CENTRAL-EAST ANATOLIA, LAST QUARTER 19TH CENTURY

The most intriguing aspect of the present lot is the spotted field which mimics animal pelts and probably derives from the classic cintimani design. The current lot finds few related examples. Two 17th century Konya rugs with the same spotted field are in the Museum of Turkish and Islamic Art, Istanbul (Olcer, Nazan et al.: Turkish Carpets from the 13th-18th Centuries, Istanbul, 1996, pls. 145 and 146). Also noteworthy is the treatment of the elongated skeletal repeat medallion superimposed on the speckled field. The guard stripes, however, are more typical and reminiscent of Kurdish rugs from Eastern Anatolia. Interestingly, the lower end of the cruciform border changes to ivory creating what could have been intended as a prayer arch. While the present lot was woven much later than the examples cited, the design remains archaic and is a further addition to the mysterious puzzle of the Anatolian village rug tradition.