CENTRAL SPAIN, MID-16TH CENTURY

A number of Alcaraz 'Wreath' carpets have survived, all of which are variations on the same theme as seen here. There is a clear parallel between this group and the 15th century ‘Wheel’ carpets (see lot 105), although the previous Islamic stellar octagon design has become the classical oak-leaf wreath that is seen here, reflecting the Christianisation of the region. The earliest examples, such as a fragment in the Textile Museum, Washington D.C., exhibit a greater variety of colour than the bi-tonal palette of the present lot (E. Kühnel, Textile Museum, Catalogue of Spanish Rugs, 12th Century to 19th Century, Washington D.C., 1953, R84.2, p. 29, pl. XXVI). This colour scheme, which utilises the new cochineal dye from Mexico, is also seen in a comparable example from the Joseph Lees Williams Memorial Collection, Philadelphia Museum of Art, inv. no. 55-65-36 (C. Grant Ellis, Oriental Carpets in the Philadelphia Museum of Art, Philadelphia, 1988, no. 71, p. 260). The linked dragon motifs in the green ton-sur-ton border of the present lot are a charming addition.