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Turkmen rolled felt carpet, Erbent (Cooper Hewitt, made 2007)

Object · not yet checked at the source

Made by: Turkmen household maker, Erbent oasis
Date: 2007
Place: Erbent, Karakum desert
Held by: Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum
Number: collection object ID 18715829 (accession number not seen; gift of Christine Martens, acquired 2008)
Materials: wool
Themes: Rug-making techniques

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Turkmen household maker, Erbent oasis. Turkmen rolled felt carpet, Erbent (Cooper Hewitt, made 2007), 2007. Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum, collection object ID 18715829 (accession number not seen; gift of Christine Martens, acquired 2008). collection.cooperhewitt.org/objects/18715829.

Research notes

How it works (as the museum describes it): dyed wool is laid out in a pattern on a reed mat, wetted and rolled, and the roll is kicked back and forth. It is then unrolled and finished by fulling on the forearms. The pattern is felted in, not sewn on. This object: a 251.5 × 144.8 cm felt with horn motifs (a protective symbol), made at home for family use. Comparison: the British Museum has a double-sided Yomut felt from 1960–70 with ram's-horn motifs (As1973,09.66). The Mary Museum in Turkmenistan names traditional felt patterns and says felt is rolled in reeds with hot water. Sources: https://collection.cooperhewitt.org/objects/18715829 · https://www.britishmuseum.org/collection/object/W_As1973-09-66 · https://marymuseum.gov.tm/tazelikler/en/28.05.2025_en.html Research note (Oct 2026): from search results; pages not opened.