Rug with double keyhole design
Northeast Caucasus
Kuba area
circa 1850
151 x 108 cm (5’ x 3’7)
Alg 1048
symmetrically knotted wool pile on a wool foundation

Early Caucasian village rugs seem to be influenced either by a local tradition, which focuses on a silk embroidery iconography, or by the classical, Ottoman Turkish weaving language. Like the so-called Bellini Ushaks of the 16th century, the present rug shows a double keyhole pattern also seen on other Caucasian typologies such as the Sevan Kazaks and certain weavings from the Genje area. The highly depressed warps of this example are distinguishing features of the Kuba region, while the exquisite palette is typical of rugs woven in the pre-commercial period, closest to the middle of the 19th century.
http://www.albertolevi.com/default.asp?TL=ENG