WEST ANATOLIA, 17TH CENTURY

While by no means the earliest of this design, the present rug has rich colouring and shows why they remained popular throughout Europe over such a prolonged period. The earliest and best examples of these carpets were woven for the Ottoman court but examples began to appear in European paintings during the sixteenth century. By the 17th century there is evidence of a substantial export market in Europe, both from textual sources and from the number which have survived in large European country houses.