Piled items attributed to the Ersari come in a variety of designs and colors. The knot count varies from about 500 knots/dm² to over 3000. Most pieces have the asymmetric knot open right but a significant number have the open left one. The warps are of wool or goat hair or a combination of the two. Many felt that such diversity was inconsistent with attribution to a single group or tribe and this resulted in the term Middle Amu Darya becoming increasingly used as a substitute for Ersari. Any attempt to separate these items into different groups was made very difficult by the relative rarity of early pieces. This study will focus on juvals and some clusters will be defined.

Some of the juvals attributed to the Ersari are illustrated in figures 1-10- and part of their technical data is in table1.

Number 1 has a typical Salor gol including the bird-bracket at the top and the dragons on the sides. The S guard stripes are Salor characteristics. The main border and the elem are also consistent with the Salor attribution. The chemche gul is rare in Salor work and the extra colored hooks at the top and bottom of the gul is typical of the Saryk. The juval has ivory wool warps and a two-cord selvedge. The structure, with its asymmetric open right knot (AsR) and the slight or no depression in alternate warps is not consistent with Salor attribution.

Figure/number 1

 The structural features are consistent with Tekke or Middle Amu Darya (MAD) provenance, which is also indicated by the size of the juval and the two-cord selvedge. The design suggests that it was woven by the part of the Salor tribe that moved to that area. Other juvals are known with the Salor chuval gol². Two very similar juvals share the same guls, borders and elem, all of which are typical Salor as can be seen in figure 1a. Both these juvals have been attributed to the Tekke. However, if one accepts that the juval in figure 1 belongs to the MAD Salors then these two juvals, which are more Salor like, should also.

 

Figure 1a

Number 2 belongs to another distinct and more populous group of the MAD pieces³. The juval has the AsR knot and double cord selvedge and ivory warp threads. The design is that of Saryk juvals. 
Figure/number 2

 The juval in figure 3 represent another cluster⁴. The group share the simplified juval gol and the dynark secondary but have different borders and elems. The knot is AsR, the selvedge has 3-4 cords and the warps are of ivory wool. The Salor often used the main border in figure 3.

 

Figure/number 3

 Number 4 also has a two cords side finish and ivory wool warps. However, it is woven with the AsL knot. The major gol has the four triangles as the only remnants of the usual middle design layer. The vertical lines connecting the gols are relatively rare. This version of the chemche gul is an early one present on Yomut and Eagle Gul group items among others but which has been erroneously associated exclusively with the Kizil Ayak The main border is found on Yomut, Tekke and Eagle Gul group pieces. The elem is very distinctive and is related to that of figure 3. Two other juvals belonging to this group are known⁵. 

Figure/number 4

 The attribution of this group is problematic. The side finish and ivory warps connect it with the first three juvals but it has a different knot. The AsL knot may indicate MAD Salor provenance. However, one would not expect the MAD Salors to weave juvals with two different knots. On balance it is more likely that they retained their exclusive juval gol and switched the knot than the other way round. The AsL knot rules out Kizil Ayak attribution. Thus an Ersari subgroup or another so far unidentified MAD group may have woven it.

Another juval with the AsL knot is shown in figure 5. The chuval gol has two triangles instead of the bird-bracket and lacks the middle design layer. Furthermore, in contrast to the earlier groups and to all other Turkmen items (except for Ersari and MAD pieces) the gol quarters change colors alternately from the usual orange and white to orange and blue/green. This juval has mixed wool and goat hair warps and one cord selvedge and may not belong with juval no.4.

Figure/number 5

Number 6 probably dates from the 18^th century. It has the AsR knot; one cord selvedge and the warps are of brown wool with possibly some goat hair. The bird-bracket is in two colors. Vertical lines connect the major gols. The secondary gul is a variation of the diamond centered chemche.

Figure/number 6

The gol in figure 7 is very similar to the one in figure 6. It has the same shape, is missing the middle design layer and the bird bracket is in two colors. The differences are that the gol center is not quartered, the hourglass design is shifted to outside the gol center and most significantly that the gol quarters are now alternately in orange and white and orange and blue. The juval has the AsR knot and mixed wool and goat hair warps. The wefts are cotton except for the elem (woven last), which has woolen wefts. It appears that this juval may be a later version of no.6.

Figure/number 7

 Number 8 has cotton weft throughout. The knot is AsR. The selvedge has three cords and the warps are of grey-brown wool. The juval can be assigned to the group that wove no.3.

Figure/number 8

Number 9 has brown wool warps and AsR knot. The gol is similar to the one in number 8 but the quarters are colored alternately as in no.5.

Figure/number 9

Number 10 is an example of juvals having other designs. The number of designs is large and varied. These juvals may have AsR or AsL knot, one or multiple cord selvedge and wool or animal hair warps.

 
Figure/number 10

The first four juvals define four distinct groups. In common, they have ivory wool warps, two or more cord selvedge, which differentiate them structurally from the ones with a single cord selvedge and mixed wool and goat hair warps. The first three have the AsR knot and the fourth the AsL. These juvals can be assigned to the MAD Salors and Saryks or other MAD groups. These groups may have been independent at the time or absorbed into the Ersari. With this in mind, it would be appropriate to refer to these groups as E/MAD groups 1-4.

The other juvals cannot be classified at this time, as there are not enough published examples with the relevant information available. Also, the reasons and mechanism for the color shift in the gol quarters needs to be better understood.

Thus this study should be considered as work in progress and any comments and criticism are very welcome. So are images of juvals and carpets that do not contain synthetic dyes along with the relevant structural information.   

 

References

1. The pieces in table one and figure 1-10 appeared in other publications as follows:

      Nos. 1, 5, 6, and10 correspond to nos. 40, 42, 41 and 44 in Reuben, D. M.,

     Gols and Guls, Exhibition Catalogue, London 1998.

     Nos. 2, 4, 7, 8 and 9 have not been published.

     No. 3 corresponds to Sotheby’s, London 19/10/1994 lot 38.

2. Figure 1A is a close up of Rippon Boswell, Wiesbaden, auction catalouge 11/5/2002 lot 72. Other pieces include Ghereh 17 p 30 and Hali. V5 no3, p 265.

3. Gols and Guls, op. cit. no.39; Hali 32, p 24, Christies N.Y., 17/12/97 lot 1. One juval [Macki,L.W.,and Thompson,J.,Turkmen no.97] does not belong to this group as it has AsL knot and the colors of the gol quarters alternate.

4. Sotheby’s London 19/10/1994 lot 38; Turkmen, op. cit. no. 88; Hali 113, p. 116; Christie’s, N.Y. 8/4/1989 lot 53.

5. Dodds,D.R., and Eiland, M.L.,Jr, Oriental Rugs From Atlantic Collections, Philadelphia 1996 no. 202 and Elmby, H., Antique Turkmen Carpets III, Copenhagen, 1996 no.45.

      I am indebted to Peter Poullada for pointing out the similarities of the 3 juvals.