Ersari Asmalyk

South Turkestan, c. 66 x 164 cm, first half of the 19th century, very rare, heptagonal camel hanging with vertical kochanak motifs on yellow ground, asmalyks with top triangle such as the present one are known in small quantities from the Yomut tribes but only very few are documented among the Ersari nomads, the few existing pieces have a red or white ground; to our knowledge, no other yellow-ground pieces exist; superb condition with soft, deep pile wool, both original finishes have survived, with repaired side edges; a very similar, slightly smaller, light-ground hanging with the same field and border design is preserved in the Neville Kingston Collection in East Yorkshire.

Further reading:
Elena Tsareva, Turkmen Carpets, The Neville Kingston collection.