Antique Kazak | 170 x 128 cm | Nr. Z-2836

Antique Kazak

Delivery time	2 days
Origin	Kazakstan
Dimensions	170 cm x 128 cm (= 2.18 m²)
Construction	hand-knotted
Material	Pile: wool (hand-spun, natural dyes) Weft & Warp: wool
knots	400.000
Year of manufacture	1880
Condition	pre-owned and cleaned
Edition	one-of-a-kind piece

Origin

Kazak (also spelled Kasak) rugs belong to the group of Caucasian rugs. Rugs have been made in the Caucasus since the end of the 18th century. Characteristic are the abstract, geometric tribal patterns in primary colours. Typically the geometric – and more rarely floral – motifs are rendered in intense, high-contrast colours. In the 19th century, a considerable share of these rugs, produced mainly in villages, was exported to the West under Russian control.

This Antique Kazak is a collector's piece. It is around 146 years old, and that alone makes it a truly special piece. Antique rugs such as this Antique Kazak are still greatly sought after and fetch top prices at renowned auction houses.

Material

The technique used to make the materials for the pile of this Antique Kazak is more than 200 years old. The wool was dyed with natural dyes and spun by hand. Dyeing with natural or plant dyes is more complicated, more expensive and more time-consuming than dyeing with chemical colours. For a luminous red, for example, you need around one kilo of ground madder root as dyestuff per kilo of wool. For a strong yellow that is not too pale, you even need two kilograms of the dyestuff dyer's weld per kilo of wool. Spinning the wool is time- and labour-intensive too. What is more, fewer and fewer people still master spinning wool by hand.

But the effort is worth it: dyeing with natural colours allows the high-quality wool to keep its natural oil content. Wool that has been dyed with natural colours and spun by hand creates fascinating, shimmering patterns. The charm of hand-spun wool, with its slight irregularities and natural shades, comes into its own as a contrast in modern interiors, but equally in rooms furnished in a more traditional or country style.

The foundation (weft and warp threads) of this Antique Kazak is made of new wool.

Condition

This Antique Kazak has had admirers before you. It was knotted around 1880. It has been thoroughly cleaned and is in good but unrestored condition. The pile is evenly worn. The edges are damaged in places. The fringes could do with a repair. The rug has at least one tear measuring 1 - 5 cm. We have not restored this Antique Kazak because we feel it has a special charm just as it is. If that is what you would like, we will of course gladly restore the rug for you. Either way, this Antique Kazak will bring you joy for decades to come.