Ersari tent main carpet
northern Afghanistan / western Turkmenistan
circa 1860
Size: 256 x 220 cm
The Ersari were one of eight or so different tribes of the Turkmen people who inhabited the area that is now part of the independent states of Turkestan and Uzbekistan as well as Afghanistan. The principal motif in most Turkmen artefacts is the ‘gul’, an octagonal medallion repeated in a grid across the field of the rug. This beautiful main carpet belongs to an early group with the composition comprising just two rows of quite large lobed “guls” and a wonderful palette of early natural dyes, madder reds and indigo blue with clear greens and yellows.
