A St. Petersburg kilim carpet, Russia

circa 1830

Fabric backed. Kilim generally intact and in good condition with very small, minor scattered restitching and repaired holes. Minor scattered spot stains. Color still vivid with abrash as visible in catalogue illustration. Very good overall condition.
In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective qualified opinion.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.

This carpet is an excellent example of a nineteenth century Russian rug integrating contemporaneous Neoclassical patterns popular in Russia in the early 1800s. The use of bold floral elements and the lush rinceaux border are typical of the French Charles X taste of the time, whereas the overall pattern, which is practically compartmentalized by finely drawn foliage, echoes the so-called plafond design, which was created by designers at the Yusupov workshop in Rakitnaia in the early nineteenth century and which consisted of floral arrangements enclosed in interconnected geometrical compartments (see Sarah B. Sherill, Carpets and Rugs of Europe and America,  New York, 1995, pp. 284-185). A Russian carpet with such design was sold Sotheby's New York, November 6, 2008, lot 168. With its curvilinear, self-contained flower filled compartments, the current lot has a variation of this plafond design. Throughout the 1800s, carpet designers in the Russian empire closely followed western European models and due to the resulting uniform fashion in which Russian pieces were woven, it is difficult to distinguish the works from regional workshops from Russia, Ukraine, and Moldova. Certain Russian carpets, including this lot and particularly those from the Imperial Tapestry Factory in Saint Petersburg, copied French works so successfully that telling them apart from their western counterparts required a well-trained eye (see Sherill, ibid., pp. 283, 286). Smaller factories in Kursk, Tula, or Nizhni Novgorod also produced carpets in the French taste in similarly high quality as those made at the imperial workshops in Saint Petersburg. The successful and well-balanced fusion of design elements and the fine weave make this piece a superb example of a Russian carpet executed in the French taste.