Lot #169, Azerbaidjan carpet, 8ft. 6in. x 7ft. (260 x 213 cm), Azerbaidjan 18th century, Condition: fair, even low pile, some staining to field, original ends and selvedge, few small spots of old repair, cotton warp, cotton weft, wool pile, This carpet definitely deserves to be called unusual. It is a difficult one to understand. We have given considerable thought to just exactly where it was produced and have come to the conclusion it was made in the trans-Caucasus, most probably in an important 18th century Armenian run carpet workshop. There is a similarity to certain Caucasian embroideries, which are equally difficult to securely provenance. The presence of an iconographic style associated with these embroideries, the pale but still defiant colouration that typifies a group of them, and the carpet’s cotton warp and weft are major features that have led to this provenance. But regardless of exactly where it was produced it portarys an aesthetic seen in very few other carpets. To say it is simply a decorative carpet misses its connections to the weaving history of this important geographic area., Estimate: €15,000 - 20,000, Auction: March 15th 2014, Vienna, Austria http://www.liveauctioneers.com/catalog/50683_fine-oriental-rugs-ii/page1