Chodor or (possibly) Eagle ii Wedding Rug, circa 1850. 2'9" x 3'11" Structure; asymmetric knotting, mixed cotton and camel wool weft, 10 colors .p - Chodor? / Purple Ground Group / Mid 19th c., or earlier? Size; 85cm x 1.20cm. The unifying factor for the "group" largely rests on color palette (almost unique), wool (always lustrous, and of exceptional shine), and to a more varying extent, design and technique, (including materials). These pieces range from the great naive ertman gol "Chodor", exhibited by George Hecksher at the DeYoung, with the blazing fire red/orange,, to a completely depressed, classical eagle ii, Dyrnak gol rug, with asymmetric knot and cotton weft, (as this one has); that was sourced from the same Khiva connection as the Hecksher Chodor. In fact cotton weft is one of the commonly occurring traits in the group. so let's get down to this little jewel. First, ten colors, including the beautiful blue marine that is a common feature in almost all of the pieces, and also the burnt sugar brown-orange that shows up commonly. The key to this rug, is not the all over cruciform design with the "hour glass" as the center, but rather the use of this motif, and especially the diamond design on the lateral arms of the cross, to set up two different "gols" composed of both opposing and facing, connected iris patterns in the negative space...... very sophisticated! The border, which is a riot of color, also emphasizes the negative space with the white background, as do both guards by creating a dynamic black zigzag running between the trefoils. The rug has great dyes, soft silky pile, unbleached white wool warps, and double shoot mixed camel and white cotton wefts. The knotting is asymmetric open right. The rug is a perfect example of all the various factors coming together to make a charming, but serious and unique example of Turkmen weaving sometime around the middle of the 19th century. ??? p.s. ... apologize for the long winded monologue, but this rug is worth discussion....sdf Ask about this Nomad, Stolp d. Fraser's pages