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The text of Ed Krayer's
Gelveri Rug listing on eBay As the interest in
old Anatolian nomadic and village
rugs continues to rise, we, as collectors,
inevitably experience greater exposure to more
esoteric carpets that exhibit
the intriguing design traditions of the
central Anatolian steppes. Anyone who
has explored this region has seen the
countless, little ancient villages that are
protectively tucked away in
the timeless, rolling hills north of
the Taurus Mountains. In the HANDBOOK OF
ANATOLIAN CARPETS, 1986, by Butterweck &
Orasch, the authors describe the old,
tiny village of Gelveri ("the
present-day Guzelyurt" - Turkish for
'beautiful homeland') as the nomadic area and
namesake for carpets with this design and
palette. On page 171, they show the same
medallions in a rug "with rows of sun
motifs rooted in the Ersari Beshir
tradition." Bruggemann & Bohmer show
another "Gelveri" carpet, in RUGS OF
THE PEASANTS AND NOMADS OF ANATOLIA, 1983, plate
13, and say "serrated green
leaf-like shapes surround red squares with blue
filling motif and eight radiating arms
reminiscent of the inner design of Turkoman
guls." These are heady design roots
that run far and deep. But, apparently, the
same sun rose on Guzelyurt.
This 130-140 year-old, large specimen
shows dual columns of green and blue guls on a
red background. Let your eye play with the
negative space, and notice the emergence
of large red cruciforms in the field.
The ivory adornments on the serrated edges, in
the narrow latch-hook inner border, and in the
details of the very primitive, spaciously drawn,
oak leaf border are sensational. It is amazing
how this brilliant use of white can pull all the
other motifs together. Look at the isolated,
saw-tooth section of the white inner border in
the upper right third of the field. These are the
charming, unpredictable little asymmetries that
appear in true tribal rugs that give each one its
own individuality and character, even within a
specific weaving area.
This is a Gelveri of wonderful detail that
carries the characteristic "banded
selvages" we find in rugs from this area.
The images show these characteristics very well,
as they do the corrosion to areas of the green,
dark brown and light aubergine. These all vegetal
colors are "old colors," as are the
remaining indigo blue, two shades of madder red
and the extraordinary burnt orange
that makes these Anatolian rugs so prized.
Nobody else made such beautiful mixtures of
madder red with
various yellows, perhaps from
weld, sage or chamomile, to achieve the
rich, salmony, glowing colors that emerged
from these Anatolian dye-masters. Their
formulas are forever locked in the fibers of
these carpets whose palettes make them seem as
if lit from within.
The condition of this Gelveri is excellent. It
had a couple of small holes when I acquired it,
and although it is clearly a collector's piece, I
wanted it to be floor worthy. The repairs were
minor enough to make the restoration sensible;
the work is superb. There are kilims sections at
both ends, one being irregular, but I decided to
leave it alone. The selvages are original and
strong, and the pile is even throughout,
save for the corroded areas you can see in the
images, and the scattered areas of moderate
wear to the field. This is a magnificent old
village piece that has few peers. The only
other complete Gelveri carpets I have
seen in this condition are in the
publications I have referenced. I do not see them
in my frequent trips to the market in
Turkey, and I believe they have long since
found their way into private collections, which
is where this Nidge region carpet was found.
This carpet has it all: age, minimal repair,
great condition, historical design roots, great
colors, rarity, and specific attribution. For
those collectors of authentic, antique Anatolian
village rugs, this one is a carpet to seriously
consider. They do not come along very
often.
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