Soumak

Mixed Weave Aubusson

An open straw-gold field carries a symmetrical arrangement of palmettes and serrated lanceolate leaves in rust, olive, and soft blue, mirrored along the vertical axis so paired blossoms and scrolling stems face one another at the center. A wide border of large floral clusters and sinuous vines, framed by narrow guard stripes with a small repeating trefoil pattern, encloses the composition on all sides. Color throughout stays within a warm palette of amber, terracotta, sage green, and dusty sky blue against the pale ground.

Flat Weave Technique

A pale straw-colored ground carries a lattice of crimson and burgundy strapwork enclosing lobed medallions filled with small floral rosettes in muted rose, sage, and taupe. The wide outer border repeats large stylized blossoms and serrated leaf forms within a narrower guard band of interlocking geometric lozenges. At the center, a diamond formed of scalloped panels anchors the composition, its curling vinework echoed throughout the open field.

Flat Weave Technique

The field, a soft olive-gold ground, carries an allover lattice of curling vinework linking palmettes and rosette medallions rendered in ivory, pale blue-green, and honey tones. A broad chocolate-brown border encloses this pattern with sweeping serrated leaves and scrolling tendrils, framed by narrower guard stripes of small floral trefoils in cream and gold. The overall palette stays warm and muted, with the deeper brown of the border setting off the lighter tonalities of the field.

Polonaise Technique

The ivory field is organized in vertical columns of interlocking cusped medallions and elongated palmette forms rendered in olive, brown, and gold, with sprays of blue and coral florets scattered throughout. A wide sage-green border carries a continuous scrolling vine of stylized flowers and leaves, framed by narrow guard stripes in cream and tan with a small repeating floral motif. The overall palette stays soft and muted, dominated by ivory, gold, and green with restrained accents of red and blue.

Pile Technique, Polonaise Technique

A golden-yellow field carries a symmetrical arrangement of palmettes, lanceolate leaves, and scrolling vinework rendered in pale blue, ivory, and soft brown, with a central medallion of stacked palmette forms echoed at top and bottom. The main border repeats a chain of stylized diamond-shaped palmettes in tan and olive against a darker ground, flanked by narrow guard stripes with small serrated devices in cream and gold.

Polonaise Technique

An olive-brown field carries an overall lattice of scrolling stems that link palmettes and rosettes rendered in cream, pale blue, and ochre. A soft ivory band frames the field before giving way to a wider brown border filled with the same undulating floral scrollwork, all enclosed by narrow guard stripes in tan and cream.

Polonaise Technique