Marasali Shirvan prayer rug

Full rounded ‘boteh,’ painted in colorful stripes of diamonds, shimmer against the deep indigo field of this fine prayer rug from the east Caucasus. The negative space is well defined and smaller, mainly white leaf or ‘boteh’ elements are contrasted against both a dark ground and the larger motifs of the field. A white ‘mihrab’ niche is punctuated with the distinctive red and golden flower buds of the Marasali type, as classic thin and delicate Shirvan borders frame the composition. The piece is dated 1305 which correlates to the Western year 1887.