Description of Design and History :
The dating of this piece may err on the side of conservatism; such traditional ensi of the Chodor Turkoman in a Russian rather than Afghan weave are normally attributable to the 19th century. Examples of the group are far from common, yet immediately recognizable by the lower panel of dark blue diamond guls bracketed within a truncated offset pattern of the old main gul of the Chodor, piled in white and light red. Other recurring Chodor features are the elem design of ashik amulets within a compartmental lattice of vertical and horizontal checkered stripes, the two ashik border stripes in red and white that enclose three sides of the field and the splendid horizontal “hatchli-cross” beam, with its scrolled-leaf ornament alternately depicted in red against dark blue and in a tone-in-tone red conjunction. Remaining elements in this ensi (door-hanging) composition reveal an affinity with both Yomut and Tekke designs, which will be found in other works of the Chodor.