Imre Jakabffy (szerk.): Ars Decorativa 2. (Budapest, 1974)
GOMBOS, Károly: An interesting Tekke-Turkoman carpet
the Fettick collection, on basis of what facts it was dated, how much it cost, where it came to Hungary from and whether it was or was not in other collections too, lastly whether there have been any publications about it. Quoting the catalogue published in 1972 :"' ''It represents the best type of Bukhara carpets". This statement is fully true with a significant implementation: Bukhara has never been the weaving centre of Turkoman carpets, only the place where many rugs reached market. Skilful traders of Bukhara delivered by camel caravans the carpets bought from Turkoman tribes to St. Petersburg, Moscow or to Persia and then from there to Europe. The Turkoman carpets traded under the name "Bukhara", which denomination, causing so much misunderstanding became established in the 18th century. From the early decades of the 19th century a specially brisk trade was going on in Turkoman carpets of high quality. J.B. Fraser, English traveller who visited in 1821—22 this part of Asia, in his report touched upon also the nomadic Turkoman carpets of beautiful and valuable workmanship, made for sale. 5 It is absolutly certain that the Bukhara carpet of the Fettick inheritance (its inventory number now is 20881) got to Europe at the beginning of the 19th century, at the time when the rich Turkomans' yurts were still full of really excellent carpets and before the aniline dyes were brought to the areas inhabited by nomadic peoples. A thorough study of the Turkoman carpets yields the same result: it is an excellent piece from the end of the 18th or the first half of the 19th century, made by women of the Tekke-Turkoman tribes living in the neighbourhood of the town of Merv and the Ashabad of today. In the field of the carpet in five vertical columns 50 göl-s (designs) are visible. The form of the design is an octagon, and the inside ground within this form is filled by stylized motifs (Fig. 2.). The height of the octagon is 16 cm, the diameter is 23 cm. The impressive design of octagon is typically Tekke-Turkoman ornamentation. Its colours are also peculiar to the TekkeTurkoman tribes' carpets: ivory, wine-red, light-red, dark-brown (bluish and slate) green and blackish blue. Similar rugs are described by Siawosch Azadi, in his book published in 1970. (i The dynamism of ornamentation is given by the diagonal construction and the pattern seen skew-wise produces effect of movements on the carpet's field. The "dead spaces" between each two designs are filled with double latch-hooks. Thus the carpet shows the utmost in richness of ornament without any feeling of crowdedness. The field, the ground part of the carpet is framed by a 7 stripe border. The composition of 50 designs is bound by this border of relative immobility. This well balanced border standing out against the animated, dynamical field pattern produces an effect of high artistical power. One of the 7 stripes on either side of the border is wider (Fig. 3.). This principal stripe on each lengthwise sides bears a pattern composed of 12 small beutifully drawn devices of different colours and shapes. This main stripe's immobility is only an appearance. Really it is built on artistical contrasts created by the alternating colours and shapes, that are the most splendid examples of the Tekke pattern's treasure. The main stripe of the upper crosswise border shows 10 devices, whereas the lower one only 9. This minor asymmetry — which otherwise is one of the characteristics of the real folk workmanships — is discernible only by an expert eye because the carpet is perfect as regards its form. It is to be 132
