Carpet
1864
Medium
Cotton and wool, plain weave with discontinuous supplementary wrapping wefts (soumak); square braided main warp fringe
Dimensions
346.7 × 230 cm (136 1/2 × 90 1/2 in.)
Classification
textile
Department
Textiles
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
41393
Rights
Public Domain
About this artwork
The prevalent Chinese dragon design appears on this sileh, or flat-woven soumak carpet, from the Caucasus. These geometric dragons are flying with thier tails high in the air, and the bottom extensions of the backward "S" shapes represent their lower jaws. Carpets with inscriptions and dates are extremely rare, but this example is even more remarkable beacause it was woven in one piece; the large majority of such carpets were woven in two parts. Its exceptionally rich coloring, including a wide ...
About the Artist
Unknown
The artist designated as "Unknown" in our virtual museum's collection exemplifies a poignant chapter in art history: creators whose identities have faded into obscurity despite the enduring power of their work. With only one known artwork attributed to them in our holdings, this figure represents countless anonymous hands that shaped visual culture across centuries. Museums worldwide, including th...