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Lot Essay
The approx. knot count is 9H x 10V per sq. cm.
The present lot is of the well-known Sultan's head design woven many times by Zareh Penyamin. His rugs tend to bear the signature in the metal-thread at the base of the central palmette. Here the signature is however from another weaver, Avedis Tamishjian.
This master weaver was based in the Koum Kapi district and is known to have worked for the merchant Nuh'negi, having set up his workshop in the 1920s (P. Bensoussan: Turkish Workshop Carpets, Hali, no.26, April/May/June 1985, pp.34-41, esp. p.38). George Farrow identified Tamishjian's signature which is worked in the same way as Zareh Penyamin, in silk within a small area of metal-thread (G.F. Farrow: Irrelevant Rubbish, letter in Hali 55, February 1991, p.83). The rug Farrow refers to was sold in these Rooms 11 October 1990, lot 13, where the signature, illustrated inverted, is just about legible in the centre of the rug. There are two other known examples woven by Tamishjian which were sold in these Rooms, one on 15 October 1998, lot 289, and a second one on 6 April 2006, lot 109.
Since Tamishjian set up later than Zareh Penyamin, for him to have woven a rug with the design for which Zareh became best known must have been seen as competitive! It is not surprising then that in this rug the weaver has not only taken Zareh's design, but has made sure that the quality of this piece will stand out when placed next to one by Zareh. The quality of weave is certainly not as fine as that which Zareh achieved in some of his finest pieces but it is the richness and vibrancy of colour and some of the little details of drawing which make his rugs such a success. The border yellow in the present lot is a magnificent colour, somehow richer than the tone used by Zareh. And a particularly nice touch is the way the leafy scrolling tendrils are allowed to trail elements over the inscriptions in the upper border rather than having the inscription cut through them as it does on the Zareh versions. The cartoon used for the rugs may well have been one also used by Zareh, but the lettering in the upper inscription panel has been re-written. It is appropriate that he should have paid particular attention to this; it has been translated as "even this will pass away".
The present lot is of the well-known Sultan's head design woven many times by Zareh Penyamin. His rugs tend to bear the signature in the metal-thread at the base of the central palmette. Here the signature is however from another weaver, Avedis Tamishjian.
This master weaver was based in the Koum Kapi district and is known to have worked for the merchant Nuh'negi, having set up his workshop in the 1920s (P. Bensoussan: Turkish Workshop Carpets, Hali, no.26, April/May/June 1985, pp.34-41, esp. p.38). George Farrow identified Tamishjian's signature which is worked in the same way as Zareh Penyamin, in silk within a small area of metal-thread (G.F. Farrow: Irrelevant Rubbish, letter in Hali 55, February 1991, p.83). The rug Farrow refers to was sold in these Rooms 11 October 1990, lot 13, where the signature, illustrated inverted, is just about legible in the centre of the rug. There are two other known examples woven by Tamishjian which were sold in these Rooms, one on 15 October 1998, lot 289, and a second one on 6 April 2006, lot 109.
Since Tamishjian set up later than Zareh Penyamin, for him to have woven a rug with the design for which Zareh became best known must have been seen as competitive! It is not surprising then that in this rug the weaver has not only taken Zareh's design, but has made sure that the quality of this piece will stand out when placed next to one by Zareh. The quality of weave is certainly not as fine as that which Zareh achieved in some of his finest pieces but it is the richness and vibrancy of colour and some of the little details of drawing which make his rugs such a success. The border yellow in the present lot is a magnificent colour, somehow richer than the tone used by Zareh. And a particularly nice touch is the way the leafy scrolling tendrils are allowed to trail elements over the inscriptions in the upper border rather than having the inscription cut through them as it does on the Zareh versions. The cartoon used for the rugs may well have been one also used by Zareh, but the lettering in the upper inscription panel has been re-written. It is appropriate that he should have paid particular attention to this; it has been translated as "even this will pass away".