Sunday, June 26, 2011

Photo Blogging: Central Asian Textiles

Soviet war -era Afghan battle rug, supposedly of a real battle, obtained from an (American) artist who spent a good part of his youth there. Notice almost NMexican architecture and lack of un- Islamic humans despite tanks and helicopters; as always, click to embiggen:


Uzbek gun slip-- for, of all things, a Jungle carbine SMLE. Believe me, the only thing that fits, even to a perfectly- placed hole for the bolt handle...



Thanks to Michael Simon and Eric Wilcox.

UPDATE: found a pic of the old carbine with the Uzbek slip. Sold down the road like so many good guns, and too poor to afford "new" guns right now, but if anyone has one they no longer want (;-)...

2 comments:

The Suburban Bushwacker said...

Steve
In London's Camden Lock Market I sold a great deal of that Peshawar transitional art in the 80's, literally 100s of AK47 rugs (usually to american tourists), but there weren't that many examples like the rug pictured, while I have seen more impressive battle scenes (and rugs with a mix of figurative and traditional depictions of tanks, helicopters and planes) there just wasn't that much of it made. Hang on to that piece, truly the antiques of tomorrow.
SBW

Steve Bodio said...

SBW-- that is exactly what i thought-- not just ANOTHER damn Kalashnikov rug.

The Afghanophile artist and fly fisherman Michael Simon, a genuine expert, who had grabbed it up, thought it was unique too and wanted me to have it... around '91?

And my adviser in all things textile, falconer and Asian carpet maven Eric Wilcox (who got me thegun slip) likes it too.