A rare and extremely interesting Ersari Turkmen ensi, south Turkmenistan, early to mid 19th centu

A rare and extremely interesting Ersari Turkmen ensi, south Turkmenistan, early to mid 19th century, 6ft.2in. x 5ft. 1.88m. x 1.52m. Areas of fairly heavy wear, principally in the centre, with crude repiling in places. At first glance, this would be thought a Saryk ensi, with all the motifs associated with the earliest and rarest type; other than the general spaciousness of the design, a particular characteristic of Saryk ensis, specific Saryk design elements include the distinctive form of shrub called kelle, the central four panels with a variant of the usual kush candelabra motif called the dogry darak, with the inner vertical kelle panels framed by small guards containing white 'S' or 'double S' motifs called algam and, below the central sections, the ten small 'boxes' each containing miniature versions of the central dogry darak motif (see, for example, the Cootner Saryk ensi in Mackie and Thompson, Turkmen, pl. 24). However, not only is our rug asymmetrically knotted, but such design elements as the 'vine meander' in the inner and outer blue ground guards (called shudur or 'almond blossom' in Farsi) are borrowed from the design repertoire of Persian tribal weaving; such borrowings are found only on Ersari weavings for reasons which have never been satisfactorily explained.