128-129 / 168
126
127
74
JAJIM WITH DIAMOND
PATTERN
ANATOLIA, TURKEY, CIRCA 1930
Handspun and handwoven wool,
natural dyes
151 x 62.25 in (384 x 158.5 cm)
$ 4,550 - 6,065
Rs 3,00,000 - 4,00,000
The present lot would have been used
either as a hanging or a floor covering
in a nomad’s tent in Anatolia. Known
locally as a
jajim
, it consists of three strips
stitched at the selvedge with designs
neatly aligning at the seams. Each strip
is elaborately embellished, with a central
row of diamond-shaped lozenges within
a wave-like pattern most probably
symbolic of water.
73
TULU HANGING WITH LONG TASSELS
ANATOLIA, TURKEY, CIRCA 1930
Handspun and handwoven cotton warp with wool
weft, wool pile, tassels in angora (mohair) wool
43.25 x 72.75 in (110 x 185 cm)
$ 2,275 - 3,790
Rs 1,50,000 - 2,50,000
Tulu
is the English pronunciation
for the Turkish word
tuylu
, literally
meaning ‘hairy.’ These rugs are
characteristically long-piled and
woven with large knots, giving
them a lustrous, warm and soft
look. A special type of
tulu
rug is
made with longer pile from the
Angora goat and called
filikli
.
Filikli tulus
are made for a number
of purposes fromwall decorations
to bed covers and prayer rugs.
This strikingly colourful and
shimmering rug is a hanging from
the high mountains of Anatolia.
It is woven in diagonal strips in
alternating colours with angora
wool tassels which appear to
shimmer in the light. It displays
an ancient technique of carpet
weaving that has its roots in the
origins of the craft. In Central
Asia it was known as
jhulkhirsh
or ‘bear’s skin,’ and is still woven
in remote parts of Uzbekistan.
However, in Anatolia it is seldom
made anymore as Angora goat
breeding has almost stopped
there. As a result, original
tulu
rugs, such as the present lot
which was acquired by Jasleen
Dhamija in Ankara in 1976, are
hard to come by.