Carpet with a Geometricized Medallion Design

This large carpet woven in the sumak technique is representative of the Transcaucasian weaving tradition with its bold overall design, geometricized patterns, and contrasting rich color palette. Here, large medallions in gray-green, yellow, indigo, or dark brown on a red ground align with a prominent central axis in the center field. Geometricized motifs decorate the field, some of which evoke animals and patterns typically found on tribal rugs of the region, and specifically on "Dragon carpets". These visually powerful designs are especially striking on a carpet of this large size. They were preferred by commercial workshops, where such carpets were produced in large quantities for trade. Rugs from the broad Transcaucasian region are woven in diverse centers representing a multi-ethnic society in which Armenians, Turkic, Kurdish, Persianate, and other people lived alongside each other. While this diverse society may complicate the attribution to an exact workshop and its cultural identity, it may help to explain the development of rich and colorful designs that distinguish these Transcaucasian rugs. Although compositions often echo traditions that developed in large workshops between Iran and Turkey, as well as tribal weaving traditions, such rugs bear distinctive features that are regarded as artistic hallmarks of the vast and diverse Transcaucasian region.