Shirvan
298 x 126 cm (9' 9" x 4' 2")
Caucasus, mid 19th century (illegibly dated)
Condition: very good, low pile in places, scattered small repairs
Warp: wool, weft: cotton, pile: wool

This powerful and graphic carpet is so similar to the famous example published by Ulrich Schurmann in Caucasian Rugs (1974) as plate 65, that these must have been made in close proximity, both geographically and in date.
The published example also has this date panel which was read as 1204 AH/1786 CE.
In our example the date is difficult to read but we consider it must be a similar vintage, but it does have many more birds and animals filling its field than the Schurmann example.
The connection to 17th and 18th century Caucasian, and indeed Persian Safavid carpet, can be seen in the large cruciform motifs, the large rosettes, and the sinuous cloud bands that in some run underneath other central design elements capturing the multi plane design scheme that was seen in earlier carpets but lost in the less structured and more village style production later into the 19th century. The fine weave, long format and primary colour combinations set this example from other 19th century Caucasian rugs.