Early Fachralo Kazak dated 1252 (1834) with human and animal depictions
272 x 134 cm (8' 11" x 4' 5")
Armenia, dated 1252 (1834)
Condition: very good according to age, good pile, corroded dark brown, scattered small repairs
Warp: wool, weft: wool, pile: wool

This rug helps to illustrate what rugs from the well-known regions of the Kazak weaving area would have looked like before the growth in output and exporting in the second half of the 19th century. The emergence of the Fachralo medallions can be glimpsed in the white-ground medallions that fill the width of the field but are filled with versions of the hooked, plant-like, highly stylised palmettes and a profusion of totemic tribal motifs. Perhaps most starkly the colours are some way from the red and green and blue that are used to make strong chromatic contrasts in the late 19th-century Fachralo rugs. The soft yellow, sparingly used aubergine and strongly corroded browns are reminiscent of more eastern Caucasian rugs, though they are found on village rugs from earlier in the 19th century. Rugs were apt to be used locally and therefore are more likely to reflect local dyes and tastes. There are not many rugs with secure dates from this period and region. The animals and people depicted in the central field add to the overall charm of this one.