Bessarabian Rugs

There has long been a fascination with the symbolism of the dragon and its depiction in carpet weavings. The design of ‘Dragon’ carpets consists of a field pattern composed of different colored overlaid lattices formed of pointed, serrated leaves creating intersecting lozenges, which alternately contain palmettes and are flanked by confronting stylized dragons, birds, or animal figures. The most archaic of the ‘Dragon’ carpets include dragon motifs with birds and running animals relatively naturalistically drawn, which stand either alone or in confronting pairs facing a tree. The Graf carpet, originally found in a Damascene mosque, now in the Islamiches Museum, Berlin, is considered to be the oldest example of this type, see Serare Yetkin, Early Caucasian Carpets in Turkey, Vol. II, London, 1978, p.8, fig.118. Yetkin defines four types of ‘Dragon’ carpet: ‘Archaic’, ‘Four-Dragon’, ‘Dragon-and-Phoenix’ and as a further combined development of the latter, the ‘Two-Dragon’ style, of which the present carpet falls into the ‘Dragon-and-Phoenix group along with other examples, some of which include two fragments, one in the Museum fur Kunst und Gerwerbe, Hamburg; another in the Christian Museum, Esztergom, Hungary, a complete carpet in the Kier collection; an incomplete example in the Textile Museum, Washington, D.C; the ‘Cassirer’ Dragon carpet in the Thyssen-Bornemisza collection, Lugano; the Ali Pasa Mosque carpet in Tokat, and a further example in the Vakiflar Hali Museum, Istanbul (S. Yetkin, op. cit. pp.16-20). It has been suggested that the earliest examples of the Caucasian ‘Dragon’ carpets...

Very unusual design, Kazak rugs are among the most sought after Caucasian rugs. This Kazak is a great example of a 19th century collectible piece. Measures: 3'3" x 6'6".

Inspiring Swedish sensibilities, this 4x11 custom graph enjoys a defined geometric pattern in gorgeous repetition, exemplified in neutral blue, green and silver-grey for lavish take ...

Very large scandinavian rug from the 60s. Flat weaving technique (rillakan), wool on linen. Traditional geometrical patterns in pink, white and ...

This is a large, Caucasian Old Kilim from the Kuba region with a red background and beautiful color composition. This Kilim is from Kuba, a city in Azerbaijan in the Caucasus regi...

A sophisticated 9 x 12 Kilim from Rug Kilim’s Scandinavian Collection. This flat weave enjoys a remarkable mid-century design inspiration in a distinctive striation marrying a ...

The kilims known as 'Bessarabian' were woven in the Russian regions of Ukraine and Moldovia. Intended to satisfy the demands of the Russian aristocracy at a time when continental int...

A wonderful and hard to find vintage EGE Art Line Scandinavian (Denmark) Pablo Picasso rug based on his work "Woman With Guitar". This work was part of...

Inspiring Swedish sensibilities, this 2x9 custom graph enjoys a defined geometric pattern in gorgeous repetition, exemplified in neutral blue, green and silver-grey for lavish take i...

Beautiful antique Bessarabian Kilim rug, country of origin: Romania, date circa mid-19th century. Size: 9 ft. x 12 ft. (2.74 m x 3.66 m) This sublimely beautiful antique rug...

This traditional handwoven Romanian Bessarabian rug has an overall beige field of four by five delicate stylized floral bouquets, in a subtle...

The source of the rug comes from the book Tapis du Caucase - Rugs of the Caucasus, Ian Bennett & Aziz Bassoul, The Nicholas Sursock Museum, Beirut, Lebanon 2003, nr.90 and Oriental R...