681. a worthy antique Ersari or Bershir Afghan carpet

681. Provenance: Ersari (or possibly the sub-tribe) Beshiri, Northern Afghanistan

Size: 290 x 210 cm

Age: Circa 1890

Condition: The carpet is showing its age, with pretty heavy wear. However it is structurally sound, and the sides and ends have been secured. Several areas of the field have been strengthened, secured and patched underneath where necessary.

Notes: Absolutely beautiful natural dyes, particularly the gorgeous light indigo. This filpai or 'elephant foot' design has been used ever since migrating Turkoman's (pushed out of their ancestral homelands by the expanding Russian empire) brought their weaving art to Afghanistan in the 1870s. These earlier examples still have more in common with their cousins in Turkmenistan, in their generous use of colour and relative sophistication of drawing.

sold to Peter Rojek (Germany)