PROBABLY USHAK, WEST ANATOLIA, FIRST HALF 17TH CENTURY

The popularity of the sixteenth century 'Lotto' design resulted in an increased production of the type in the following century. The majority of these it appears were, like the 'Transylvanian' rugs, destined for the European market. They tend, as here, to have much larger borders in comparison to their field size than the earlier examples. The two most frequently encountered border types are the cloud band and the cartouche design as seen on the present rug. Comparable examples can be found in the Philadelphia Museum of Art from the John G. Johnson Collection (see Charles Grant Ellis, Oriental Carpets in the Philadelphia Museum of Art, Philadelphia, 1988, no.12) and a rug formerly in the collection of Joseph McMullen, now in the Metropolitan Museum of Art (Joseph McMullen, Islamic Carpets, New York, 1965, no.73). A third example was offered for sale in these Rooms, The Bernheimer Family Collection, 14 February 1996, lot 87, and a further example sold in these Rooms, 16 April 2007, lot 48. All of these examples, including the lot in the present sale, have a design that is lacking an inner guard stripe between the field and the border. Ellis suggests that the similarities between these pieces indicate that they were probably woven in the same workshop.