Along the old Silk Route
Banded Turkmen Mixed-Weave Tribal Panel
Antique Collection
A long, low-piled tribal panel worked in horizontal registers, with rows of fine brocaded supplementary-weft bands of interlocking 'S' and diamond chains marching across a warm madder-red ground. The wide lower skirt breaks into a bold field of latch-hooked zigzags and stepped diamonds in salmon, ivory and dark brown, a vocabulary characteristic of Turkmen and Central Asian weaving. Combining flatweave striping with patterned bands, it has the look of a storage-bag face or tent piece, its soft abrash and worn edges giving it an honest, well-travelled patina.
The tradition
Along the old Silk Route
The antique collection brings together rare textiles and carpets gathered along the old Silk Route that once threaded through Hunza over the Mintaka and Kilik passes. These are survivors — pieces valued for their age, their hand-spun wool and silk, and the way their natural dyes have aged into soft, complex colour.
Because each antique piece is one of a kind, it is best understood as a document of its region and period rather than a repeatable design. We describe the design family and motifs honestly and leave precise dating and provenance to inspection in person.
Motifs & meaning
Reading the design
Antique pieces carry the motif vocabularies of the regions they passed through — Caucasian, Turkmen, Anatolian and Central Asian.
Medallion & field
The classical garden plan at the heart of many old carpets.
Protective borders
Layered guard bands framing and safeguarding the design.
Tribal güls
Heraldic medallions identifying the weaving group.
Stylised flora
Vines, rosettes and the tree of life signifying paradise.
Materials & technique
How it is made
Handwoven in wool and silk with natural dyes, these older pieces show the irregularities and softened colour that only time and hand-work produce.
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