Caucasian Sumak Rug, ca. 1890
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GUEST:
My grandmother was Swedish, and it was in her house all growing up. The story was that her father had gotten the rug from Russia. He was a Swedish trader in metals, I think, in brass. And during World War I, he had at one point ended up in Russia, and the rumor was that he was paid from a treasury of goods from the tsar, and was for some kind of work, possibly spying for Sweden.
APPRAISER:
Mm-hmm, wow. And you said it was around 1914?
GUEST:
Yes.
APPRAISER:
Well, I think the date of 1914 kind of makes sense. The rug was woven in the late 19th century in the Caucasus. And the type of rug that it is is a sumak, which refers to the technique, and you'll notice that it's all done in this very intricate flat weave.
GUEST:
Yes.
APPRAISER:
As opposed to most rugs that are handmade that have pile. The design is a classic Caucasian design. The medallions are referred to as Lesghi stars. And in the late 19th century, production was ramping up, and they were selling 90% of the rugs they were making to the West. So it was sort of that magic period where they were holding onto the old traditions. It's in amazing condition.
GUEST:
Really?
APPRAISER:
It has its original macramé ends. It has its original selvages. The brown in the background has corroded, and that's because they used iron in the process of dyeing. And to a collector, that's not a negative.
GUEST:
Okay.
APPRAISER:
There are some old repairs that are handmade, that could probably be redone better. And there are some nice bits of folk art. For instance, the man standing on the back of the horse.
GUEST:
Mm-hmm.
APPRAISER:
Where do you keep it now?
GUEST:
(chuckles) Well, it, for the last few years, it's been in a trash can in the garage.
APPRAISER:
Oh, my goodness.
GUEST:
(laughs) Yeah, so...
APPRAISER:
Well, it seems to have survived that pretty well.
GUEST:
Yes, I'm surprised it's in good condition.
APPRAISER:
The value as is would be, on a fair market basis, about $1,200.
GUEST:
Okay. It will not be in the trash can anymore.
APPRAISER:
Perfect.
GUEST:
We will put it somewhere. where it can be enjoyed.
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