Antique Caucasian Chi Chi Rugs
Learn More About Antique Caucasian Chi Chi Rugs and Carpets
Antique Caucasian Chi Chi Rugs In the mountains north of Daghestan, in the Causcuses of Central Asia, live the Tchetchen people, the group responsible for the ever-appealing Chi-Chi rugs. Indeed, the term “Chi-Chi” is something of a bastardization of the term “Tchetchen,” representing a rendering of the term as it can be heard by those not familiar with local pronunciations. The Tchetchen people are a historically nomadic group who would move from place to place with their herds of sheep as the seasons changed.
During these nomadic wanderings, the Tchetchens would frequently encounter neighboring Caucasian cultures, many of whom also wove splendid rugs. The Tchetchens would sometimes adopt certain cultural elements from these neighboring groups, incorporating them into their own rugs. Because of this sort of porous cultural relationship between the Tchetchens and the other people of the Caucuses, there is a considerable amount of variety within Chi-Chi carpets, which are sometimes further divided into sub-categories unique to certain styles.
The field of a typical, representative Chi-Chi Caucasian rug will feature small patterns consisting of scrolls, naturalistic elements (such as flowers and fruits), or, sometimes, abstract geometrical constructs. Sometimes, each of these elements will be present in one rug. Crosses and oblong shapes also frequently appear in Chi-Chi carpets, which are also typically characterized by their high-quality wool, a natural byproduct of the sheep with whom the Tchetchens would wander about the Caucuses. Indeed, it is difficult to understate the level of impact that the nomadic lifestyle of the Tchetchens had on their art, and, most especially, on their antique rugs. Chi-Chi rugs remain some of the most beautiful and fascinating antique Oriental carpets on the market today.
