Friday 14 November 2014

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











Saturday 8 November 2014

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