WEST TURKEY, CIRCA 1910

The knot count measures approximately 9V x 8H knots per cm. sq.

Though the poetic inscriptions are not easy to match to a particular work or literature, the extraordinary design of this rug is based on the manuscript illustrations of the 16th and 17th centuries. Given the close eye with which early 20th century weavers in Istanbul copied classical carpets, it is entirely possible that this is based on a particular manuscript illustration. It is very rare to find carpets inspired so directly by the Islamic Arts of the Book: for another exceptional example, see an Agra carpet based on a Mamluk Qur'an which sold in these Rooms, 26 October 2023, lot 185.