Antique Caucasian Karabagh Runner Size: 3'6" × 20'2" Date: 1880s Material: Wool on Wool The Karabagh region of the southern Caucasus — now part of Azerbaijan — produced rugs with a distinctive character that sits between Persian floral influence and Caucasian tribal geometry. Karabagh runners of this length are exceptional finds; twenty feet of antique Caucasian weaving in a single piece is genuinely uncommon. The near-black ground runs the full length and gives this runner an unusual drama. A column of large star medallions in madder red, olive green, and gold repeats down the centre, each one slightly different in its interior detailing. What makes this piece truly distinctive is the animal population scattered across the field — stylized birds in green, rose, and yellow perch between the medallions, with deer, dogs, and other creatures appearing throughout. Figural elements in Caucasian weaving always signal a more ambitious and individualistic piece, and the animals here are drawn with the loose, confident hand of a weaver working from tradition rather than a pattern. The deep crimson border carries geometric angular forms that run the full perimeter, providing a warm frame against the black field. The contrast between the dark ground and the vivid medallions and figures creates a striking visual effect that carries well across a long hallway or gallery space. At over 140 years old and twenty feet long, this is a serious collector's runner.