Yomut Main Carpet

probably late 18th century

Not on view

This carpet was likely woven by a member of the Yomut tribe of Central Asia. The staggered motifs seen in the carpet’s field are known as guls (flowers); the nomadic textiles and carpets of Central Asia often display guls that are unique to a particular tribal group. The guls seen here take the form of octagons with serrated edges, each of which encloses a smaller octagon with a small central floral motif; it is the particular design of this gul that makes it attributable to the Yomut Turkmen nomads.

Artwork Details

Title: Yomut Main Carpet
Date: probably late 18th century
Geography: Attributed to Western Turkmenistan, Central Asia
Medium: Wool pile on wool and cotton foundation
Dimensions: H. 108 1/2 in. (275.6 cm)
W. 69 in. (175.2 cm)
Classification: Textiles-Rugs
Credit Line: Bequest of Joseph V. McMullan, 1973
Object Number: 1974.149.44
Curatorial Department: Islamic Art

Audio

6646. Overview: Turkman Carpets

0:00

NARRATOR: Here there will be rotating examples of so-called “Turkman” carpets. They represent a distinctly non-courtly tradition.

WALTER DENNY: Turkman carpets… tend to be reasonably small, because they were woven and owned by people who had to pack up and travel and follow their flocks from pasture to pasture in the course of a nomadic existence. …The overwhelming color of Turkman carpets is taken from the root of the madder plant. And so reds from fire engine red, to dark reddish brown, to mahogany… are characteristic of Turkman carpets. Turkman carpets were woven for use on the floors of their large… tents that we call "yurts" in English, but they were also destined to serve a multitude of practical purposes. The large oblong bags known as "chuval" were used to hold basic items… such as clothing, and were attached to the walls of tents. Smaller bags held cooking utensils. Square bags held baked bread…Other carpets….were woven as trappings for wedding camels… The world of Turkman weaving that has come down to us is largely from the 18th and 19th centuries… But the tradition from which they come is one of the oldest of carpet-weaving traditions. Indeed, in the eyes of some scholars, it is the origin of the carpet-weaving technique.

More Artwork

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The 'Nigde' Carpet, Cotton (warp and weft), wool (pile); symmetrically knotted pile — The 'Nigde' Carpet
18th century

Carpet with Irises, Tulips, and Other Flowering Plants, Cotton (warp and weft); wool (pile); asymmetrically knotted pile — Carpet with Irises, Tulips, and Other Flowering Plants
ca. 1650

Pashmina Carpet with Gateway-and-Millefleur Pattern, Cotton (warp and weft), pashmina wool (pile); asymmetrically knotted pile — Pashmina Carpet with Gateway-and-Millefleur Pattern
second half 18th century

Vase-technique Carpet with Overlapping Cartouches, Cotton (warp), silk (weft), wool (weft and pile); asymmetrically knotted pile — Vase-technique Carpet with Overlapping Cartouches
17th century

Blue-ground Carpet Fragment with Scrolling Floral Vines, Cotton (warp), wool (weft and pile); asymmetrically knotted pile — Blue-ground Carpet Fragment with Scrolling Floral Vines
17th century

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