Storage bag (juval) face, Yomut Turkmen
Object No. 2015/26/29
This large storage bag, or juval, face was woven by a woman of the Yomut Turkmen tribe in Turkmenistan or eastern Iran in the mid 1800s. The bag, when intact, would have been used to transport her possessions as the tribe moved from place to place with its flocks and, when the tent was erected again, to store the family's belongings and to decorate the tent. Notable features of this example are its main field of nine well-spaced chuval guls and minor chemche guls and its elem, which includes seven pine tree or gapirga features with doghdan tops. The Turkmen were mostly tent-dwelling pastoral nomads, whose ancestors are said to have moved westwards from Mongolia into Central Asia in around the 10th century. Relocating themselves and their animals with the changing seasons, the Turkmen were strongly independent and warlike. They kept mostly to their respective tribal lands which principally consisted of the present-day Central Asian state of Turkmenistan, and extended south along the eastern shores of the Caspian Sea into north-east Iran and northern Afghanistan. The juval is part of a large and significant collection of mostly Yomut Turkmen rugs and trappings that collectively presents a comprehensive picture of the highly-skilled Yomut women's output, featuring fine examples from their repertoire. These weavings capture the essence of this independent people and their virtually extinguished nomadic existence. The mobile circumstances of Yomut daily life, and that of other nomadic Turkmen groups, necessitated the kind of housing adapted to nomadism, and the round timber-lattice oy or yurt suited them well. Turkmen women furnished their mobile homes with the kind of admirably functional and transportable carpets, rugs, cushions and trappings represented in this collection. From a design perspective, the principal motif on Yomut, and most Turkmen weavings is the gul, an octagonal geometric motif that is thought to be a tribal emblem and so representative of a particular tribe. These major guls are usually arranged diagonally, and decorate the fields of both carpets and smaller items, with minor guls filling the spaces between. A great deal has been written about guls and their variety and many different forms have been identified and named; some guls are unique to particular forms of weaving, such as the juval (large storage bag) gul. As with most Turkmen rugs, Yomut designs are largely symmetrical around both the vertical and horizontal axis. Turkmen women used wool from their own flocks of sheep and goats for weaving carpets, bags and bands to furnish and decorate their tents as well as colourful trappings for their prized horses and camels. Most Yomut Turkmen weavings are a lush pile weave, most commonly with symmetrical knots although asymmetrical knots are also sometimes used. The rich and varied reds that characterise Turkmen rugs and trappings generally were easily obtainable from local madder plants. Christina Sumner Formerly Principal Curator Design and Society May 2013
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Summary
Object Statement
Storage bag (juval) face, symmetrically knotted, wool, made by Yomut Turkmen women, Turkmenistan or north eastern Iran, mid 1800s.
Physical Description
A rectangular storage bag or juval face in symmetrically knotted wool pile. The field design features three x three juval guls with chemche minor guls and an ashik border with gochek guard stripes. The elem is densely ornamented with pine tree or gapirga motifs and the back is missing. Donor's notes: 'Symmetric knots; Two closure arrows at top with blue strip and two giyak strips. Main field three x three large well spaced chuval guls with minor chemche guls. Ashik border with gochak guard stripes on red brown field. Elem has seven gapirga features with doghdan tops. Seven colours: red brown, dark blue, blue green, rust red, dark brown, yellow and ivory. No back; minor damage at top'. This large storage bag, or juval, face is Number 44 in the Upfold collection list; as such it represents the 44th Turkmen piece acquired by the donor.
DIMENSIONS
Height
790 mm
Width
1200 mm
PRODUCTION
Notes
The design of this symmetrically knotted wool storage bag, or juval, face features two closure arrows at the top with a blue strip and giyak strips. The main field contains three x three well spaced chuval guls and minor chemche guls. There is an ashik border with gochak guard stripes on a red brown field. The elem includes seven pine tree or gapirga features with doghdan tops.The weaver has used seven colours: red brown, dark blue, blue green, rust red, dark brown, yellow and ivory. Originally, a flat weave back panel was woven in one piece with the surviving pile-weave bag face; the bag would have been formed by folding in half widthways and sewing up the sides, leaving the top open. Fine wool from their flocks was always available to the Turkmen women for weaving their extensive repertoire of domestic and personal items. These included carpets, bands and bags to comfortably furnish the nomadic tent or oy and a collection of colourful trappings for their prized horses and camels. Most Yomut Turkmen weavings are of cut pile construction, with a foundation of undyed goat hair or wool warps and two shots of coloured wool wefts (usually grey, brown or pink) or light brown camel hair between each row of knots. While symmetrical knots are more commonly found in Yomut weavings, asymmetrical knots are also sometimes used. To these structural characteristics, which help to distinguish Yomut weaving from other Turkmen weavings, may be added colour and design. The rich and varied reds that characterise Turkmen rugs and trappings generally were easily obtainable from local madder plants.
HISTORY
Notes
This storage bag, or juval, face is one of a large collection of 127 mainly Yomut Turkmen rugs and trappings assembled with a discerning eye over a 30 year period by the Sydney collector and donor Robert Upfold. The juval was purchased by the donor from Michael Phillips, USA in November 2003. Upfold's stated and generous intention was always to donate this collection eventually to the Powerhouse Museum. Highly skilled in their execution, these rugs and trappings span the traditional range of production of the Yomut Turkmen women weavers and capture the essence of an independent people and their virtually extinguished nomadic way of life. Juvals like this were used to transport the family's possessions when they were moving from place to place and, when the tent was erected again, as store for their belongings and to decorate the tent. The Yomut are the second largest Turkmen group after the Ersari and were divided into two main subgroups, one of which inhabited the area around the Balkan Mountains to the south-east of the Caspian Sea and northern Iran. The other group lived further to the north, east of the Aral Sea near the khanate of Khiva. Little is known of Yomut history, largely due to their warlike character and nomadic lifestyle, which ensured that they carried only essentials with them. While focusing almost exclusively on Yomut Turkmen weaving from the late 18th to early 20th centuries, the collection also includes six pieces from Igdyr, Saryk, Tekke and Chodor Turkmen groups
SOURCE
Credit Line
Donated through the Australian Government's Cultural Gifts Program by Robert Upfold, 2013
Acquisition Date
22 April 2015
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