Rare large 19th century Anatolian Rashwan Tribe Kilim #1834 on hold

Brought back from Turkey in the first twenty years of the 19th century by a German family in the paint manufacturing business. One of a collection of kilims from the same family used in its two halves as inner curtains in a large country house in Magdeburg until the second world war. It was treated against moths in the early 1920s and has its original 'Albert Karutz' labels sewn on the back (last photo). This company went out of business before the 2nd World War, see their advert in the Magdeberg newspaper from 1922 by clicking HERE. The kilims in the collection were stored away in a cupboard from the 1950s until last year and are consequently in exceptional condition, having had little exposure to direct daylight thus retain their original vibrant colours and showing little sign of wear.

Woven in the 4th quarter of the 19th century with a rare red elibelinde border (see Petsopoulos 'Kilims' Plates 219, 228 and 230) and exceptional deep, intense colours from natural dyes. Some guls with gold bound metallic thread and white cotton for white (see penultimate photo). According to Deniz Coksun the kilim could be ‘Sivas, Uzunyayla (pasture), Malatya Rishwan (tribe) Malatya Küşnülü (the name comes from the tribe "Küşne" which was a sub-tribe of the Dulkadır confederation of the bigger Boz Ulus confederation).’  I believe Malatya is likely, not just from the colour palette but is also indicated by the use of gold metallic bound thread in some of the guls and other motifs as found in Malatya dowry weavings from between 1880 and 1910. The weaving is very tight and the drawing is superb and superior to the Petsopolous examples. The kilim is peppered with cicim embroidered symbols/motifs and there are twice as many in the right side border than the left, perhaps also an indicatiion that this is a dowry kilim, although this subject remains unresearched. The kilim has had minor professional repairs to an area which lay on the ground when used as curtains, made with carefully matched antique wool. Photos are available of the kilim before repair. The kilim is complete with its full, long original fringes (see last photo).

Size 445cm x 185cm excluding fringes. The kilim was too wide to photograph completely flat, so the left border is folded up in places. Please enquire for price.

For an explanation of the different Rashwan kilims, including examples of this rare type, see Yannis Petsopoulos 'Kilims' Rashwan Kilims chapter, pp. 282-290, Thames & Hudson Ltd, 1979. See Petsopoulos 'Kilims' Plates 219, 228 and 230. The two kilims 228 and 230 he identifies as Rashwan have the same border design but an apricot colour. Interestingly, the kilim in Plate 219 which is otherwise of a different type, has a similar red border and related elibelinde design and Petsopoulos identifies this kilim as Reyhanli.

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