Description
A rare green background on this decorative antique Bessarabian Kilim woven around 1920-30 in fabulous original condition. The border colour is a wonderful deep cherry red, with soft pinks and pale blues for the floral detailing. Green dyes were expensive to make, so we rarely come across this colour in rugs and kilims, but it is a wonderful natural dye.
We always supply anti-slip underlay included in the price with our kilims, as they are flat-woven and have no wool pile, they are prone to moving around on the floor. Our underlay stops this and removes creases too, making them look wonderful in situ.
Bessarabian rugs and carpets are the commonly given name for rugs in pile and tapestry technique originating in Ukraine and Moldova during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Some scholars will classify flat-woven carpets as Bessarabian, while referring to knotted-pile carpets as Ukrainian. They are predominantly from an area corresponding to modern Bulgaria and Romania. Produced under late Ottoman rule, they stand right on the cusp of European and Oriental carpet weaving.
Please contact us to request a home visit, or book in a showroom visit – we would love to show you this kilim soon.
Carpets and kilims were woven with sheep wool on the vertical or horizontal looms; sometimes hemp or flax was used for the base. Woolen yarn was dyed with natural dyes from local plants and insects. A group of kilims with floral patterns were produced from central regions of Ukraine (Poltava, Kyiv, Chernihiv) Ornament consists of images of flowers, more or less stylized or branches with flowers arranged rhythmically or related to the overall pattern.
We love how the background of these Kilims have almost a wave like effect, look closely at the image to see this clever weaving technique in the pale blues and the subtle varieties of blue dye. There is also some additional great dyes such as the pink and red tones with yellows and earth greens.
