Arabatchi Chuval, Turkmenistan circa 1850 2ft. 8in. x 5ft. 81 x 152 cm
Condition: wedge cut top center, 13in. slit lower left, small hole top right, 3in. slit-hole beneath, indeterminate loss to lower elem, some areas of sides worn into body, overall wear with tiny areas of foundation visible
Provenance: Turkmenistan, East Bank of the Oxus (Amu Darya) River, South of Bokhara.
Age: Circa 1850
Size: 02’ 08†x 05’ 00â€
Knot type: Asymmetrical, open left. Wool z2 or Silk z spun. hor: sq. inch: 09 126 ert: 14
Warp: Goat Hair, mid-gray, natural, z2s.
Weft: Cotton, white, natural z1 or Cotton dyed blue, z1 plied with Wool, reddish brown, z1, probably dyed; two shoots alternating, one wavy, one straight.
Sides: One bundle of four body warps wrapped with dark brown soft goat hair or wool, Z2S.
Ends: Top - Balanced plain weave; Z2S, dark brown plus goat hair; folded and sewn under. Bottom - not extant.
Colors: (12) Ebony, off-white, orange-red, red-orange, dark brown, pale yellow, magenta (silk), sapphire blue, medium brown, orange-pink, very dark blue, dark green. Deep, classic almost sinister Arabatchi palette; orange/red tones a bit strong, white very crisp.Design: Classic “Arabatchi†chuval with single row of three tekkoid guls flanked by row of half guls, quartered in white and red-orange, on an ebony ground. Minor guls of star-centered octagonal form with reticulated cruciform arms; lozenge tertiaries. Main border of cross and “X†pattern; minor stripes of kotchak and running “S“ motives. Narrow top elem in “T†pattern, lower elem of 12 ½ stylized, ashik-topped trees in orange-pink, white and dark blue on an ebony ground. Magenta pink silk details in the gul centers and radiating ower elements.
References: sold: Sotheby‘s NYC, April 15, 1993, Christie‘s Sale 6786, April 8, 1989, Lot 138, sold for $12,100.00, Mackie, L. & Thompson, J., TURKMEN, Wash. DC 1980, Plate 54, Herrmann, E., SELTENE ORIENTTEPPICHE VII, Munich 1985 Plate 76, Herrmann, E., VON KONYA BIS KOKAND III, Munich 1980, Plate 96, Loges, W., TURKOMAN TRIBAL RUGS, London 1980, page 179, Plate 110,HALI, Vol. 5, No. 3, page 252, fig. 3, page 265, fig. 8, HALI, Vol. 14, No.2, Issue 62, page 98, Volkmann, M., ALTE ORIENTTEPPICHE, Munich 1985, page 228, Plate 97, Skinner‘s Sale 1502, April 24, 1993, Lot 77, sold for $3575
Condition: Wedge cut top center, 13†slit lower left; small hole top right, 3†slit-hole beneath; indeterminate loss to lower elem; some areas of sides worn into body; overall wear with tiny areas of foundation visible.

Condition: wedge cut top center, 13in. slit lower left, small hole top right, 3in. slit-hole beneath, indeterminate loss to lower elem, some areas of sides worn into body, overall wear with tiny areas of foundation visible