

Dragon Rug (detail), late 17th century
Caucasus (Kuba)
Wool pile on cotton and wool foundation
Caucasus (Kuba)
Wool pile on cotton and wool foundation
151 x 90 in. (383.54 x 228.6 cm)
The James F. Ballard Collection, Gift of James F. Ballard, 1922 (22.100.122)
This rug represents the village carpet-weaving tradition of the Caucasus that continued contemporaneously with the court production of Ottoman Turkey and Safavid Iran. While rugs produced in royal workshops had flowing, floral patterns, those from provincial weaving centers retained a strongly geometric character.
The detail illustrated here shows a highly stylized dragon that serves as the basis for the name of the pattern type.







