Salor S group main carpet published Turkmen Mackie and Thompson Textile Museum 1980
11ft. 9in. x 9ft.
Turkmenistan 18th century or earlier
Condition: very good, upper kelim original, lower kelim partly original, replaced selvedges, few spots low pile, several small old repairs
Wool warp, wool weft, wool and silk pile
In the early to mid--1970s, S group main carpets were practically unknown. By the time of the Turkmen exhibition at the famous Textile Museum in Washington, D.C. in the fall of 1980, they were still considered to be extremely rare.
A number of them were then discovered over the next 25 years. Now they are no longer considered to be a great rarity since many collectors own one or at least a fragment of one. Lot XX, however, transcends the genre and sets the bar significantly higher.
This S group main carpet is not only incredibly beautiful, but is also famous, having appeared in the exhibition at the Textile Museum in 1980 as well as in the exhibition catalog as plate 4. Dr. Jon Thompson, the principal author of the catalog, states “The brilliant color, lustrous wool, open spacing, and meticulous workmanship of this carpet create an altogether exceptional effect. Its cost in materials and time would have been enormous and serves to remind us of the great wealth of the Central Asian nomads, and the Salors in particular, before their decline in the mid--nineteenth century.
In terms of its design, it is the only known example with two equally wide main borders, the inner being unique on a main carpet, though seen on many S group trappings.
Most of the silk is found in this border, which creates a glowing frame around the rows of major gulli gols and minor diamond gols in the field.
This carpet breaks all the rules by proving that there are no rules and that knowledge about Turkmen rugs must be gained one piece at a time. In short, this piece must be seen and handled in person to be believed.

Condition: very good, upper kelim original, lower kelim partly original, replaced selvedges, few spots low pile, several small old repairs