Khirgiz appliqué hanging. Older than most, this unusual piece has seven different colors of dyed leather used in the appliqué. It also uses old trade cloth in both wool and cotton and has a fair amount of metal wrapped thread used s a decorative edging around some appliqué pieces. There is a block printed hand spun cotton backing cloth. These types of appliqué textiles are most often made in a nearly square format and are usually no earlier than the first part of the 20th century. Continuous usage in Khirgiz Yurts and the fragile nature of these pieces has resulted in only a very few pieces made during the 19th of surviving into to our time. This piece is rectangular in shape and could date to the 19th century which would make it a relatively early example of the type and rare. The design references include raptor-like imagery like that found in some Khirgiz appliqué felt work. The Khirgiz have a long tradition of hunting with eagles and other raptors that is still alive today in some remote areas. Because so few of these are really old, the market for them has been limited to a few adventurous collectors. Even so, the iconography is pure and the origins of the type likely ancient.