Weavers of such kilims sit in front of their looms and weave, not for you and me, but for themselves. These pieces were not made for sale, but as utilitarian textiles for their own tents. Such spontaneous creation allows the weaver’s historic and collective memories to surface, revealing the subconscious in ways that make these kilims deeply intriguing and quietly mysterious.

The kilim shown here is the work of a Shahsavan woman from the Persian province of Azerbaijan, woven circa the 1940s.