Ca. 1800, 76 x 75 cm, Central Asia, West Turkestan

Small-format knotted trappings of this kind are known as khalyks. Most of the surviving examples were woven by the Tekke tribe. On the day of the wedding, a khalyk would be attached to the opening of the litter in which the bride, mounted on a camel, was led to the bridegroom’s family. Guarded as a textile family treasure and only reused at weddings, khalyks have often survived in good condition. Seeing that they were precious and highly prestigious traditional objects, the excellent quality of nearly all the circa 100 khalyks currently known is not surprising. Their most distinctive feature is their U-shape, with an upper horizontal panel, two vertical arms which often differ in design from the panel, and a central triangular flap attached between the arms. There are considerable differences in terms of ornamentation, dimensions and palette. Red is the predominant ground colour, but a number of white-ground Tekke khalyks also exist. This example is very finely woven from velvety pile wool. The lower triangular flap shows a detached inverted triangle which is a rare feature. The long fringes are preserved intact and complete. – Very good condition.

PINNER, ROBERT, The Rickmers Collection. Turkoman Rugs. Berlin 1993, no. 44 *** PINNER, ROBERT & FRANSES, MICHAEL, Turkoman Studies I. London 1980, ill. 395 *** McMULLAN, JOSEPH V. & REICHERT, DONALD O., The George W. V. and Belle Townsley Smith collectio