Lot Essay
This carpet is an extremely rare example of an Anatolian interpretation of a Northwest Persian Medallion carpet such as the carpet offered as lot 101 of this collection. The Ottoman Turks occupied Tabriz for the first part of the sixteenth century and would have had knowledge of and easy access to Persian Medallion carpets. It is also known that the Ottoman aristocracy admired Persian Medallion carpets and several examples are known to have been in Turkey at a fairly early date, such as the carpet that Kurt Erdmann found in the Harem of the Top Kapi Palace (Franses, Michael and Bennett, Ian: "The Vakiflar Carpet Collection," Hali, 38, 1988, p.41).
The design of the Bernheimer carpet is a fairly straight forward copy, although with an Anatolian flair, of the Persian design type seen in a Medallion carpet from the Benjamin Altman collection in the Metropolitan Museum of Art (see Dimand, M. S. and Mailey, J.: Oriental Rugs in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, 1973, p.41, fig. 62). Both the Altman carpet and the Bernheimer carpet have lobed palmette and floral vine-filled medallions anchored by oversized pendants on a floral vinery field with lobed spandrels. Even the minor guard border of the Bernheimer piece is of more Persian design than Turkish.
At least three other examples of this Persian Medallion inspired Anatolian carpets are known to exist, two in the Vakiflar Carpet Museum, Istanbul (see, Franses and Bennett: op. cit., p.39 and Balpinar, Belkis: Carpets of the Vakiflar Museum Istanbul, Wesel, 1988, pl.55 and pl.56) and a fragment in the Keir Collection, London (see Spuhler, Friedrich: Islamic Carpets and Textiles in the Keir Collection, London, 1978, pp.78-79, no. 40). Both the Vakiflar pieces and the Bernheimer example are fairly accurate representations of the Persian design, whereas the design of the Keir Collection fragment is a bit awkward and confused.
The precise dating and attribution for this carpet is difficult and any suggestions must be viewed as tentative. Belkis Balpinar attributes the Vakiflar carpets to eastern Anatolia based on colour and dates the carpets to sixteenth/seventeenth century. An east Anatolian origin would also make sense based on proximity to northwest Persia, but as the Persian Medallion carpets were known throughout Anatolia this can not be certain. In terms of logical chronology, a date for these carpets at some time in the sixteenth century is plausible, as the Persian Medallion carpets are believed to be as early as the late fifthteenth century. However, as the Persian carpets were continued to be woven throughout the sixteenth century a date as late as the early seventeenth century is also possible for the Anatolian versions.
The design of the Bernheimer carpet is a fairly straight forward copy, although with an Anatolian flair, of the Persian design type seen in a Medallion carpet from the Benjamin Altman collection in the Metropolitan Museum of Art (see Dimand, M. S. and Mailey, J.: Oriental Rugs in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, 1973, p.41, fig. 62). Both the Altman carpet and the Bernheimer carpet have lobed palmette and floral vine-filled medallions anchored by oversized pendants on a floral vinery field with lobed spandrels. Even the minor guard border of the Bernheimer piece is of more Persian design than Turkish.
At least three other examples of this Persian Medallion inspired Anatolian carpets are known to exist, two in the Vakiflar Carpet Museum, Istanbul (see, Franses and Bennett: op. cit., p.39 and Balpinar, Belkis: Carpets of the Vakiflar Museum Istanbul, Wesel, 1988, pl.55 and pl.56) and a fragment in the Keir Collection, London (see Spuhler, Friedrich: Islamic Carpets and Textiles in the Keir Collection, London, 1978, pp.78-79, no. 40). Both the Vakiflar pieces and the Bernheimer example are fairly accurate representations of the Persian design, whereas the design of the Keir Collection fragment is a bit awkward and confused.
The precise dating and attribution for this carpet is difficult and any suggestions must be viewed as tentative. Belkis Balpinar attributes the Vakiflar carpets to eastern Anatolia based on colour and dates the carpets to sixteenth/seventeenth century. An east Anatolian origin would also make sense based on proximity to northwest Persia, but as the Persian Medallion carpets were known throughout Anatolia this can not be certain. In terms of logical chronology, a date for these carpets at some time in the sixteenth century is plausible, as the Persian Medallion carpets are believed to be as early as the late fifthteenth century. However, as the Persian carpets were continued to be woven throughout the sixteenth century a date as late as the early seventeenth century is also possible for the Anatolian versions.