Oct 17

Is This a Karabagh or Bessarabian Rug?


Karabagh CarpetIs this really a Karabagh rug? It looks Bessarabian to me with the naturalistic floral motif and the black background. And yet, at the site where I found it on the Internet it is clearly identified as Karabagh woven in 1930.

Find Beautiful Karabagh Rugs On Amazon

Bessarabian Rugs On Amazon

And how about the one below? It too is identified by the seller as Karabagh. It seems obvious the two rugs are from the same region. But Karabagh? Quoting from one of my favorite rug books, Oriental Rugs: A Complete Guide by Charles W. Jacobson: Some of them used stylized flowers (very angular) in karabagh or bessarabianlarge clusters.

OK, I can see the large clusters…and I think I recognize the angularity. And after comparing it with a rug identified as Bessarabian and naturalistic (below) I am beginning to see the difference. I actually thought that the forms in the two rugs above could be described as naturalistic. I learned something…maybe.

Bessarabian Circa 1890

Bessarabian Circa 1890