Akstafa rug (556)

Akstafa prayer rug from southern Caucasus

Age: circa 1870

Size: 6′.4″x2′.10″ (193×86 cm)

The beautiful ivory field displays reversing rows of nested botehs with quincunxes,a tiny animal,little crosses and diamonds closely scattered.The botehs continue into the free floating niche arch and the spandrels.Unusually,the niche is pointed rather then squared.The arch design varies from crosses to polychrome bars.The colors include:aubergine,shades of yellow,shades of blue,shades of red,and dark brown.The black main border hosts floating hooked diamonds in various colors.The inner minor border shows a green and red keyhole reciprocal while the outer displays a red and blue triangle pattern.There are four barber pole lines in the border system.At each end is an ivory flatwoven strip and the remains of knotted warp nets.The colors are from natural sources.The piece is in good condition.