Image Carpets

Antique Marasali Shirvan Prayer Rug – 210701

Marasali Shirvan Prayer Rug

Eastern Caucasus

3.5 by 5.3

C. 1875

This moderately fine small rug shows a deep indigo navy field with six rows , each of three colourful peacocks, and an additional row in the arch itself and the spandrels. Small quadrupeds, likely dogs, fill in around the larger birds. The peacocks’ bodies are decorated with semes of small diamonds, and several have silk touches. Further silk touches appear throughout in both field and border. All the peacocks and most of the animals face left. At the lower field end is a three deep diagonal array of little botehs. Still smaller botehs, many with silk accents, parade across the lower field end. Botehs, diamonds and diminutive geometric devices occupy the remaining field reserves. The faceted red niche arch floats freely and has a nested lozenge pattern. A comb and a polychrome reversing triangle strip decorate the apex of the arch. The silk has been applied somewhat randomly throughout. There is no date.

The ecru border shows classic reversing Marasali “Parrots’ or faceted botehs within a trapezoidal meander These botehs show zig zag patterns. In the end borders, the botehs flatten and do not reverse. The minor borders display stepped lozenges, and a star and rectangular tendril. The flatwoven strip at the top is cotton while silk is used as the weft at the bottom. The warp is beige wool and the double weft is cotton. The condition is very good, with only the slightest attrition to the end fringes, particularly at the top. All in all, a very rare and striking antique Shirvan. Although the use of the peacock motif appears in other Marasali rugs, this is by far the most prominent and striking of them.