CLOUDBAND KAZAK
Southern Central Caucasian Antique Rug

(Connoisseur-Caliber) ("New Arrivals Gallery") Cloudband Kazaks descend from the inimitable Caucasian tradition that also created the Eagle Kazak design--two evocative motifs that seem to imagine a mythical world beyond the temporal. Its ancient namesake cloudbands are enigmatic forms borrowed from Far East Asian mythology representing the “bands of clouds” created by the vapors enclosing the heavenly dragon as it flies overhead. This piece is a superb example of the pre-commercial period, featuring especially freeform imaginative drawing, packed with recognizable and inscrutable details that combine to create a window into the vital tribal mind of that time. In the central ivory medallion are wavy horizontal bands that parallel thin “running water” motifs, a combination that we have never seen in this style. A plethora of enigmatic, wonderfully naive forms populate the burnt carnelian field in purposeful asymmetry amplified by an effortless spontaneity. The color palette is particularly vibrant, and great care was taken in their application of abrash color shifts, especially daring in its lower medallion. Not only has this collector’s gem defied the odds of survival after nearly a century and a half, but it still possesses a plush pile.

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