Kuba Kilim Rug

Five stepped diamonds float down a red field, lined up like stepping stones.

This Kuba kilim rug comes from the Caucasus and dates to the 20th century. It is wool. Kilims are flat-woven rugs without pile, made on upright looms by nomadic and village weavers, with geometric patterns that grew directly from the structure of the weave. A bright red field holds a row of concentric diamonds in cream, black, teal and red, with smaller diamonds tucked between them. Teal and cream bands frame the field, followed by a wide outer border of zigzags and small diamonds on an apricot ground. It is 5.5 feet wide and 11.2 long.

Laid out with the confidence of someone who knew exactly where the next diamond went.