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Lot Essay
This rug belongs to an extremely rare group of carpets that were once believed to be a later and derivative continuum of Mamluk and Cairene traditions but their attribution has been strongly contested in the brief history of carpet scholarship and their precise origin still remains unclear. While the colouration and patterning of these carpets are reminiscent of Mamluk carpets, their structural characteristics are quite different. The 'Z' (anti-clockwise)-spun/'S' (clockwise)-plied wool similar to that found in early Anatolian and Caucasian carpets, and their thick, heavy and rigid structure, quite unlike the supple and lustrous quality of Mamluk carpets, precludes them from being part of the aforementioned group.
The attribution of Damascus as a place of origin is one that dates back to the carpet scholarship of the early 20th century when these rugs tended to be referred to as Damascus or Damascene rugs. However, the attribution is far from secure and has been hotly debated ever since, and the alternative suggestions of Cairo, Rhodes, the Anatolian Adana Plain and, more recently, the Aqqoyunlu Turkmen (Jon Thompson, 'Carpets in the Fifteenth Century', Carpets and Textiles in the Iranian World 1400-1700, Oxford, 2010, pp.31-57) have all been mooted. For a thorough discussion of the subject please see Robert Pinner and Michael Franses, 'The Eastern Mediterranean Carpet Collection in the Victoria and Albert Museum', HALI, Vol.4, No.1, pp.37-52.
There are approximately thirty known examples of this type of carpet and they almost all share a similar overall design of corner triangles forming diamonds flanking star-forms. It is from this shared design sensibility that they have commonly become known as 'compartment', 'chessboard' or 'chequerboard' rugs. Of the thirty, Friedrich Spuhler cites that only four are organised in the 3 x 3 hexagon format of the present rug (Friedrich Spuhler, ''Chessboard' Rugs', Oriental Carpet & Textile Studies II: Carpets of the Mediterranean Countries 1400-1600, London, 1986, p.261). The overall group is composed of both large and small format pieces with a greater diversity of designs being found in the carpets of larger dimension. Within the small format pieces, there are only two major design schemes. The first has joined triangle-formed diamonds creating octagonal field reserves which offset the star-form motif, as in the present lot (see Ibid, p.49, fig. 15 for an example of this type in the Victoria & Albert Museum). In the second small format design, perhaps a simplification of the first design type which appears rather more solid, the joined triangle-formed diamonds are elongated to form joined hexagonal field reserves for the star-forms, as seen in the example sold in the Bernheimer Collection, Christie's London, 14 February 1996, lot 27. The present carpet relates closely to the McMullan Chequerboard rug in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, inv no. 69.267 in its organisation of the 3 x 3 hexagon and cartouche and rosette border (Joseph V. McMullan, Islamic Carpets, New York, 1965, pl.3, pp.26-27). Both the present lot and the McMullan rug have medallions of alternating colours with the contrasting medallion's colour in its centre. In spite of their rarity, which would suggest a relatively small and short-lived production, a number of these carpets appear in portraits and genre scenes by Italian and Dutch painters from the late 16th century and throughout the 17th century (John Mills, 'Carpets in Italian Paintings', Oriental Carpet & Textile Studies II: Carpets of the Mediterranean Countries 1400-1600, London, 1986, pp.117-118.
When this 'Compartment' rug sold in 1986 in Zurich, it was noted by HALI (A.P.G no.33, p. 80) as being the fifth example to have appeared on the market over a period of eight years and achieved the highest price. Three fragments from a comparable carpet recently sold in these Rooms, 2 May 2019, lot 286, while a complete rug, formerly in the collection of Sammlung Professor Marshcal, Germany, sold in these Rooms, 24 October 2019, lot 236.
The attribution of Damascus as a place of origin is one that dates back to the carpet scholarship of the early 20th century when these rugs tended to be referred to as Damascus or Damascene rugs. However, the attribution is far from secure and has been hotly debated ever since, and the alternative suggestions of Cairo, Rhodes, the Anatolian Adana Plain and, more recently, the Aqqoyunlu Turkmen (Jon Thompson, 'Carpets in the Fifteenth Century', Carpets and Textiles in the Iranian World 1400-1700, Oxford, 2010, pp.31-57) have all been mooted. For a thorough discussion of the subject please see Robert Pinner and Michael Franses, 'The Eastern Mediterranean Carpet Collection in the Victoria and Albert Museum', HALI, Vol.4, No.1, pp.37-52.
There are approximately thirty known examples of this type of carpet and they almost all share a similar overall design of corner triangles forming diamonds flanking star-forms. It is from this shared design sensibility that they have commonly become known as 'compartment', 'chessboard' or 'chequerboard' rugs. Of the thirty, Friedrich Spuhler cites that only four are organised in the 3 x 3 hexagon format of the present rug (Friedrich Spuhler, ''Chessboard' Rugs', Oriental Carpet & Textile Studies II: Carpets of the Mediterranean Countries 1400-1600, London, 1986, p.261). The overall group is composed of both large and small format pieces with a greater diversity of designs being found in the carpets of larger dimension. Within the small format pieces, there are only two major design schemes. The first has joined triangle-formed diamonds creating octagonal field reserves which offset the star-form motif, as in the present lot (see Ibid, p.49, fig. 15 for an example of this type in the Victoria & Albert Museum). In the second small format design, perhaps a simplification of the first design type which appears rather more solid, the joined triangle-formed diamonds are elongated to form joined hexagonal field reserves for the star-forms, as seen in the example sold in the Bernheimer Collection, Christie's London, 14 February 1996, lot 27. The present carpet relates closely to the McMullan Chequerboard rug in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, inv no. 69.267 in its organisation of the 3 x 3 hexagon and cartouche and rosette border (Joseph V. McMullan, Islamic Carpets, New York, 1965, pl.3, pp.26-27). Both the present lot and the McMullan rug have medallions of alternating colours with the contrasting medallion's colour in its centre. In spite of their rarity, which would suggest a relatively small and short-lived production, a number of these carpets appear in portraits and genre scenes by Italian and Dutch painters from the late 16th century and throughout the 17th century (John Mills, 'Carpets in Italian Paintings', Oriental Carpet & Textile Studies II: Carpets of the Mediterranean Countries 1400-1600, London, 1986, pp.117-118.
When this 'Compartment' rug sold in 1986 in Zurich, it was noted by HALI (A.P.G no.33, p. 80) as being the fifth example to have appeared on the market over a period of eight years and achieved the highest price. Three fragments from a comparable carpet recently sold in these Rooms, 2 May 2019, lot 286, while a complete rug, formerly in the collection of Sammlung Professor Marshcal, Germany, sold in these Rooms, 24 October 2019, lot 236.