Lot Essay
The 'Koum Kapi' group of rugs were woven in Istanbul by Armenian weavers most of whom were based in that district, better known today for its fish. The rug workshops there were supposedly founded by Zara Agha from Kayseri and Apraham Agha from Sivas, although none of their output has been identified today. The first great weaver identified with this school was Hagop Kapoudjian (c.1870-1946) whose output has recently been identified with greater certainty than before (Farrow, G.F. and Harrow, L.: Hagop Kapoudjian, London 1993).
It is however with Zareh Penyamin (1890-1949) that the rugs of this area are closest identified. He cut the silk on his rugs far closer than his predecessors, and included not only the metal thread also used by Kapoudjian, but also small details in flatwoven coloured silks. Typically he signed his rugs with the kufic signature 'Zareh' within the base of palmettes within the field, as is found at least eight times on the present rug. Working at first at Hereke, he rose rapidly to become chief designer there. He was also appointed to be in charge of the Imperial atelier in Istanbul, losing that post with the demise of the Ottoman throne in 1922. At the same time he had a number of his own workshops in other districts of Istanbul which were producing the rugs for which he is so famed today.
The two best known groups of rugs he produced are the so-called 'Sultan's head' prayer rugs, together with another group of prayer rugs with scrolling arabesques in the field. All of these are 7ft. x 5ft or smaller. The designs he used relied heavily on earlier Persian weavings. Only rarely did he embark on larger rugs and carpets such as the present example. Here the influence of the classical rugs held in the Sultan's collection in the Topkapi palace is clearly visible. The counterposed palmette design is taken almost directly from Isfahan carpets of the sixteenth century. While on rugs of a smaller scale he on occasions worked even finer weaves than on the present example, this, with just under 150 knots per square centimetre is about as fine as he produced on this scale. The condition of this carpet is immaculate, enabling the perfection of weave he insisted on to be clearly observed.
For further information on Zareh Penyamin and the Koum Kapi workshops, see: Bensoussan, P.: 'The Masterweavers of Istanbul' in HALI 26, April-June 1985, pp.34-41; and Miller, D.R. and Keshishian, A.:Koum Kapi Silk Rugs, exhibition catalogue, London 1985
It is however with Zareh Penyamin (1890-1949) that the rugs of this area are closest identified. He cut the silk on his rugs far closer than his predecessors, and included not only the metal thread also used by Kapoudjian, but also small details in flatwoven coloured silks. Typically he signed his rugs with the kufic signature 'Zareh' within the base of palmettes within the field, as is found at least eight times on the present rug. Working at first at Hereke, he rose rapidly to become chief designer there. He was also appointed to be in charge of the Imperial atelier in Istanbul, losing that post with the demise of the Ottoman throne in 1922. At the same time he had a number of his own workshops in other districts of Istanbul which were producing the rugs for which he is so famed today.
The two best known groups of rugs he produced are the so-called 'Sultan's head' prayer rugs, together with another group of prayer rugs with scrolling arabesques in the field. All of these are 7ft. x 5ft or smaller. The designs he used relied heavily on earlier Persian weavings. Only rarely did he embark on larger rugs and carpets such as the present example. Here the influence of the classical rugs held in the Sultan's collection in the Topkapi palace is clearly visible. The counterposed palmette design is taken almost directly from Isfahan carpets of the sixteenth century. While on rugs of a smaller scale he on occasions worked even finer weaves than on the present example, this, with just under 150 knots per square centimetre is about as fine as he produced on this scale. The condition of this carpet is immaculate, enabling the perfection of weave he insisted on to be clearly observed.
For further information on Zareh Penyamin and the Koum Kapi workshops, see: Bensoussan, P.: 'The Masterweavers of Istanbul' in HALI 26, April-June 1985, pp.34-41; and Miller, D.R. and Keshishian, A.:Koum Kapi Silk Rugs, exhibition catalogue, London 1985