''Salor'' Chuval South West Turkestan, circa 1870 The brick...

''Salor'' Chuval South West Turkestan, circa 1870 The brick red field with nine stepped güls surrounded by minor guls enclosed by borders of hooked devices and hooked motif guard stripes, 139cm by 82cm Historically the Salor were considered the noblest of the Turkmen tribes, however the Salor were comprehensively defeated by the Tekke Turkmens in the 1830's. The remanence of the tribe were scattered amongst the other Turkmen tribes notably the Tekke. This example shows many of the old Salor characteristics - the limited use of purple for example. The design too is true to earlier Salor pieces although the weave is not as fine as pieces from the eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries. This chuval which is woven with an asymmetrical knot open to the left can be accurately dated by the inclusion of one red dye that was not available to the Turkmens until the 1870's.

. Upper web upper web fraying. Minor losses to skirt. Selvedges complete. Pile is good/fair.