3’11” x 5’9″ Antique Lesghi Kuba Rug, Northeast Caucasus, Circa 1900
Like most antique Oriental rugs, antique rugs from the Kuba district in the northeast Caucasus are often identified by design characteristics and weave. This design of geometric starts in typically associated with the village of Lesghi and these are known as “Lesghi Stars”.
This piece features three and one half stars on a navy blue field. The complex border system is an excellent feature. This rug features a fair amount of “abrash”, the term for variegated colors due to changes in dye lot. In the border, where a tan color stretch appears, this is likely due to the use of an early synthetic dye called “fuchsias”. This dye tends to start out as a purple and over times fades to tan. From a scholarship standpoint, fuchsine is an interesting dye because its use was discontinued shortly after circa 1900 and this helps date rugs where it is seen.
The abundance of green in this rug, the geometric stars of flowers seen in two of the guard borders and the outer Reciprocal Trefoil border are additional strong features.
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