Felt Floor Carpet (Syrmak)

Description

Author: Yernazarova, Maisara. 1911-?
Syrmak - a felt floor carpet made by the traditional nomadic method from densely felted sheep’s wool in the inlaid appliqué (mosaic) technique, in which two sheets of contrasting colour are cut into one another and stitched along the edge of the cut with a decorative cord. The elongated rectangular field is occupied horizontally by a large, mirror-symmetrical zoomorphic composition of interlacing horn-shaped scrolls; the central motif is smaller than the lateral branches, which recall the branching antlers of a deer - “buğy müyiz”. The patterns flow smoothly into one another, forming a single protective interlace characteristic of Kazakh “oyu-örnek” ornament, and are enclosed by a border around the perimeter. The palette rests on the classic two-colour contrast of natural dark brown and undyed milky-white felt, lending the design graphic clarity and making it legible from a distance.