Brought back from Turkey in the first quarter of the 19th century by a German family in the paint manufacturing business. One of a collection of kilims from the family which was used in its two halves as inner curtains in a large country house in Magdeburg until the second world war. It was treated against moths in the early 1920s and has its original 'Albert Karutz' labels sewn on the back. The kilims in the collection were stored away in a cupboard from the 1950s until last year and are consequently in exceptional condition, having had little exposure to direct daylight thus retain their original vibrant colours and showing little sign of wear.

Woven in the 4th quarter of the 19th century with a rare red elibelinde border (see Petsopoulos 'Kilims' Plates 228 and 230) and exceptional deep, intense colours from natural dyes. Some guls with gold bound metallic thread and white cotton for white (see penultimate photo). The weaving is very tight and the drawing is superb (superior to both Petsopolous examples). According to Deniz Coksun the kilim could be ‘Sivas, Uzunyayla (pasture), Malatya Rishwan tribe or Malatya Küşnülü (the name comes from the tribe "Küşne" which was a sub-tribe of the Dulkadır confederation of the bigger Boz Ulus confederation).’ i believe Malatya region is likely, not just from the colour palette but is also indicated by the use of metallic bound thread in some of the guls and other motifs, as found in Malatya dowry weavings from between 1880 and 1910.

The weaving is very tight and the drawing is superb and superior to both Petsopolous examples. The kilim is peppered with cicim embroidered symbols/motifs and there are twice as many in the right side border than the left. The kilim has had minor professional repairs to one area which lay on the ground when used as curtains which have been made using carefully matched antique wool and photos are also available of the kilim before repair. The kilim complete with its full, and long original fringes (see last photo).

For an essay on the different of Rashwan tribe kilims, including examples of this rare type, see Yannis Petsopoulos 'Kilims' Rashwan Kilims chapter, pp. 282-290, Thames & Hudson Ltd, 1979. Size 445cm x 185cm.

The kilim was too wide to photograph completely flat, so the left border is folded up in places. For more photos please see: http://www.kilim.ie/ANTIQUE_KILIMS/Pages/19th_C._Rashwan_kilim_445x184cm...

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