KAZAK Dated 1929
Three Medallion Design
Inscription: 19299, 1929

This simple three-medallion Kazak woven in 1929 shows the tree of life. There is a single bird atop the upper central tree. In the 6th century A.D. an anonymous Armenian monk wrote: "A little bird I saw--a peerless one. Upon the four-armed sign, that peer hath none. O Peerless One, who is like Thee, Thou Peerless One. Thou alone." Birds in trees had been a traditional part of pre-Christian Armenian art, so symbolizing Christ on the cross with a bird on a tree was an easy and logical step. It is likely that this graphic symbol was made even more popular by the Armenian folk-belief in the souls of the deceased appearing as birds.