SPAIN, MID-17TH CENTURY

The town of Cuenca, near Guadalajara appears, from surviving examples, to have been the most productive of the Spanish weaving centres in the 17th century. While the technique is the same as that of all of Spain, with knots tied onto single warps in alternating rows, the colours and designs are usually immediately recognisable. The palette consists of a golden yellow, cream, blue and green and the designs were inspired by carpets from Anatolia which were available at that time but at a great cost (D. King & D. Sylvester, The Eastern Carpet in the Western World, London, 1933, figs.18-20). For a further discussion on this group please see Sarah B. Sherrill, Carpets and Rugs of Europe and America, New York, 1996, p.48.