A number of Koum Kapi rugs of thsi design have appeared on the market in recent years. The most recent of them were sold in these rooms (21 October 1993 lot 428 and 29 April 1993 lot 327). Both of these were from the same cartoon but executed on a slightly smaller scale than the present example. Each version done from this cartoon appears to ahve been woven using a slightly different colour scheme.

Unlike examples of the so-called 'Sultan's head' design, rugs of this design do not appear to have been signed in general. Only the publication of cartoons for rugs of this design with a provanance of the family of Zareh Penyamin have enabled them to be ascribed to thsi weaver (published Bensoussan, P.: 'Turkish Workshop Carpets' in HALI 26, April/May/June 1985 pp.34-41 esp. fig.14).

Not mentioned in this article, but pointed out by the owner of the cartoons, was the fact that one of them bears a signature that differs from Zareh's usual form. This is the signature that is found in the two lower corners of the present rug. In his article discussing the signature seen here, George Farrow notes another rug which not only bears this signature, but also the signature of the Hereke workshops (Farrow, G.F.: 'Koum Kapi Masters', in HALI 46, August 1989, p.11). This shows that Zareh began his career at the Hereke workshops, where he used this, his early signature, only later changing it to the better known one found on so many of the finest Koum Kapi rugs.

The large size, the unusually light colour scheme, the absence of that absolute fineness of weave that so typified his later weavings and in particular the absence of metal thread used in the flatwoven areas, together with the points on the siggnature noted above, all confirm that this is very probably the earliest rug of this design woven by Zareh.