Torba (tent bag) by Tekke Turkmen women
Object No. 87/1526
This small tent bag or torba, sometimes also called a djollar, is a fine example of Tekke Turkmen weaving made for use by the weaver herself or her tribe. Bags like this were used to store household items within their tents. The Tekke people belong to one of a number of tribes of the nomadic Turkmen who, in the 19th century, inhabited that region of central Asia generally bounded by the Caspian Sea in the west and the Oxus River in the east. The highly decorative face of the tent bag features six large octagonal motifs called guls which are characteristic of Turkmen design. Each different Turkmen tribe, including the Tekke, uses its own distinguishing motifs or guls in weaving. The pile weave bag face was made using the asymmetrical or Sehneh knot, which is typical of Tekke Turkmen weaving. So-called 'six-gul' torbas like this one were originally thought to be extremely rare. London dealer David Black was one of the first to draw attention to them, after which many other Tekke torbas, including some with nine guls, came to light. They remain one of the most subtle and beautifully executed of all the small knotted Central Asian artefacts in terms of design, balance and construction, and are still much sought after. Pamela Leuzinger, Research Assistant, Design & Society (with thanks to Ross Langlands) January, 2010
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Summary
Object Statement
Torba (tent bag), knotted pile weave, wool, by Tekke Turkmen woman, Turkmenistan, Central Asia, 1850-1900
Physical Description
Rectangular tent bag or torba, open across the top with fold-over reinforcement and a long wool fringe attached to the bottom edge. The decorative face of the bag features a Tekke Turkmen pattern worked in knotted pile using naturally dyed wool in red, blue, brown and orange with white accents on undyed ivory wool warps. The back of the bag is undecorated flat-weave in ivory wool and the fringe has alternating bands of orange, red and blue. The bag is missing its original side cords and there is some moth damage but the piece is in otherwise excellent condition.
DIMENSIONS
Height
810 mm
Width
1200 mm
PRODUCTION
Notes
The design of the face of the tent bag features six guls (the major ornament of the field) alternating with a secondary design surrounded by a triple border, and is worked in mottled reds, dark blue, brown and white with touches of orange/yellow. Vegetable dyes have been used. The bag is hand woven in typically Tekke fashion using the asymmetrical knot on relatively flat, rather than depressed, warp threads of fine undyed ivory wool. The backing cloth is original, using the same warps as the face; the fringe is probably also original, although this is more difficult to ascertain as it has been attached separately.
HISTORY
Notes
Purchased by the Oriental Rug Society of NSW from Nomadic Rug Traders, Sydney for donation to the Powerhouse Museum collection.
SOURCE
Credit Line
Gift of Oriental Rug Society Of New South Wales, 1987
Acquisition Date
7 December 1987
Copyright for the above image is held by the Powerhouse and may be subject to third-party copyright restrictions. Please submit an Image Licensing Enquiry for information regarding reproduction, copyright and fees. Text is released under Attribution-Non Commercial-No Derivative licence.
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