Caucasian; late 19th century

WARP: white cotton; Z4S; 16 threads to the inch (70 per dm in the flat woven areas).

WEFT: main: dark red, red and pink wool; Z3S; 2 shoots after each row of knots; 9 knots to the inch (40 per dm). Pattern: wool; Z2S; 6 colours: dark red, red, yellow, blue, dark brown, light brown.

PILE: wool; 10 colours: dark red, red, yellow, green, blue, purple, pink, dark brown, light brown, cream; symmetrical knot tied around 2 warp threads.

SIDE FINISH: both sides have 2 cords. Decorative stitching used to join the front of the bag to the plain weave back.

END FINISH: both ends have 3/4" (2 cms) of tapestry-weave turned back and stitched with red wool. There is the same depth in soumak with coloured wefts which are extended into plaited cords. there is one cowrie shell attached to one of the plaits. Before above and after pile are nine squares in various colours of slit tapestry weaving.

DESIGN: each bag face is knotted with a poorly interpreted design of roses and leaves on a dark brown ground. Main border: has a white ground with a floral meander. Each bag may be fastened with a row of loops (dark brown and dark red) woven in soumak along the divided. The tapestry woven divider has one band and two half bands of multi-coloured diamonds in an interlocking technique. The reverse of the bags is in plain weave with dark red weft.

Catalogue Date: 20.3.91

Caucasian

See Hali 75, p; 67, article by Raoul Ischeball.

possible copy of a Karabagh "Russian floral" design 'Darengi gul'.

The decorative panels of these bags have a rather indistinct knotted pile pattern of full-blown roses while the back has a bold tapestry-woven design. The back of saddlebags is seldom seen and so it is usually undecorated, but because it forms a broad and very visible band in this example, care has been taken to make it colourful and striking.

T.55-1926