A Kazak rug, Southwest Caucasus

The Bortz Collection, Sotheby's London, May 29, 1998, lot 2

Hali, Issue 101, November 1998, p. 134
Ampe, Patrick and Rie, Textile Art, Kailash Gallery, Antwerp, 1994, plate 41
Hali, Issue 43, February 1989 advertisement

Pile ranges from very good, near original 1/3rd of an inch throughout, to low to knotheads in oxidized dark browns. Some warps pulling through in a few areas. Upper right corner with some minor spot foundation, probably due to moth damage. Upper end guard border with some vertical foldwear, one with some spot foundation. Lower end with similar foldwear. Some further small foldwear areas, not extensive. Sides with original three-cord wool selvages. Lower ends with original flatwoven finish. Upper end flatwoven finish folded over and sewn but now undone in areas. Upper end with velcro strip sewn on reverse.
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.

The reciprocal or positive-negative relationship between forms defined through color, is a common decorative feature in many Oriental rugs. Here, however, it has been taken beyond the mundane and become the very essence of the rug: the bi-colored field in opposing red and green, the green densely filled with small stars like a flowery mead supporting the open red "sky", the weight of the green echoed by the minor motifs in the side borders; the mirroring of side and end borders and the reciprocal surrounds to the medallions with their tessellated centers, in which color and geometry activate the plane of the rug to suggest three dimensions, is a consummate use of visual language to create a concrete metaphor for the relationship between positive and negative, in symbolic terms the spiritual and the temporal world.