Antique Karachov Kazak Rug Karachoph Southwest Caucasus Carpet Late-19th Century

The town of Karachov (sometimes rendered Karatchoph or Karachoph) is southeast of Lori-Pambak, between Karaklis and Idjevan. It has given its name to a group of Kazak rugs with bold, majestic designs, the most characteristic of which resemble certain Turkish rugs, notably the Cannakale Bergama group, which, in turn, hark back to one of the most important groups of Classical Turkish carpets, the so-called ‘Large Pattern Holbeins’, which can be traced through European painting back to at least the 15th century. The well-known Karachov version consists of a large central white-ground octagon, flanked at the four corners of the field by four white ground squares; the main field color may be blue, green, blue-green, or red. A second and less well-known group consists of pieces with either three, four, or five medallions arranged along the vertical axis, the medallions being both polygonal, resembling the Yomut Turkoman ‘Kepse’ gül, and rectangular or square. The polygonal medallions almost always have red grounds and the rectangular ones white; the main field color is usually green or blue. Probably more Karachovs survive than any other group of Kazak rugs; they were woven in considerable quantities in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, probably for export to the West.