Akstafa rug (642)

Akstafa prayer rug from southeast Caucasus

Age: circa 1870

Size: 5′.4″x2′.10″ (163×86 cm)

This attractive Akstafa prayer rug shows an ivory field with a three column lattice of offset palmettes in shades of:yellow;ivory;brown;burgundy;aubergine,burnt orange;shades of red;shades of blue and shades of green.The faceted floating wide arch rises above a comb and a ritual pentagon.The compact spandrels both host small hooked devices and rosettes.The madder red main border presents interlocking elements in various colors and most of them display a small detail like a bird or medallion.The abrashed blue minor borders both show rosettes and other interesting motifs.Closest to the field is a minor border of black and blue reciprocal triangles.There are four black and white barber pole narrow lines in the border system.All the colors are from natural sources.The piece is in good condition except for new ivory selvedges and several minor old repairs done professionally.