A Beautiful Kagizman kilim from east Anatolia near the border with Armenia.

An old kilim from east Anatolia from Kagizman south of Kars. 

From an area that used to be part of Armenia, this beautiful kilim was woven with soft, shiny wool and beautiful colours in a design classic for the Kagizman district. The thick weave and excellent condition makes this a very useable kilim. Originally a longer kilim, skilfully shortened in the past resulting a very useful medium sized kilim that is very difficult to find. Size 210cm x 152cm.

For detailed photos see the link at the top of the following page: www.kilim.ie

An unusual nine saf prayer kilim from Sivas in east Anatolia

An old nine saf kilim from Sivas in east Anatolia. 

This unusual type of kilim with an archaic saf design goes back to at least the 18th century and one is featured in Yanni Petsopoulos’s 1991 book on Anatolian kilims. While making a spectacular wall hanging, the kilim is in very good condition so can also be used on the floor. 1920s/30s. 364 x 176cm. No 6469.

For more photos of this interesting kilim, please see the link at the top of the following page: www.kilim.ie 

www.kilim.ie

A dazzling woman's prayer rug from eastern Anatolia

Kurdish Drejan Tribe woman's prayer rug.

Like a stained glass window, this beautiful prayer rug was made in the 1920s by a woman from the Kurdish Drejan Tribe in eastern Anatolia. It is woven from soft, lustrous wool on a goat hair foundation using natural dyes, including the orange which is a feature of Kurdish rugs from this area between Gaziantep and Malatya. Size 170cm x 70cm.

For more photos and information please visit www.kilim.ie

Bursting like a ripe pomegranate! 19th century tribal Anatolian Avshar kilim

Fantastically detailed, third quarter 19th century tribal Anatolian Avshar dowry kilim

This unusually wide kilim (at nearly 2 metres) was woven north of Adana towards Kayseri (Pınarbaşı - Sarız) in central Anatolia and has a particularly attractive wide ‘su yolu’ running water border containing amulet motifs. The left left panel and border have noticeably more more amulets motifs than the right. Along with colour, motif and gul variations, this is one of the indicators of different families having woven each panel. These frequently observed variations in motifs between the two halves of old dowry kilims would be a fascinating area of research for someone interested in undertaking it.

The kilim is woven with organic dyed wool on a wool warp with some minor old reweaves. A friend very aptly described this detailed kilim as bursting like a ripe pomegranate.

The kilim was too wide to photograph complete across the balcony, so the left side border appears folded in the photos below. Size 260cm x 195cm.

For more detailed photos see the link at the top of this page: www.kilim.ie

A beautiful 19th century central Anatolian kilim from Konya

An exceptionally fine mid 19th century kilim the Konya region of central Anatolia, probably Aksaray. This kilim displays all the skills of the Anatolian weaver, acquired over hundreds of years of refinement and inherited over countless generations. The hand-spun wool is dyed with vibrant colours all made from natural ingredients; minerals and plants. In this kilim, the different reds are derived from cochineal and the quality of the aubergine dye is outstanding. The intensity of the colours is more often associated with kilims from east Anatolia, Adana and Reyhanli for instance, and the quality of the dyes in this kilim places it well back into the 19th century. Size 330cm x 118cm.

For detailed photos see: www.kilim.ie

Ottoman period Syrian woman’s silk shawl with silver thread

An Ottoman period woman’s silk shawl with silver thread and large silk tassels bound with metal thread.

The shawl is in very good overall condition with no holes or tears, just some pale rust coloured stains to areas of the silver bands, mainly in the lower left (see last photo in link below). There is one silver saf-like motif in the centre and another to one side which forms the logo of the master weaver (see back when worn and the last photos). Made to be worn over an abba street dress with the substantial weighted tassels functioning as very good anchors for the shawl. From about 1915-1930, size 145cm (including tassels) x 136cm

For more photos see: www.kilim.ie

Something different - a pair of antique camel neck decorations

A pair of different but related antique tribal camel neck bands

The bands incorporate a variety of materials and construction techniques. They are made using cowrie shells, hand made glass beads with intense colour, hand spun and dyed wool using natural dyes, goat hair bindings on the loops, felted wool fabric and plaited wool pom pom fasteners.

The backs are lined with old but not original fabric. There is evident wear from tribal use to the wool bindings on the lower, convex edges at the centre of the bands where they would have rubbed against the camels' necks.

The blank, plain wool fabric centres are currently a mystery, and show signs of an additional decoration having been attached, perhaps for displaying a type of beaded rosette as seen way down in this write up of Saul Barodofsky's Textile Museum talk.

I originally thought these might be Central Asian Nazarlik camel neck decorations from Uzbekistan or Afghanistan but others now believe they are more likely north African tribal pieces, perhaps Moroccan Berber, Tunisian or from Mali. But please feel free to enlighten me if you have some experience of this type of tribal camel or horse decoration and you know for sure. Size 90cm x 8cm each band.

For more photos see www.kilim.ie

Old kilims and fragment auctions on eBay

Auction of kilims and antique fragments on eBay


I am auctioning various kilims and fragments on eBay over the next few weeks starting at $1, some with no reserve - the first ending next Sunday 26th October: http://stores.ebay.com/tribalrugsandkilims


Here are photos of five of the first pieces already listed or starting later this evening.


For more kilims and fragments and details of the pieces being auctioned see www.kilim.ie

19th century imperial purple silk saf panel from Aleppo, Syria

An antique finely woven silk panel with saf design from Aleppo

Related to my last post, this is an older hand-loomed silk panel from Aleppo, Syria with a saf design from the late 19th or early 20th century. The deep purple and silver silk is particularly fine and soft and in very good condition for its age with just a small fault in the upper left saf at the front and some marks to the back centre. Possibly made as a wrap for use after a hamam Turkish bath. The ends of the long rectangular panel 172cm x 95cm are stitched together at the back. For more photos see: www.tribal-art.org or www.kilim.ie