Antique Bessarabian Kilim

Woven in the late 19th century, this is a truly wonderful Bessarabian kilim with a rare brown/aubergine toned background, the dye changes are subtle and work so well with the design to resemble flowing water.  The muted border with subtle pinks, powder blues and sage greens for the floral patterns create a lovely palette.  A very rare larger size too for a Bessarabian kilim of this age, as usually they smaller and not as long. Condition is perfect and professionally backed too, this is an early and exceptional piece.

An unusual background colour on this kilim, as more often they were woven with blues or green tones.  Woven over 130 years old, and supplied with our sturdy anti-slip underlay, this kilim would look fantastic on the floor for another 100 years.  It would be a pleasure to show this Bessarabian kilim to you at home or at our showroom, please make contact with us in your preferred way to arrange a time.

While most Persian carpets can be classified to a specific region corresponding to their weave, this is not the case with Bessarabian carpets and rugs. With these rugs, the weave only gives clues about the market it was created for (rural or urban); therefore, a normal classification is disregarded and the broader term, "Bessarabian", is applied.

Bessarabian rugs and carpets are the commonly given name for rugs in pile and tapestry technique originating in Ukraine and Moldova during the late 19th and early 20th centuries.  Some scholars will classify flat-woven carpets as Bessarabian, while referring to knotted-pile carpets as Ukrainian. They are predominantly from an area corresponding to modern Bulgaria and Romania. Produced under late Ottoman rule, they stand right on the cusp of European and Oriental carpet weaving.

Farnham Antique Carpets are specialists in antique decorative carpets, rugs and runners. Varying from antique tribal rugs woven in the Caucasus to classical Persian carpets dating from the mid 19th century to the early 20th century.

As members of the BADA - The British Antique Dealers Association and LAPADA - The Association of Art & Antique Dealers we adhere to strict guide lines as affiliated members and pride ourselves on maintaining its high standards. We exhibit at the BADA fair in Chelsea, London every March and the LAPADA Fair in Mayfair, London every September.