Uzbek mixed technique flatwoven rug

The colorful quartered medallions, or ‘guls,’ with cruciform centers embroidered on this Central Asian flat weave are thought by most authorities to be the work of Lakai Uzbek weavers. This long embroidered piece, composed of multiple strips of red flat weave, may have been used to decorate the interior walls of the yurt or as a graphic and colorful utility cover. While the multiple gul design originated in pile weaving, its free rendering here is both playful and evocative.