Carpet
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In the collection of Art Institute of Chicago, Chicago · as of July 2026
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FROM THE ART INSTITUTE OF CHICAGO’S CATALOG
The prevalent Chinese dragon design appears on this sileh , or flat-woven soumak carpet, from the Caucasus. These geometric dragons are flying with thier tails high in the air, and the bottom extensions of the backward "S" shapes represent their lower jaws. Carpets with inscriptions and dates are extremely rare, but this example is even more remarkable beacause it was woven in one piece; the large majority of such carpets were woven in two parts. Its exceptionally rich coloring, including a wide range of blue and green tones is also an unusual feature.
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