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A stunning Kaitag embroidery,…
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Auction Location:
Melbourne
Date:
19-Sep-2023
Lot No.
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Description:
A stunning Kaitag embroidery, Daghestan, Caucasus, eighteenth century. Kaitag embroideries made in the mountainous villages of Daghestan in the Caucasian Mountain region show designs that are varied and reflect the area's long history of invasion by and eventual intermarriage with outside groups. Paganism, Zoroastrianism, Judaism, Christianity and Islam have all been practised in Daghestan over the centuries and the designs seen in the artworks of the region have sometimes also incorporated motifs from the Ottoman, Safavid and Imperial Russian empires. This example with its design of inverted ram's horns and stylised vegetal forms owes much to ancient hunting mythology in the region. Centuries before the advent of Islam in the Caucasus in the mid-seventh century, hunting had been a significant activity both in the mountainous north and in the low plains that adjoin modern-day Iran and inspired a plethora of hunting divinities and associated beliefs and practices. Thus, stylised antlers and horns appear in a number of guises in Kaitag embroideries such as this example. The design motifs are carefully worked in laid-and-couched technique, with details crisply outlined in reverse stem stitch and areas of a diagonal brick filling stitch. The ground cloth is undyed, handspun cotton. Provenance: Collection of Robert Chenciner, London; from mid-1990s private collection, Melbourne. Reference: Published, Robert Chenciner, Kaitag: Textile Art from Daghestan, London: Textile Art Publications, 1993, catalogue number 123, page 186. Dimensions: 104 cm x 66 cm
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Price:
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Category:
Unclassified