Important Notice

KUWAIT, CIRCA 1930
Handspun and handwoven wool, natural dyes
35 x 93.25 in (89 x 237 cm)


The raut is a woollen flat-weave woven by Bedouin women. The Bedouins, whose name is derived from the Arabic Badawiyin means 'dwellers of the desert.' They are Arabic speaking nomadic groups of the Middle East.

The present lot is a room divider, essentially meant to demarcate the area for use by women from the more public spaces used by men. The ground colour of this raut is black and the patterning is done with red and white coloured wool. It is not symmetrical, and the designs are largely geometrical, taken from imagery the Bedouin see around them during their travels. Many are representative of the landscape - the unending desert, the animals they tend, and their nomadic lifestyle. Breaking the symmetry is an unusual line of five male figures, shown holding hands. The weaving of human forms is not common amongst the Bedouins.

While weaving, the warp was stretched from the inner warp beam, placed near the tent door, out into the desert, and known as al sadu. This means that which stretches beyond and has the same significance as tantu in Sanskrit, and also refers to that which reaches out. Textiles such as these are rarely made nowadays, out. Textiles such as these are rarely made nowadays, customs for a modern, urban lifestyle. Jasleen Dhamija acquired this piece in Kuwait in 1986, and it may be part of a larger piece.

Other similar works in: this auction  |  entire site