Kazak carpet (warp, weft and wool pile), East Caucasus, circa 1930-1950. Length: 232 cm; Width: 160 cm. The carpet is decorated with a large elongated medallion in navy blue, extended by two pendants, and enhanced by a cruciform medallion in red, all on a plain red background. The whole composition is embellished with a polychrome floral motif in the four corners. An ivory border with multicoloured serrated leaves surrounds the composition. "Despite the diversity of its population, the Caucasus has always shown an astonishing unity of style in its carpets. The colours are clear and bold, and the designs are assertive, leaning towards pure geometries. Behind this unity lie two influences that were not just cultural: that of Ottoman Turkey, which controlled the western and central parts of the country, and that of Sefevid Persia (1501-1722), which once owned the whole of Azerbaijan. The carpets of the Kazak region, in the centre of the Caucasus, often reproduce designs from ancient Turkish carpets, preserving their memory in much the same way as a language preserves certain stages of its history in remote regions. Bibliographical reference: Gilles, R., exhibition catalogue "Le Tapis dans tous ses états", Galerie Chevalier, Paris, 1995, p. 2. Expert : Alexandre CHEVALIER