WEST ANATOLIA, LATE 16TH/EARLY 17TH CENTURY

With richly preserved colour and decent pile, the ragged palmette border design of this fragment can also be found in other examples of the 'Lotto' group as well as other groups of Turkish rugs (see Andrei Kertesz-Badrus, Turkische Teppiche in Siebenbrgen, Bucharest, 1985, fig.26 for a 'Lotto' example and M.S.Dimand and J. Mailey, Oriental Rugs in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, 1973, p.187, fig.165 for a Star Ushak example). Another rug with the rarest 'ornamental-style' field and the ragged-palmette border is illustrated in Lefevre & Partners, Turkish Carpets from the 16th to the 19th Century, London, 1977, no.8, while a further example with the same field and border combination as the Lefevre, sold in The Bernheimer Family Collection of Carpets, Christie's London, 14 February 1996, lot 24.