early 19th century, 198 x 199 cm, South West Caucasus

Square in format and presenting 16 large Memling guls in a chequerboard design, this very rare Kazak is one of the few surviving sleeping rugs from the Caucasus. Similar to Anatolian yataks, it is coarsely woven and has a high fur-like pile. The wefts are light red or ochre; the glossy pile wool is long-fibred and only slightly twisted. The intensity of the luminous colours is impressive. – The Kazak was purchased by Heinrich Jacoby in Tbilisi around 1930 and then belonged to the PETAG private collection for many decades. In the  1960s, Jacoby’s son Heiner Jacoby, the PETAG heir, sold the rug to a German collector in the State of Hessen. Upon the latter’s death, the piece was consigned to us in 2007 and purchased at our A 69 auction by a Danish collector, who is now parting with it again. – Very good condition, with the pile at its original height, the original sides and the braided warps at both ends. A number of small repiled areas, two inserted sections.

RIPPON BOSWELL, A 69, 19 May 2007, lot 127