AH 1274 (=1858) dated yellow Shirvan Marasali Prayer rug, Shirvan Region, Azerbaijan. 92 x 120 cm. published Ralph Kaffel's Caucasian Prayer Rugs, plate 95

Yellow Marasalis usually feature lattice fields with flowers or boreh or, less commonly, rows of boteh on an open field. This example has a most unusual design, however: a red trellis network enclosing hexagonal geometric figures which contain polychromatic depictions of plant forms. The arrangement of the white "bird" motifs on the red ground of the arch and main border is also unusual, with the reverse colour scheme being the more general rule. The undulating drawing of the prayer arch is yet another odd feature. This rug is well known from its publication (in black and white) in the catalogue of the first post-war all-Caucasian exhibition, which was held in Germany at the Museum fur Kunsthandwerk, Frankfurt in 1962.