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Lot Essay
This striking carpet is noted by its large ivory central medallion outlined by a hook motif and flanked by ivory cartouche palmette pendants outlined in yellow and dark blue. In between the medallion and pendants are pairs of stylized flowers, all surrounded by scattered checkerboard motifs, angular stars and rosettes. The yellow ground paneled border alternates polychrome serrated and indented hexagonal panels deviating at both ends with a slightly altered version of the serrated polygon.
The present lot relates closely to a group of rugs and carpets currently attributed to the town of Erzurum in Eastern Anatolia. This assignation has been suggested because of the similar central pendant medallion composition found on several examples all dating to the late 18th century and in particular, one carpet discovered in a mosque in Erzurum (see Yetkin, Serare: Early Caucasian Carpets in Turkey, London, 1978, pl.102). A fragment with a similar medallion was found in a mosque in Hagia Sofia (ibid. pl. 101) and both are now in the Türk ve Islam Eserleri Museum, Istanbul.
A similar red ground cartouche-bordered fragment was sold in The Bernheimer Family Collection of Carpets, Christie’s London, 14 February 1996, lot 37 and then later on 29 April 2004, lot 135. The medallion and field design of this carpet can also be seen on another rug classified as Armenian in Ulrich Schürmann, Teppiche aus dem Orient, Wiesbaden, 1979, p. 180-181. These examples as well as the Istanbul carpet and fragment all share a very similar overall execution in design to our current lot. . However, the closest example with the same field design, main border and even guard borders, was sold in these rooms, 12 December 2006, lot 66.
A unique rug related to this group, also attributed to Erzurum, was featured on the cover of Hali (Vol. 4 NO. 4, 1982) and was described as an ‘Anatolian Medallion’ rug with a medallion and pendants akin to the present lot but on a red herringbone field (also illustrated Walker, Daniel: Oriental Rugs of the Hajji Babas, New York, 1982, no. 10 and E. Kirchheim, et al., Orient Stars, Stuttgart and London, 1993, pl. 83).
The serrated palmettes and jagged drawing of these pieces also share a design affinity with eighteenth century Caucasian embroideries and dragon carpets. The noticeable resemblances of these examples suggest that they are certainly from the same region and tradition and possibly even the same looms probably in Erzurum.
The present lot relates closely to a group of rugs and carpets currently attributed to the town of Erzurum in Eastern Anatolia. This assignation has been suggested because of the similar central pendant medallion composition found on several examples all dating to the late 18th century and in particular, one carpet discovered in a mosque in Erzurum (see Yetkin, Serare: Early Caucasian Carpets in Turkey, London, 1978, pl.102). A fragment with a similar medallion was found in a mosque in Hagia Sofia (ibid. pl. 101) and both are now in the Türk ve Islam Eserleri Museum, Istanbul.
A similar red ground cartouche-bordered fragment was sold in The Bernheimer Family Collection of Carpets, Christie’s London, 14 February 1996, lot 37 and then later on 29 April 2004, lot 135. The medallion and field design of this carpet can also be seen on another rug classified as Armenian in Ulrich Schürmann, Teppiche aus dem Orient, Wiesbaden, 1979, p. 180-181. These examples as well as the Istanbul carpet and fragment all share a very similar overall execution in design to our current lot. . However, the closest example with the same field design, main border and even guard borders, was sold in these rooms, 12 December 2006, lot 66.
A unique rug related to this group, also attributed to Erzurum, was featured on the cover of Hali (Vol. 4 NO. 4, 1982) and was described as an ‘Anatolian Medallion’ rug with a medallion and pendants akin to the present lot but on a red herringbone field (also illustrated Walker, Daniel: Oriental Rugs of the Hajji Babas, New York, 1982, no. 10 and E. Kirchheim, et al., Orient Stars, Stuttgart and London, 1993, pl. 83).
The serrated palmettes and jagged drawing of these pieces also share a design affinity with eighteenth century Caucasian embroideries and dragon carpets. The noticeable resemblances of these examples suggest that they are certainly from the same region and tradition and possibly even the same looms probably in Erzurum.