This post is going to be somewhat of a departure from tradition, as it refers not to something in my own collection, but to something I bought, not for myself but as a wedding present. It comes from the same place as number 23, in which I wrote the following:

 

This rug comes from a source which I haven’t referred to so far -  a city on the English south coast which we visit once in a while. The importers are a combination of one Turkish and one English spouse, which seems not uncommon in this business. They go regularly to buy in Turkey, but say that it is becoming increasingly difficult to find good rugs, especially ones with some age.

The Uzbek square (cushion cover) featured in number 31 also came from the same shop, though in that post I made no reference to the place where I had bought it. Anyhow, I got lucky, because when I arrived at said emporium recently, hunting for a special present, I was delighted to dicover that the couple referred to above had just got back from a buying trip to Turkey and Iran, and the shop was bursting at the seams with goodies. Included therein was a cupboard piled high with Uzbek cloths - I was going to say hangings, though I’m not at all sure that they’re actually created as such. The price range was from about £75 upwards towards £300 and possibly even above. We (Hacina was with me) didn’t much like the cheaper ones, and the top of the range was outside our budget, so we were somewhat restricted. One piece, however, met our requirements both for price and quality. This is it:

 

 

dimensions roughly 2 x 1.3 metres

What particularly impressed me about this piece was that the maker had embroidered the date (1977) and her (I presume) name into the piece, and we were sold the piece without any additional value being attributed to this, despite the fact that I have seen no other Uzbek piece dated, and that in the case of other antiques, this is considered a valuable feature. In short, I feel that this was a bargain, or to put it another way, excellent value for money, and that has to leave you with a good feeling. Anyhow, it appears to have been much appreciated at its destination, which was obviously the crucial factor in this particular case.

Footnote: In a recent post (number 33) I wrote about Ugur and the shop which closed when he went back to Turkey. He too had some Uzbek embroidered cloths and, to put the above in context, one of these - an old one - was one of the most beautiful things I have ever seen. I’m kicking myself for not having asked to take a picture of it, so that I could share it with you. Anyhow, the price on that was a cool £675, which as I have already mentioned elsewhere is an indication of the way that such pieces are becoming rarities and much sought after. I couldn’t persuade myself to invest that kind of money in a rectangle of cloth; nevertheless, it’s certainly true that I am not likely ever to see something similar again. Finally, there is a second footnote: I’ve just bought a really old (Uzbek) one from Roger at a bargain basement price, and this - although it looks as though the dog got at it: as it would, coming from Roger - is an absolute beauty also. I’ll post it before too long, Insallah.