Carpet, Azerbaijan, 19th century
Wool, pile-woven, On loan from the Marshall and Marilyn R. Wolf Collection,
Toronto, LI2021.30.1

Carpet, Azerbaijan, 19th century
Wool, pile-woven, On loan from the Marshall and Marilyn R. Wolf Collection,
Toronto, LI2021.30.1

Merchandise traded along the Silk Roads included jewels, spices, salt, tea, and - above all - silk, carried by caravans of camels able to endure the desert's heat and lack of water. The lustrous wool carpet design seen here is called shadda, a very ancient form with many different styles keyed to function, whether celebrating a holiday or wedding, or simply defining household space. Here, 22 Bactrian camels appear at the carpet's centre, while 33 more run around its border. Almost 100 small animals - Siberian tigers, deer, dogs - draw the viewer's eye from left to right in this striking design, creating a sense of energetic movement.

Dimensions: 117cm x 313 cm

Material: wool, flat woven

The Marshall and Marilyn R. Wolf Collection, Toronto, LI2021.30.1

Azerbaijan

Photographer credit: Courtesy of the Marshall and Marilyn R. Wolf Collection

19th century

The Marshall and Marilyn R. Wolf Collection

The Marshall and Marilyn R. Wolf Collection

Carpet