Folk Designs from the Caucasus

by Lyatif Kerimov

This book contains 129 plates with over 450 individual designs from the weaving district of Azerbaijan. All are produced in clear diagrammatic form, making this material from one of the world's great... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0486230147
• ISBN13: 9780486230146
• Release Date: January 1974
• Publisher: Dover Publications
• Length: 120 Pages
• Weight: 0.85 lbs.

Customer Reviews

Beautiful Designs from Traditional Rugs....A Great Book!

This book was published by Dover Publications in 1974. It is based on the original publication of 1961, Azerbaidzhanskii Kovyor. If you like putting your own designs together and appreciate folk-style, Azeri/Persian motifs for your decor, then you will enjoy this book. I first became interested in these types of designs when we invested in a Persian styled rug. I wanted to get some accessories to tie in the rug to the rest of the room, but I couldn't find any that I really liked. This was the answer for me, it's time to make my own. This book is no longer in print, but if you find a copy, get it. The kinds of designs presented are very rare and difficult to find. There are 451 lovely motifs to choose from, including many border designs. Some of them put together would make very attractive needlepoint/cross stitch samplers. I especially loved the floral and animal designs. Some of the borders can be identified by a particular feature, like the jagged edges of "the saw" and the boxes of "the cradle" and other animal motifs. There are other designs that would make really nice embellishments for linens and even on clothing. This is not a book for those who are uncomfortable with putting their own designs together. There aren't any completed rugs or completed samplers to look at with corresponding charts, so one would be left with the task of choosing which motifs you like and putting them together. The charts are also black and white, and there are no suggestions for colors. However, they are large and very clear so they will be very easy to follow. I plan to use some of the border designs on some pillowcases and curtain/drapery sashes. If you are a weaver, then this book is a gold mine, because all of the designs were intended for use in Persian/Azerbajani rugs. For smaller projects, one could choose a floral or medalion motif and surround it with a border and do a grouping of similar pictures. I thought the title of this book was a little misleading because all of the designs come from Azerbajan. I wish there was more information about the colors used and some history presented regarding the patterns. The traditional colors of gold, burgundy, shades of blue and brown would look very nice, though.