West Turkestan, made early 19th century, c. 232 (265) x 196 cm, unpublished, As2, H 45, V 70 = 3,150 kts/sqm; oxblood red central field with four rows of ten well-proportioned Tekke guls as a primary motif, the chemche secondary motifs are connected downwards with a horizontal gyjak stripe that changes into a brown line starting from the eighth row – the line in turn having the core of the main gul in the last two rows, this is extremely unusual in Tekke carpets given that precise symmetry always predominates the central field, indeed the main border is framed by narrow side borders, which excludes a time of origin in the 18th century, however, the long sides possess a spectacular pattern variety of intermediate ornaments between the octagonal schelpe guls, which emphasises the aesthetic folk art of early Tekke works, velvety soft wool quality and very fine knotting, the piece is in a superb condition with only minimal wear and a small area of repair, the carpet has enormous luminosity with remarkable green hues and largely preserved kilim skirts on both ends. (MA)

Lit.: Elena Tsareva, Turkmen Carpets, Masterpieces of Steppe Art, from 16th to 19th Centuries, The Hoffmeister Collection.

Provenance: Austrian private collection, brought to Austria by ancestors from the Baltics more than 100 years ago.