707. a bewildering antique Kashgari Turkoman kilim

707. Provenance: Turkoman tribes, Kashgar region,  East Turkestan (now Western China)

Size: 300 x 125 cm

Age: Circa 1910

Condition: Very good for age.

Notes: Such finely-woven kilims, using the softest and best quality hand-spun wool tend to the products of the Kashgari Turkomans in what is now far Western China. However, it is possible that these are also woven by Turkoman weavers in northern Afghanistan. Alistair Hull writes in his book 'Kilims': "The kilims woven (in the Kashgar region) are extremely fine, soft and light and can only really serve as covers, for which use they were originally intended. The compositions of these textiles are very similar in appearance to the Uzbek Tartari safid kilims from Sar-I-Paul and Samangan, although they can be distinguished by the quality of their wool and the tightness of their weave." This is just such a piece - supple and tactile to the touch, it could be folded into a hand-luggage. Natural dyes and all-wool construction.