Antique Caucasian Rug Size: 3' × 3'11" Date: Mid 1800s Material: Wool on Wool A small but early piece from the Caucasian village tradition, likely from the Kuba district of northern Azerbaijan — a region known for all-over repeat designs built from dense, interlocking geometric forms on dark grounds. The near-black field is packed with a repeating scatter of large star and snowflake forms in warm gold, madder red, and slate blue, arranged in an offset grid that fills the surface completely. Each star form is individually detailed with serrated edges and small interior devices, and no two read exactly the same due to the slight variations natural to hand weaving at this scale. The overall effect is rich and textured — dark enough to be grounding, but animated by the warm gold tones that catch the light across the surface. The side borders carry a vertical column of geometric cartouches in camel and navy, a format associated with the Kuba weaving tradition and distinct from the more typical running vine or meander border seen elsewhere in the Caucasus. Top and bottom borders carry a bold geometric repeat in the same palette. At nearly 170 years old, this is a genuinely early piece. The wool is dense and the natural dyes remain strong, which speaks to the quality of the materials used.