Antique Kuba rug, so called "Molla Kamalli" design, third quarter 19th century, Devechi-Shabran District, Southern Lowland Kuba Region, North East Azerbaijan, 110 x 155 cm

Kuba Floral & Heraldic Palmette Pattern

Knot: symmetric slightly open to the right soft wool short clipped.
Density: H38/10cm V42/10cm 1596/dm² ; H 9-10/pi V 10-11/pi 98/psi
Warps: fine white wool, finely twisted, Z2S, slightly depressed
Wefts: medium brown wool, 2 shoots
Selvage: flat selvage, 3 cords of 2 warps with interwoven brown ground wefts and overcast with medium blue wool.
Colours: natural, white, different shade of light to dark blue, olive, madder red, pink, oxidized black and dark brown, light yellow, medium brown.
Ends: warp fringes

Related examples:
1/ Bennett – Caucasian – plate 307 page 239 – He makes the following comments: “ It is obviously close in concept to the large floral carpets of the late 17th and 18th centuries….”
2/Wright and Wertime – Caucasian Carpets & Covers – picture 23 page 67 – in the top left corner of a 1913 photograph of a Kuba rug display from the Second All Empire Kustar Exhibition.
3/ Wright and Wertime – Caucasian Carpets & Covers – picture 63 page 155 – a 1926 photograph from the Zakgostorg (which replaced the Kustar Committee) exhibition in Kuba.
4/ This kind of palmette are also found in Sumacs from this area. Look at the left and right rows of palmettes of - Bennett – Caucasian – plate 471 page 356
5/ To notice in all this rug the high Persian influence and the use of very unusual main borders.

Picture and information from spongobongo.com