AN ANATOLIAN MEDALLION CARPET FRAGMENT

Details
AN ANATOLIAN MEDALLION CARPET FRAGMENT
18TH CENTURY

The shaded rust-red field scattered with a variety of small floral motifs, S-motifs and larger hooked palmettes around a central large ivory stepped hexagonal medallion containing serrated medallions, lozenges and rosettes radiating from a central sea-green panel, the large pendants with similar motifs, in a golden yellow panelled border of polychrome serrated and indented hexagonal panels containing hooked motifs with inner charcoal-grey polychrome S-motif stripes, fragmentary, insect damage, corroded light brown, small holes and slight repair
Approximately 7ft.9in. x 2ft.9in. (236cm. x 84cm.)

Warp: white wool, Z2S, not depressed, sometimes slightly undulating
Weft: four shoots, dark brown wool, Z1, undulating
Pile: wool, Z2, knots symmetrical inclined to the left, H2.7 x V3.3/cm.
Provenance
Acquired 31 December 1941 as a "Bergamos"

Lot Essay

The medallion and field design of this fragment can also be seen on another rug in a Hamburg private collection (see Schrmann, Ulrich: Teppiche aus dem Orient, Wiesbaden) a fragment and a carpet in the Trk ve Islam Eserleri Museum, Istanbul, found in the Hagia Sophia (see Yetkin, Serare: Early Caucasian Carpets in Turkey, London, 1978, pl.101 and 102). Schrmann classifies the Hamburg piece as Armenian, eighteenth century and Yetkin lists the TIEM pieces as medallion carpets, nineteenth century. The similarity in design and drawing of these three pieces could suggest that they are from the same looms or at least from the same region and tradition. Another rug with a similar white ground medallion on a different field was included in the fiftieth anniversary exhibition of the Hajji Baba Club (see Walker, Daniel: "Oriental Rugs of the Hajji Babas, Exhibition Review," Hali, Vol.4, no. 4, 1982, p.392, fig.5 and front cover). The Hajji Baba rug is attributed to the Erzurum region of northeastt Anatolia, late eighteenth or nineteenth century. The serrated palmettes and jagged drawing of these pieces also share design a affinity with eighteenth century Caucasian embroideries and dragon carpets.

The comparison in design of these pieces and the Caucasian pieces would suggest a northeast Anatolian origin. This attribution is supported by the discovery of the second Yetkin example in Erzurum.

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