A rare and deeply personal late 19th century Kurdish runner of extraordinary significance — bearing a woven signature date of 1890 that transforms this beautiful textile into an authenticated historical artifact. The paisley pattern on an abrash blue background with a predominantly rust-colored border creates a composition of bold color harmony, while the addition of a figural design depicting a man and woman — rare in the Kurdish weaving tradition — adds to the piece's uniqueness and artistic value.
The gallery believes this runner was most likely created as a wedding gift from a father of the bride to the young couple — a deeply personal act of craft and love in which the weaver embedded the date of the occasion and the figures of the celebrants into the design itself. Signed and dated tribal rugs of this 19th century vintage are among the most sought-after and historically significant pieces available to the collector. Kurdish rugs, woven by the Kurdish tribal peoples of Western and Northwestern Persia, Eastern Turkey, and Northern Iraq, represent one of the most vibrant and diverse traditions in the tribal rug world. Kurdish weavers are celebrated for their bold, saturated color palettes — often featuring deep reds, abrash blues, and the rare pistachio green that is among the most prized colors in tribal collecting — their lush, high-quality wool pile, and a design vocabulary that combines geometric boldness with a spontaneous creative energy that gives each piece its own unmistakable character.
Dimensions: 3' 6" x 9' 5"
Date of Manufacture: 4th Quarter of the 1800s (dated 1890)
Place of Origin: NW Persia (Kurdish tribal region)
Material: Wool pile on a wool foundation with vegetable dyes
