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Lot Essay
The field pattern of this example, using Ellis' classifications, is of the "kilim" style because of its angular drawing and the jagged, saw-tooth edges seen in ares of the arabesque lattice, (C. G. Ellis, "The 'Lotto' Pattern as a Fashion in Carpets," Festschrift fr Peter Wilhelm Meister, 1975, pp.19-31).
The 'box' border seen here is usually associated with early 'Lotto' rugs from the sixteenth century. Although in most other examples the kufesque border is more visually related to script, the 'box' border is found in a small number of other 'Lotto' rugs, and occasional other Turkish rugs of the same period. This border only appears on two paintings, one dateable to the mid-16th century, the other to circa 1590 (John Mills, "Carpets in Paintings, The 'Bellini', 'Keyhole' or 'Re-entrant' Rugs", Hali 58, August 1991, appendix, p.127; for an illustration of the second of these two, 'The Chess Players', by Ludovico Carracci see John Mills,"'Lotto' Carpets in Western Paintings," Hali, Vol. 3, no. 4, pp.278-289, fig. 20). A small number of other 'Lotto' rugs or fragments are known with this border (Serare Yetkin, Historical Turkish Carpets, Istanbul, 1981, pl.32, 'kilim' field in the Turk ve Islam Museum, Istanbul; Volkmar Gantzhorn, The Christian Oriental Carpet, Cologne, 1991, illus. 398, 'Anatolian field'; Michael Franses and Robert Pinner, "Turkish Carpets in the Victoria & Albert Museum," Hali, Vol. 6, no. 4, p.364, fig. 9, a fragment with 'Anatolian' field, The Bernheimer Family Collection of Carpets, Christie's, London, 14 February 1996, lot, 90, with 'kilim' field; Trefoil Guls Stars and Gardens, exhibition catalogue, Oakland California, 1989, pl.XVI, p.11 with 'Anatolian' field), Christie's London, 16 April 2007, lot 47, 'ornamental' field. Two further examples whose "box" borders lack the secondary elements are in churches in Transylvania (Stefano Ionescu (ed.), Antique Ottoman Rugs in Transylvania, Rome, 2005, cat.232, p.187, with variant 'Anatolian' field, and another substantially restored fragment with 'Anatolian' field, ill.p.204).
The combination of the kilim-style field and the kufesque border of the present piece is unusual and can be found in another example in the Museé Jacquemart-André, Paris, albeit with a different interpretation of the kufesque border (see Tapis Present de L'Orient A L'Occident, Paris, 1989, pp.66-67).
The 'box' border seen here is usually associated with early 'Lotto' rugs from the sixteenth century. Although in most other examples the kufesque border is more visually related to script, the 'box' border is found in a small number of other 'Lotto' rugs, and occasional other Turkish rugs of the same period. This border only appears on two paintings, one dateable to the mid-16th century, the other to circa 1590 (John Mills, "Carpets in Paintings, The 'Bellini', 'Keyhole' or 'Re-entrant' Rugs", Hali 58, August 1991, appendix, p.127; for an illustration of the second of these two, 'The Chess Players', by Ludovico Carracci see John Mills,"'Lotto' Carpets in Western Paintings," Hali, Vol. 3, no. 4, pp.278-289, fig. 20). A small number of other 'Lotto' rugs or fragments are known with this border (Serare Yetkin, Historical Turkish Carpets, Istanbul, 1981, pl.32, 'kilim' field in the Turk ve Islam Museum, Istanbul; Volkmar Gantzhorn, The Christian Oriental Carpet, Cologne, 1991, illus. 398, 'Anatolian field'; Michael Franses and Robert Pinner, "Turkish Carpets in the Victoria & Albert Museum," Hali, Vol. 6, no. 4, p.364, fig. 9, a fragment with 'Anatolian' field, The Bernheimer Family Collection of Carpets, Christie's, London, 14 February 1996, lot, 90, with 'kilim' field; Trefoil Guls Stars and Gardens, exhibition catalogue, Oakland California, 1989, pl.XVI, p.11 with 'Anatolian' field), Christie's London, 16 April 2007, lot 47, 'ornamental' field. Two further examples whose "box" borders lack the secondary elements are in churches in Transylvania (Stefano Ionescu (ed.), Antique Ottoman Rugs in Transylvania, Rome, 2005, cat.232, p.187, with variant 'Anatolian' field, and another substantially restored fragment with 'Anatolian' field, ill.p.204).
The combination of the kilim-style field and the kufesque border of the present piece is unusual and can be found in another example in the Museé Jacquemart-André, Paris, albeit with a different interpretation of the kufesque border (see Tapis Present de L'Orient A L'Occident, Paris, 1989, pp.66-67).