A Karabagh Gallery carpet,

Armenia, c1890

13ft 10in x 7ft : 422cm x 215cm

When the Russian military officers were in the Caucasus, during the Crimean war, they gave European influenced designs which were fashionable at the time in St.Petersburg, for commissioned carpets. These were mainly floral designs, taken from French needlework, remained with the weavers and continued to be produced, particularly in the Karabagh region. The present carpet is rare as the design is based  more on the Victorian Gothic Revival, with hanging lamps of churches and cross motif medallions.

Numerous gallery formats were produced, not because these were popular but the Karabagh carpets were made as a set of four placed in churches, normally as gifts: a central gallery for the naive, a pair of runners for the side aisles and a header piece at the crossing in front of the alter. These sets were also used in private dwellings and would create a square format when used together. Over the years the sets were broken up hence the availability of carpets of gallery format, it is extremely rare to find room sized carpets of generous width.

The colouring is particularly pleasing and has a harmonious overall balance which enables this carpet to be used in both classical and modern interior design schemes.