WEST ANATOLIA, 17TH CENTURY

The present lot falls into the double-niche ‘Transylvanian’ category (see lot 45 of this sale for a fuller discussion on ‘Transylvanian’ rugs), of which there are almost one hundred known examples in the churches and museums of Romania (Stefano Ionescu, Antique Ottoman Rugs in Transylvania, Rome, 2006, p.59). Their palette consists primarily of reds, blues and yellows in varying tones and their design is symmetrical along the vertical axis, although one will always find a minute asymmetrical detail in each rug (ibid, Ionescu, 2006, p.60), this is demonstrated by the small yellow motif in the top left-hand border of our rug and the subtle variation in the colouring of the flowerheads. Those rugs who exhibit a floral medallion are relatively few in number but offer a naturalistic break from the more stylised and angular designs synonymous with the wider ‘Transylvanian’ grouping. The central lozenge motif of our rug is comparatively incidental to the eight-petalled flowers that surround it, while a related example in the National Museum in Kraków inv. no. MNK XIX-4403, shares our border design but gives greater emphasis to its central Ushak-inspired medallion (Carpet Collector, 1/2016, cover page). A further floral medallion ‘Transylvanian’ example that shares our border is published by Stefano Ionescu (op.cit., Ionescu, 2006, p.61).