A Yomud C-gül main carpet, West Turkestan

Sotheby's New York, October 30, 1982, lot 60
Rippon Boswell, Wiesbaden, May 15, 1994, lot 155
Eberhart Herrmann

Wie Blumen in der Wüste, Museum für Völkerkunde, Hamburg, 1993, No. 47

Eberhart Herrmann, Asiatische Teppich-und Textilkunst, band V, 1995, no. 102
Peter Alford Andrews, et. al., Wie Blumen in der Wüste, Hamburg, 1993, p. 78-79, no. 47

Pile generally good, near original 1/6in. with scattered areas of foldwear low to knot heads. A 3in. by 1in. reweave in the lower central green gül and a 1in. by 1.5in. replied area to the same gül. Stains in lower left corner. Rewoven sides to kilim ends. Several small reweaves to lower kilim end. Sides later overcast. Extremely lustrous wool, good saturated colors, very good overall condition.
In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective qualified opinion.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.

Rare and grand, this Yomud carpet was fiercely competed for when last offered at auction in 1994.  As the editors of Hali "Markeplace"  wrote, "this piece must be considered an aristocrat of the type, contructed with a thick wool pile of superb quality, and with glowing colours," Hali, issue 76, p. 144.  Hans Sienknecht, in his article "A Turkic Heritage," Hali, issue 47, pp. 30-39, studied the development of Yomud C-gul carpets and broke them into groups I through IV.  This carpet belongs to group III which are those that display a design of C-guls along vertical and horizontal lines, without minor guls.  He notes that groups I through III are the most rare and sites only six other group III examples.  The present carpet is most closely related to the carpet from the collection of Joseph V. McMullan and now in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, see Hali, op.cit., cover; and McMullan, Joseph V., Islamic Carpets, New York, 1965, pl. 122.   In addition to a similar arrangement and drawing of the major guls and ivory "boat" border, these two carpets share the small tracery diamonds punctuated by stars along the sides of the field and the dart inner and outer guard borders.  Having abundant space between the guls, glowing, saturated colors and highly lustrous wool, this carpet and its peers are truly monumental works of Turkmen tribal weaving.

For the other examples of group III Yomud C-gul carpets see, Sienknecht, op.cit., figs. 8, 10, 11; Herrmann, Eberhart, Seltene Orientteppiche V, Munich 1983, pl. 82, pp. 170-171 (fig. 8 in Sienknecht ibid); Skinner, Bolton, Massachusetts, December 6, 1987, lot 101; and Azadi, S., Herrenhausen '86: 18.Kunst & Antiquitäten Messe, Hannover, 1986, p. 18.