Baluch balisht face with botehs, before 1900 Baluch balisht face with botehs, before 1900Click on image to view in larger size
This attractive balisht face is not in the best condition, but has excellent glossy wool and a charming overall boteh repeat pattern, executed in a limited palette of five all-natural colours (a beautiful aubergine, brick red, very dark teal green, a slightly lighter shade of olive green, and a few off-white highlights). The dark green ground is mostly corroded, giving an embossed look to the botehs.
The main border is simple but effective, showing wide diagonal stripes holding diagonally offset rows of three little squares each, and using all the colour permutations you can get from the 4 dyes (white being excluded). The four narrow secondary borders all show barber poles, the outer one with accentuated by white dots.
The balisht measures about 2ft.7in. x 1ft.5in. (79 x 45 cm). The weave is non-depressed with asymmetric knots open to the left. Warps are off-white wool Z2S, wefts three shoots of thin olive brwon wool Z2S. Knotting is quite dense and tight 10.v, 10.h, = ca 100 kpsi, allowing for the diagonals in the border. Thin flat two cord selvages, wrapping thin and unravelling in a few places.
Condition variable; the balisht is still more or less complete, with nice pile, but has corrosion of the dark green and some bare areas, may be old moth areas. Both ends show losses of secondary borders and whatever kilim there may have been, more loss at tha bottom where the edge of the main border is affected (see images).
Colour as described under design - all dyes are certainly natural, the overall the appearance is dark, as often with Baluch rugs and bags, but the contrast between aubergine and the dark green ground in the intricate boteh pattern, the varied border, small white highlights and the play of light on the glossy wool pile make this still a lively and interesting weaving.
