Caucasian rugs

Caucasian rugs get their name from the area in which they were made – the Caucasus. The Caucasus is a region that produces distinctive rugs since the end of the 18th century and the antique Caucasian rugs are primarily produced as village pieces rather than the fine and intricate city productions. Caucasian rugs are best known for featuring bold geometric and tribal designs in primary colors. The antique Caucasian rugs are primarily made of materials that are (or were) particular to their tribal provinces and some of the styles that are “typical” or better known to the Caucasus region are Shirvan, Dagestan, Kuba, Kazak rugs. Caucasian Rugs are probably the most widely collected type of antique rugs. The strongest market for Caucasian rugs has to be Italy who appreciates these rugs for their tribal and primitive designs. Another reason why the Italian market is so strong is the fact that most of the rooms as considerably smaller than those in the USA – since the Caucasian rugs are smaller in size (rarely bigger than 5 x 8 ) they are the perfect size for their rooms.

The mountainous region of the Caucasus has been an attested center of rug production since at least the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. Caucasian rugs of this period are among the great masterpieces of classical or early rug production. In the nineteenth century the Caucasus became a major area of village rug production for export under official Russian control. Chief centers of production were Kuba, Dagestan, Shirvan, Talish and Baku in the East, and Ganjeh, Kazak, and Karabagh in the southwest Caucasus. While Caucasian rugs tend to feature floral designs, their style or rendering is usually highly abstract or geometric, with considerable emphasis on rich and varied color.

Central Asia is the pre-eminent region for nomadic rug production. Chief among the rug
producing Central Asian nomads were the Turkomans, whose work is prized for its precise weave and drawing and meticulous allover repeat designs, although generally in a subdued or restricted palette. Turkoman rugs are often called “Bokara” in the rug trade, after the chief central Asian city from which they were exported to the West. Other central Asia nomads like the Baluch, Uzbeks, and Khirgiz produced bolder designs with a brighter, more varied palette, but their pattern repertory is still closely related to that of the Turkomans. In addition to floor rugs or carpets, many central Asian weavings were made as storage bags and decorative trappings.

Related Rugs: Shahsavan, Kaitag, Seychour, Moghan, Soumak, Perpidil, Azerbaijan

Read more about Antique Caucasian Rugs and Carpets:

• History of Antique Kazak Rugs and Carpets: Antique Kazak Rugs
• Collectible Kazak Rugs from the Caucacus: Eagle Kazak and Chelaberd Kazak Rugs
• Collecting Kilim Rugs and Kilim Carpets: Kilim Rugs and Kilim Carpets
• What about Soumak: Soumak Rugs
• Caucasian Rugs Caucasian Carpets
• Early Caucasian Rugs (Pre-1920s): Caucasian Rugs
• Kaitag Embroideries
• Kuba Rugs
• Karabagh Rugs
• 21st Century Collecting: Collecting Caucasian Rugs

Featured Caucasian Rugs:

 

Antique Kazak Caucasian Rug #45093

Style: Kazak Rug Origin: Caucasian Rugs Size: 3 ft 10 in x 4 ft 6 in           (1.17 m x 1.37 m)

This charming Kazak carpet woven in the Caucasus during the 1880s features a powerful combination of protection symbols and double ram’s horn motifs.

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Antique Kuba Rug 45100

Style: Kuba Rug Origin: Caucasian Rugs Size: 3 ft 9 in x 4 ft 10 in           (1.14 m x 1.47 m)

This exceptional antique from Kuba features an outstanding array of protection symbols woven in an archetypal color palette found throughout the Caucasus and Azerbaijan.

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Antique Shirvan Rug #43980

Style: Shirvan Rug Origin: Caucasian Rugs Size: 5 ft 5 in x 5 ft 11 in           (1.65 m x 1.8 m)

A classic Caucasian ‘Afshan repeat’ design unfolds across the field of this exceptional antique Shirvan.

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Antique Kazak Caucasian Rug #43276

Style: Kazak Rug Origin: Caucasian Rugs Size: 5 ft 5 in x 7 ft 5 in           (1.65 m x 2.26 m)

Three polygonal medallions in the field adorn this lively antique Kazak Caucasian rug. A red background is adorned by

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Antique Kazak Caucasian Rug #44416

Style: Kazak Rug Origin: Caucasian Rugs Size: 5 ft x 8 ft           (1.52 m x 2.44 m)

Woven in the Caucasus during the late 19th century, this bold Kazakh carpet includes latch hook polygons and geometric protection symbols woven in a brilliant color palette.

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Antique Shahsavan Caucasian Rug 2922

Style: Shahsavan / Shahsevan Rug Origin: Caucasian Rugs Size: 6 ft 4 in x 12 ft 6 in           (1.93 m x 3.81 m)

This spectacular antique Oriental Shahsevan rug from the Caucasus has the unusual design, spontaneous drawing, and rich color that sets it apart from the closely related Kazaks and Karabaghs.

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