CIRCA: 1900
This kilim suzani* from Central Asia is made of narrow strips of woollen warp-faced plain weave (see ultra close-up photo bottom center column**) hand woven on a crude portable loom, then stitched horizontally together and over-embroidered (suzani) with richly coloured wool to form the design; in this case 8 rows of repeating talismanic motifs, five to a row, except the very top, where there is only four. Woven by tribal / nomadic weavers of the Uzbek associated Kungrat tribe it was not meant for the floor but would have been used as a ‘blanket’ or other covering. Made circa 1900, it is of all hand woven wool construction and the size is 145cm x 241cm, plus fringes. Its quirky construction points to being made strictly for personal use (as opposed to commercial production). A very interesting tribal piece from an old collection and still in good condition for its age.
*Suzani is a type of hand-embroidered decorative textile adornment originating from nomadic groups in Central Asian countries like Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan and Afghanistan.
** This photo is orientated horizontally, that is at the same aspect as the strips are stitched together, so in this photo the warps are horizontal and the wefts vertical, whereas when on the narrow loom they would have been in the normal vertical (warp) and horizontal (weft) positions respectfully.