Arkivism
Turkmen Main Carpet
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Turkmen Main Carpet

1870s · Wool, silk; 171 symmetrical (Turkish) knots per square inch

From the collection of Cleveland Museum of Art. Free to download, adapt and use — no permission needed.

About this work

Traditionally woven by women and girls, carpets are identified by fiber content, color, weave, and especially the type of rug knot-diagnostic features that are more reliable than designs. This rare carpet is admired for its brilliant color, lustrous wool, and spacious drawing. The main gul, or lobed motif, with three distinctive clover-leaf devices in each quadrant was a hallmark of the esteemed Salor tribe and often copied by other Turkmen tribes. The minor gul and the main border design were also duplicated. Only the minor borders with triangles in contrasting colors are Saryk hallmarks.

Cleveland Museum of Art’s own description
Credit lineTurkmen Main Carpet , 1870s. Turkmenistan or Afghanistan, Saryk tribe, 19th century. Wool, silk; 171 symmetrical (Turkish) knots per square inch; overall: 257.7 x 250.2 cm (101 7/16 x 98 1/2 in.). The Cleveland Museum of Art, Gift of Arlene C. Cooper, 2006.201

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