Verneh – Karabagh, South Caucasus

This Azerbaijani Verneh of high-quality craftsmanship was woven using the Soumak and brocade techniques — a flat-weave whose surface has the intricate, embroidered character of fine needlework. Its design is a disciplined grid: eighty square compartments in denim blue, madder red and chocolate brown, each containing a large cruciform device finished with hooks at every end. The border marches with double hooks like buckled belts, a signature of Karabagh flat-weaves. Vernehs served the great tent ceremonies of the Caucasus, and this one keeps that ceremonial dignity: graphic, precise, and strikingly modern to the contemporary eye.