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Lot Essay
The history and origins of Beshir prayer rugs still remain frustratingly elusive. The design motifs clearly derive from neighbouring weaving cultures but in the hands of the Beshir weavers are transformed into something new and exciting. The present rug is a good example of this mysterious quality. The composition and colours are superb. There are a number of elements, such as the pomegranate rods inside the ivory arch rising to a central kochak (ram's horn motif), and the comb minor stripes, which are found on a number of Beshir prayer rugs, but the honeycomb lattice of pomegranates and the bulbous head with secondary hooks on each shoulder are unlike any other rug. The closest comparable rug is one published by Eberhart Herrmann on the cover of Seltene Orientteppiche V, Munich, 1983, which has a similarly unusual jester’s hat-shaped head, but these two rugs do not share any other common motifs.
The present rug was always referred to by Mr Lehmann-Bärenklau as the Max Ernst Beshir prayer rug but unfortunately we have been unable to substantiate the claim that the great artist ever owned it. However, with its riot of colours and surreal humanoid protuberances it is not difficult to imagine that it would have appealed to him.
The present rug was always referred to by Mr Lehmann-Bärenklau as the Max Ernst Beshir prayer rug but unfortunately we have been unable to substantiate the claim that the great artist ever owned it. However, with its riot of colours and surreal humanoid protuberances it is not difficult to imagine that it would have appealed to him.