Caucasian Carpets and Covers: The Weaving Culture

by Richard E. Wright, John T. Wertime

Caucasian Carpets & Covers is the first book to offer a comprehensive view of nineteenth and twentieth century knotted pile rugs and flat-woven textiles from Caucasia in the light of recent research. Written by two acknowledged experts in the field, the text is securely based on original written and photographic sources, coupled with a systematic analysis of woven structures.
The collapse of the Soviet Union and the consequent opening up of communication and trade between the West and the newly independent Caucasian republics has resulted in the release onto the market of previously little known items, in particular flat-weaves. This development calls for a re-evaluation of the subject of Caucasian weaving, a demand which this book seeks to answer. The authors suggest that utilitarian flat-woven covers and containers - many of them spectacularly graphic and colourful - are the true traditional products of Caucasia's weaving culture. This is a departure from previous books written in the West on Caucasian carpets, which have tended to concentrate either on pile-woven village rugs, or on tribal bags, covers and trappings made by nomads whose traditional range straddled the present political borders between Transcaucasia and northwest Persia.
Further light is shed on the subject in the authors' documentation of Caucasian knotted pile rugs, which shows that many examples of the popular types which are often thought to be 'authentic' nineteenth century (or even eighteenth in some cases) village weavings, are in fact part of a well-organised commercial production for the Russian and Western markets, which began in the latter part of the nineteenth century and continued well into the first part of the twentieth.

184 pages, Paperback

First published December 1, 1995

Reviews

[Peter Tillman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Since we own a copy, I should pull it out & write it up! Particularly since it's a great 5-star rug book, and no one else has reviewed it. If you are a fellow "ruggie" and a fan of flat-weaves, you NEED this book! Hey, it's a lot cheaper than buying a rug . . .

Still available at Amazon for under $35 (pb ed) new, shipping included. Go for it!

[James · Rating 5 out of 5]

Quality large format book (9.75x13.75”) from Hali Publications covering the traditional weavings of the Caucasus, include pile rugs but with an emphasis on flat-woven textiles. The photos and illustrations are great (color and black&white, large and small, historical and recent) including many helpful maps. Best of all is the abundance of detailed and authoritative text throughout the whole book, covering the history and background of the region and cultures, as well as details on the weavings shown.

Overall, as you’d expect from the publishers of Hali, this is a quality production in every way.