Rare Silk Erzurum Kelim, Anatolia

A rare near perfect condition all silk Erzurum kelim woven in the late 19th century with beautiful rarer pistachio green and soft yellow dye colours.  This slitweave kelim is a typical prayer design from Erzurum in the north-east of Anatolia, what is rare and exceptional is that it is all silk.  Silk kelims were often commissioned work for wealthy families.  Both the foundation is silk (warp/fringes) and the wrapped flat weave.  The motif in the border is frequently used in kelims from this region and similar to designs we see in Caucasian rugs.  The dyes are just stunning on the silk and create a rare antique kelim which can be hung on the wall, placed on a table or used on the floor in forgiving areas.  The condition is near perfect with only a couple of small old repairs you can hardly notice.

Erzurum was once a key frontier town, used to defend Anatolia against many invasions, ans was also an important point on the caravan route between Anatolia and Persia.  It was occupied by Russia in 1829, 1878 and 1916-1917. But from 1923 it was incorporated by Turkey.  The climate is very severe in this mountainous region with winter temperatures average -9c and summer rarely exceeds 20c.  As weaving is generally a winter occupation it is no surprise that many beautiful kelims were woven here.  They were renowned for prayer kelims and more often had green or blue/green tones in the prayer arch such as this piece.  They rarely produced larger kelims.  With many Kurdish people residing in Erzurum, there are lots of design traits of Kurdish weavers such as the wolf track border design, as well as the tree of life design.  Kelims from this region have always been extremely desirable and collectable as their designs and beautiful colour palette work so well with traditional and contemporary settings even today.

We offer the service of viewing any of our antique kelims, carpets, rugs or runners in situ.  Travelling all over the UK for the last 25 years we have helped customers and interior designers find the perfect rug for their home or project.  Request a home visit to see this rare Erzurum kelim at home.

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This object is eligible for a Certificate of BADA Provenance

Condition report

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