Sumakh rug with diamond medallions
Northeast Caucasus, Kuba area
circa 1830
253 x 230 cm (8’4” x 7’7”)
Alg 1814
weft wrapping in wool on a wool foundation

What distinguishes this sumakh flatweave are the gem-like quality of the colours, ranging from the fully saturated red background, the aqua blue diamond medallions with the coral pink interior octagon, as well as the golden yellow smaller octagons which flank the diamonds. The articulation of the drawing is also more spacious and pays closer attention to details, as opposed to the cramped, rigidly drawn motifs of the many later examples that have flooded the market in recent years. Sumakh carpets of this vintage best exemplify the classical heritage of Caucasian weavings, illustrating their many similarities with early Ottoman carpets.

Bibliography: a. Boralevi, Sumakh - Flatwoven carpets of the Caucasus, Florence 1986.

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