A CAIRENE CARPET

OTTOMAN EGYPT, SECOND HALF 16TH CENTURY

Details

A CAIRENE CARPET
OTTOMAN EGYPT, SECOND HALF 16TH CENTURY
The shaded raspberry-red field with an overall design of palmettes, flowerheads and leafy scrolling vine forming open medallions overlaid by a central shaded green roundel containing a central cusped flowerhead rosette issuing palmettes and delicate floral stems, the light blue spandrels similar, in a shaded raspberry-red border of 'quatre-fleurs' motifs forming sprays linked by tendrils between sandy yellow open flowerhead with paired triangle and reciprocal trefoil stripes, outer stripe missing at each end, overall wear, slight damage, repiled, selvages re-bound
12ft. x 8ft.8in. (366cm. x 264cm.)

Lot Essay

It is unusual to find a Cairene rug of this size, the majority either being smaller or being massive commissions to fill large rooms. The border here is particularly well drawn with its 'quatre-fleurs' motifs: carnation, tulip, hyacinth and peony. This combination was popularised by the Ottoman Court Painter Kara Memi in the mid-16th century, partially replacing the earlier saz-leaf and rosette style which is found here as the field design (Atasoy, N. and Raby, J.: Iznik -- The Pottery of Ottoman Turkey, London, 1989, pp.222-3).

For a fuller discussion of Cairene rugs see lot 412.

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