Turkmen Turcoman, Central asia

As opposed to the underlying lattice structure that guides the eye, in this case the medallions are freed to form a new design language. In the bag face, the name for the quartered, octagonal motif (gul) translates as "flower" and indicates the particular Turkmen tribe to which the weaver belongs. In the adjacent Southern Caucasus cover, the repeating designs, although also derived from floral imagery, show an abstracted approach that favors experimentation and movement.

Despite their being made on opposite sides of the Caspian Sea, both pieces share a common design influence: the roundels on woven silk fabrics made and traded by Persian Sasanians, Central Asian Sogdians, Byzantines, and the Chinese.