Ottoman pouch.

Nomadic tribes of Asia Minor. Turkey. First quarter of the 20th century.

This bag, woven with rustic goat wool dyed with natural colorants, woven on a floor loom (stake loom), in one single piece, with four-edge technique, has been conceived for the heavy provision of transporting belongings, utensils and clothing, on horseback or camel, in the movements of the nomadic tribes of the present territory of Anatolia. Measurements. Length: 50 cm / 19.68 in. Width: 62 cm / 24.4 in.

Made with the kilim weaving technique (smooth weft face) with delicate details of soumak bands, representative of waves. A technical note: the threads persist on the reverse, in this case inside the piece, after embracing the warps. For reasons of its function, the face that comes into contact with the cargo animal is made of raw, undyed wool, continuing without interruption of the fabric on its more elaborate outer face.

The earthy colors of the dyeing and the ornamental design tell us about a tribe that roamed the Anatolian peninsula, near the shores of the Black Sea.

The thick braid sewn to the edge of the mouth is not an ornament; It is about its closure, since it leaves eyelets for the passage of a string of the same braid that secured the content, a braid of which today only retains a small record.

Finally, we can appreciate in the corners of the base the aesthetic touch of two bicolor braids that protected the integrity of the fabric for almost a century. "It has been firmly rooted, from the examples of ancient textiles of the nomads of Central Asia and other regions, which regularly present angular designs, with a predominance of black and other dark colors, emphasizing the functional character over technical or visual sophistication”. (1)

Notes:

1. Lee Allane: Tribal Rugs. Ed Thames and Hudson, London, 1996, p. 17.