A new purchase, from a dealer in Istanbul. Note the similarity between the back of this bag and that of the preceding chanteh, which was also recently acquired in Istanbul. A similar soft green dye is also evident in some of the details. (I sometimes wonder if sets of bags or rugs from a particular source are found by middlemen and then dispersed to various dealers. Frequently a batch of similar or comparable textiles comes onto the market at the same time; then you don't see their like again for quite a while). The front of this chanteh is unusual: a field full of 'figure' motifs, fairly irregularly dispersed, with some crudely embroidered upside-down animals at the top. The back, on the other hand, is very competently woven (as in the last bag, there is 'shift' in the field, this time about halfway down). A mother and child working together? I really like the irregular pile tufts on the front, which don't seem to be disguising anything at all. They are either simply decorative or, perhaps, are intended, like blue ceramic beads, to ward off the evil eye. It measures 13" by 12" (without tassels).
