Lot Essay
For a discussion of Mamluk carpets, please see lot 100 of this catalogue.
This small format Mamluk rug is very similar in design to an example in the Textile Museum, Washington, DC (Khnel, Ernst and Bellinger, Louisa: Cairene Rugs and Others Technically Related, Washington, 1957, pl. VIII, accession number R.7.11). Both the Bernheimer example and the Textile Museum piece share the octagon-in-star central medallion, a repeating rosette field pattern and end field reserves incorporating cypress trees. The overall border motifs in these two rugs differ slightly, but still incorporate many similar details. Many of the other minor details, such as the umbrella-leaf sprays of the medallion and the meander-vine minor borders, are found in both rugs. These shared motifs may indicate that the Bernheimer rug and the Washington rug are from the same workshop. In the very least, these similarities support the idea that Mamluk carpets are products of highly organized workshops with an established and shared design repretoire. Khnel suggests that the simplification of design seen in the Washington rug, and the Berhiemer rug by association, indicates that these are examples of slightly later date than the more complex designs seen in pieces such as the Bernheimer triple-medallion Mamluk (Ibid, p.17 discussing the Textile Museum rug).
This small format Mamluk rug is very similar in design to an example in the Textile Museum, Washington, DC (Khnel, Ernst and Bellinger, Louisa: Cairene Rugs and Others Technically Related, Washington, 1957, pl. VIII, accession number R.7.11). Both the Bernheimer example and the Textile Museum piece share the octagon-in-star central medallion, a repeating rosette field pattern and end field reserves incorporating cypress trees. The overall border motifs in these two rugs differ slightly, but still incorporate many similar details. Many of the other minor details, such as the umbrella-leaf sprays of the medallion and the meander-vine minor borders, are found in both rugs. These shared motifs may indicate that the Bernheimer rug and the Washington rug are from the same workshop. In the very least, these similarities support the idea that Mamluk carpets are products of highly organized workshops with an established and shared design repretoire. Khnel suggests that the simplification of design seen in the Washington rug, and the Berhiemer rug by association, indicates that these are examples of slightly later date than the more complex designs seen in pieces such as the Bernheimer triple-medallion Mamluk (Ibid, p.17 discussing the Textile Museum rug).