Antique Caucasian Rug Size: 5'8" × 7'3" Date: 1880s Material: Wool on Wool Caucasian rugs from the late 19th century are among the most graphically bold in the antique rug world. Woven by village and tribal communities across what is now Azerbaijan, Armenia, and Georgia, they favour hard geometry, strong colour contrast, and designs loaded with protective symbols and tribal emblems. This example has three medallions arranged vertically on a vivid madder field. The large central medallion is set on an ivory ground and filled with angular hooked forms, stepped outlines, and star devices in navy and red — a composition that has real visual weight at the centre of the rug. A smaller octagonal medallion sits above it on a red ground, and a third diamond medallion anchors the lower field. Flanking the medallions are scattered tribal motifs — stars, geometric rosettes, and symbolic devices — that fill the field without crowding it. The ivory main border carries a repeating pattern of large stars and angular emblems in navy and red, and the narrow guard borders stack up with characteristic Caucasian energy. The palette — madder red, ivory, and indigo — is used with maximum contrast and no subtlety, which is exactly the point. A strong, well-composed example of 19th-century Caucasian tribal weaving.