Black Tank Border w/ Long Fringe and Neon Diamonds
Gund Gallery at Kenyon College - 2017-05-26
| ID# 138 | Date: late 80s | -:- | Size 33 x 115 inches
(84 X292 cm) |
| Knots/Inch: 10 h X 9 | Origin: Afghanistan | Style: -Anomaly War Rugs, Other examples of this style | Tribe: Unknown |
| This rug is one of a pair of war rugs in a runner format from the Soviet era. Both are very beautiful and in good condition given their age. Both rugs have all the best qualities on looks for in war rugs. They have super wool, excellent sheen, interesting and unique patterns, interesting structural elements, and rich colors. First lets examine the effects of age. One corner has a wear one inch into the kilim skirt. That corner also is missing some of the supplemental fringe, and there is some where between the bands of weft substitution, but the other fringe is in better condition. . This rug has a repiled repair that spans 2 inches by 7 inches in the airplane border. There is also some ""sarnach"" (means ""head of the tread, sarnach are spots where warp of weft threads have been tied to extend there length and there is either a small bump where the knot is or a tuft of foundation thread sticking up through pile.) on the top end where one sees grey specs of weft in the black field. Please see photos. This is an excellent war rug, as is its mate. One particularly unusual feature of this rug is the series of brightly colored diamonds running up the middle of the rug. They definitely are not wool, and when we burn tested them the material had an ash like silk. We have never seen this type of decoration on any war rugs. In addition the burgundy medallion color is beautiful. There is nice abrash in the field color. The wool is the best: soft, lustrous, felt like and strong. The black color is used primarily to represent mourning which accents the weapons in a poignant way. The way the medallions sit on the burgundy pole with the arrow at the top is reminiscent of a tree of life design. This war rug, and its mate, are some of the very nicest. |
| Wool: The best. Nicely aged. | Sheen: Excellent | Handle: Floppy and strong. | Selvedge: Single cord of wool overcast, it may be a replacement selvedge. |
| Fringe: 4 inch long soft wool with 4 inch supplemental fringe in bright colors. This war rug has a nice variety of woven structures. | Pile: 4mm, soft with felt like feel | Warp: Fine naturally colored wool | Weft: Grey cotton. |
| Warp Depression:45 Corduroy | |||
