Antique Soumak Carpet, Daghestan/Kuba Region, Eastern Caucasus. ...
Item Ref
BM/FL2
A truly magnificent, decorative Soumak carpet with wonderful, saturated, natural colours, woven in the environs of Daghestan and Kuba in the eastern Caucasus, during the second half nineteenth century.
Carpets woven in the soumak technique don't come much better than this one!
Size: 2.85m x 2.21m (9' 4" x 7' 3").
Carpets woven in the soumak technique don't come much better than this one!
Size: 2.85m x 2.21m (9' 4" x 7' 3").
£7,500
Antique Dining Sofreh, Baluch - Djamshidi ...
Item Ref
BM/SJ7
Illustrated in my third edition 'Tribal Rugs - Treasures of the Black Tent' on page 130 this is a magnificent example of the rare Baluch Djamshidi sofrehs, comprising a natural camel-hair field with elegant 'tree-of-life' in the centre. The tree rises from the underground, through the earthly world and with branches emanating in the world of the spirit. On the branches of the tree are tiny flowering shrubs.
The field is framed by a large, main border with '8-pointed stars' and the sofreh retains its complete kilim skirts at each end. Dating to the last quarter of the nineteenth century, the sofreh is in excellent condition with no repairs whatsoever. Very collectable.
Size: 1.27m x 0.71m (4' 2" x 2' 4").
The field is framed by a large, main border with '8-pointed stars' and the sofreh retains its complete kilim skirts at each end. Dating to the last quarter of the nineteenth century, the sofreh is in excellent condition with no repairs whatsoever. Very collectable.
Size: 1.27m x 0.71m (4' 2" x 2' 4").
£2,750
Antique Soumak Carpet, Lesghi Region, South Daghestan, ...
Item Ref
BM1987
A most attractive Soumak carpet in very good overall condition with just a few minor repairs.
Woven in the Lesghi area of South Daghestan in the eastern Caucasus around 1900, the simple use of natural reds and blues makes for a handsome and decorative carpet.
Size: 3.80m x 2.20m (12' 6" x 7' 3")
Woven in the Lesghi area of South Daghestan in the eastern Caucasus around 1900, the simple use of natural reds and blues makes for a handsome and decorative carpet.
Size: 3.80m x 2.20m (12' 6" x 7' 3")
£2,500
Antique Wheat-Sack ('Tacheh'), Luri-Bakhtiari Tribes, The ...
Item Ref
BM/RP1
This stunning 'tacheh' or wheat-sack was once used for containing wheat but has now been opened-up to show the complete weaving for wall-hanging purposes. Made by Luri-Bakhtiari nomads in the Chahar Mahal region of western Persia circa 1900, the tacheh contains a central, knotted-pile bottle-shape in the centre and what appears to be a large red/green flower. Each tacheh has a different knotted-pile design which relates to the family that made it. The last woven tachehs survived into the 1940s but when plastic sacks and gunny sacks arrived in the bazaars of Iran from the West, there was no longer a need to make them! This one and the others on my website are amongst the last remaining survivors of this lost art.
Size: 1.04m x 1.07m (3' 5" x 3' 6").
Size: 1.04m x 1.07m (3' 5" x 3' 6").
£1,500
Antique Bread Sofreh, Afshar Nomads, Kerman Province, ...
Item Ref
BM/MAX10
This is pure tribal woven art!
The weaver must have had great fun making this bread flat-weave or sofreh, specifically woven for kneading dough to make the wonderful 'lavash' or flat-bread. But what is she depicting here? Well, it is my belief the this 'zig-zag' design represents flowing water - symbolically important in the daily lives of the nomadic tribes along with bread and salt.
Woven during the first part of the twentieth century by an Afshari woman in Kerman province, southern Persia, this sofreh was a utilitarian weaving which was never intended to be sold or even bartered. Imagine this amazing sofreh hanging on your wall, whether in an old or modern house, it would beat any Mondrian or Klee!!
Size: 1.00m (3' 3") square.
The weaver must have had great fun making this bread flat-weave or sofreh, specifically woven for kneading dough to make the wonderful 'lavash' or flat-bread. But what is she depicting here? Well, it is my belief the this 'zig-zag' design represents flowing water - symbolically important in the daily lives of the nomadic tribes along with bread and salt.
Woven during the first part of the twentieth century by an Afshari woman in Kerman province, southern Persia, this sofreh was a utilitarian weaving which was never intended to be sold or even bartered. Imagine this amazing sofreh hanging on your wall, whether in an old or modern house, it would beat any Mondrian or Klee!!
Size: 1.00m (3' 3") square.
£1,500
Antique Bread Sofreh, Kamo, North-Central Persia.
Item Ref
BM/Kamo
The bread sofrehs from the Kamo region are unique and simplistic in design and examples from the 19th century through to the early 20th century are now pretty scarce and rare.
This sofreh is woven entirely in undyed sheep wool and camel-hair and exudes a powerful presence. Made circa 1900, this sofreh would have been extensively used for kneading dough to make the flat-bread (lavash) and because of their hard, daily use, few of this age would have survived.
Size: 1.10 x 0.94m (3' 7" x 3' 1").
This sofreh is woven entirely in undyed sheep wool and camel-hair and exudes a powerful presence. Made circa 1900, this sofreh would have been extensively used for kneading dough to make the flat-bread (lavash) and because of their hard, daily use, few of this age would have survived.
Size: 1.10 x 0.94m (3' 7" x 3' 1").
£1,400
Antique Tacheh, Bakhtiari-Lor Tribes, The Chahar Mahal, ...
Item Ref
BM2106
Wheat-sacks or 'tacheh' in Persian, were used, as the name implies, for transporting wheat and were generally made in pairs and tied to the flanks of the pack animals during long migrations.
Here we see an opened-up tacheh, showing the complete weaving as it was made. Taken from the loom as it is, it is then sewn-up on two sides and on the base with goat-hair to produce a sack with an opening at the top.
The centre bottle-shape in this case is knotted with goat-hair which is rare and most unusual. On one side of the bottle-shape, the plain-weave is undecorated whereas on the other side, the decoration is in vertical stripes. Symbolically, I believe the plain side represents the bare earth, with the decorated side representing the growth of wheat and symbolising the bounty of God.
Tachehs can look stunning on the wall and show the last vestiges of an ancient weaving tradition which is now gone.
Size: 97cm x 97cm (3' 2" x 3' 2").
For more information on tachehs, see chapter 12 of my book 'Tribal Rugs - Treasures of the Black Tent'.
Also two books on the subject by Parviz Tanavoli, 'The Tacheh of Chahar Mahal' and 'Tasheh'.
Here we see an opened-up tacheh, showing the complete weaving as it was made. Taken from the loom as it is, it is then sewn-up on two sides and on the base with goat-hair to produce a sack with an opening at the top.
The centre bottle-shape in this case is knotted with goat-hair which is rare and most unusual. On one side of the bottle-shape, the plain-weave is undecorated whereas on the other side, the decoration is in vertical stripes. Symbolically, I believe the plain side represents the bare earth, with the decorated side representing the growth of wheat and symbolising the bounty of God.
Tachehs can look stunning on the wall and show the last vestiges of an ancient weaving tradition which is now gone.
Size: 97cm x 97cm (3' 2" x 3' 2").
For more information on tachehs, see chapter 12 of my book 'Tribal Rugs - Treasures of the Black Tent'.
Also two books on the subject by Parviz Tanavoli, 'The Tacheh of Chahar Mahal' and 'Tasheh'.
£1,250
Antique Bread Sofreh, Kamo, Central Persia.
Item Ref
BM2234
The bread 'sofreh' was a flatweave used to knead the dough to make the delicious Persian flat-bread or 'lavash'.
Most were made by the Afshars and Baluchis but another area where the most striking bread sofrehs were made was Kamo, a village in the rural district of Joshaqan and in the district of Meymeh in central Persia or Iran.
These fabulous flatweaves first appeared in the Tehran bazaar in the latter part of the 1980s and were only brought to the attention of collectors and dealers in the West in the early 1990s by the knowledgeable Iranian expert on tribal life, Parviz Tanavoli.
During the 1990s, I acquired almost 30 of these striking sofrehs, put on an exhibition in my Cotswold gallery and sold them all within two months. Kamo bread sofrehs are woven art and on a wall, they make a powerful and exciting statement. The earliest of these sofrehs appear to be from the second half nineteenth century through to the 1940s when this art form started to die out, due to machine-made being imported from the West.
This stunning sofreh, woven during the early part of the twentieth century, has a natural ivory wool central field with protrusions of red and yellow on the sides and the same colours in horizontal stripes both ends.
For further information on the sofreh of Kamo, see Parviz Tanavoli's book entitled 'The Sofreh of Kamo'.
Size: 1.19 x 1.02m (3' 11" x 3' 4")
Most were made by the Afshars and Baluchis but another area where the most striking bread sofrehs were made was Kamo, a village in the rural district of Joshaqan and in the district of Meymeh in central Persia or Iran.
These fabulous flatweaves first appeared in the Tehran bazaar in the latter part of the 1980s and were only brought to the attention of collectors and dealers in the West in the early 1990s by the knowledgeable Iranian expert on tribal life, Parviz Tanavoli.
During the 1990s, I acquired almost 30 of these striking sofrehs, put on an exhibition in my Cotswold gallery and sold them all within two months. Kamo bread sofrehs are woven art and on a wall, they make a powerful and exciting statement. The earliest of these sofrehs appear to be from the second half nineteenth century through to the 1940s when this art form started to die out, due to machine-made being imported from the West.
This stunning sofreh, woven during the early part of the twentieth century, has a natural ivory wool central field with protrusions of red and yellow on the sides and the same colours in horizontal stripes both ends.
For further information on the sofreh of Kamo, see Parviz Tanavoli's book entitled 'The Sofreh of Kamo'.
Size: 1.19 x 1.02m (3' 11" x 3' 4")
£1,250
Antique Bread Sofreh, Afshar Tribes, Kerman Province, ...
Item Ref
BM2087
Searching through uninteresting rug auction sites and being offered so many boring commercial rugs these days, what a joy it is, very occasionally, to find an exciting antique rug, bag or a magnificent bread sofreh like this one! This is what I love about 'the find'! It doesn't happen every day, week or month, but when it does, it makes me very happy.
I found this stunning flat-weave sofreh - originally used by the nomads for kneading dough on to make the delicious flat-bread - in a tiny little, mainly modern rug store in Istanbul recently. Not a shop I would have normally entered but a quick glance into the shop revealed this beautiful weaving displayed on the wall!
I had to have it and a deal was done! As much as I'd like to keep it, I can't keep everything so here it is.
The spontaneous drawing and mix of blues, reds and yellow in the zig-zags and the charming little stars around the outside, remind me of the night sky.
Made by Afshar nomads in Kerman province, south Persia circa 1910-1920, all the colours are natural and it is complete with beautifully brocaded ends.
The overall condition is very good albeit it has a very slight stain and an old repair near the centre.
Oh well, at least I can enjoy it while it lasts!!
Size: 1.25 x 1.15m (4' 1" x 3' 9").
I found this stunning flat-weave sofreh - originally used by the nomads for kneading dough on to make the delicious flat-bread - in a tiny little, mainly modern rug store in Istanbul recently. Not a shop I would have normally entered but a quick glance into the shop revealed this beautiful weaving displayed on the wall!
I had to have it and a deal was done! As much as I'd like to keep it, I can't keep everything so here it is.
The spontaneous drawing and mix of blues, reds and yellow in the zig-zags and the charming little stars around the outside, remind me of the night sky.
Made by Afshar nomads in Kerman province, south Persia circa 1910-1920, all the colours are natural and it is complete with beautifully brocaded ends.
The overall condition is very good albeit it has a very slight stain and an old repair near the centre.
Oh well, at least I can enjoy it while it lasts!!
Size: 1.25 x 1.15m (4' 1" x 3' 9").
£1,250
Antique Dining Sofreh, Djhan Beghi Tribe, Borderlands ...
Item Ref
BM2184
The dining sofreh was the equivalent of a western table-cloth, where it would have been spread on the floor of the tent at mealtimes, bowls of various foods, flat-bread and tea placed upon it, with the tribes-people sitting around the sofreh cross-legged enjoying each other's company.
This beautiful sofreh was made around 1900 by the Djhan Beghi tribe in the areas of Khaf and Qa'en on the border areas of north-eastern Persia and north-western Afghanistan.
The dining sofreh is in excellent, complete condition.
Size: 1.22m x 0.74m (4' 0" x 2' 5").
This beautiful sofreh was made around 1900 by the Djhan Beghi tribe in the areas of Khaf and Qa'en on the border areas of north-eastern Persia and north-western Afghanistan.
The dining sofreh is in excellent, complete condition.
Size: 1.22m x 0.74m (4' 0" x 2' 5").
£1,250
Antique 'Ru Korssi', Timuri Tribes, Borderlands of ...
Item Ref
BM2102
The 'Ru Korssi' was a flat-woven decorative cover for the 'mangal' - a wooden frame placed in the tent or mud-brick dwelling under which bowls of burning charcoal were placed. The mangal was then covered with blankets and on the very top, was place the symbolic, decorative cover, the ru korssi.
This stunning ru korssi was woven by Timuri tribes during the last quarter 19th century and incorporates three 'trees-of-life' in the central natural aubergine ground and on either side protected by powerful borders.
The horizontal borders at the top and bottom contain one border line in knotted-pile. Also note at the very bottom of the aubergine field, two differing symbols on either side of the central tree.
I believe this represents the male and female symbols representing eternal life and fertility.
Size: 1.52m x 1.42m (5' 0" x 4' 8").
This stunning ru korssi was woven by Timuri tribes during the last quarter 19th century and incorporates three 'trees-of-life' in the central natural aubergine ground and on either side protected by powerful borders.
The horizontal borders at the top and bottom contain one border line in knotted-pile. Also note at the very bottom of the aubergine field, two differing symbols on either side of the central tree.
I believe this represents the male and female symbols representing eternal life and fertility.
Size: 1.52m x 1.42m (5' 0" x 4' 8").
£1,150
Antique Bread Sofreh, Afshar Nomads, Kerman Province, ...
Item Ref
BM/AFS
This charming sofreh was originally used for kneading dough to make the delicious flat-bread or 'lavash' in Persian. Woven by Afshar nomads during the early 20th century, the sofreh is complete with original, braided tassels at each corner, each tassel containing blue beads.
Sofrehs like this make stunning wall-hangings as it is important to preserve the beads, rather than using it on the floor where the beads are likey to be damaged.
Size: 1.08m x 1.02m (3' 6" x 3' 4").
Sofrehs like this make stunning wall-hangings as it is important to preserve the beads, rather than using it on the floor where the beads are likey to be damaged.
Size: 1.08m x 1.02m (3' 6" x 3' 4").
£950
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