THE ATTRIBUTION OF THE 'CHEQUERBOARD' RUGS TO SYRIA IS ONE THAT DATES BACK A CONSIDERABLE TIME. IN 1900 KONSUL BERNHEIMER BROUGHT HIS EXAMPLE (SOLD IN THESE ROOMS 14 FEBRUARY 1996, LOT 27) AS AN "ALTER SYRISCHE TEPPICHE". THIS ATTRIBUTION IS FAR FROM CERTAIN. WHILE THE GROUP HAS A CLEAR HOMOGENEITY WITHIN ITSELF, IT IS THE COMBINATION OF DESIGN MOTIFS AND TECHNICAL STRUCTURE THAT MAKES IT DIFFICULT TO PLACE. EGYPT, RHODES, THE ADANA PLAIN AND EAST ANATOLIA HAVE ALL BEEN SUGGESTED. THE SUBJECT IS DISCUSSED AT LENGTH IN VARIOUS PLACES, THE FULLEST OF WHICH ARE PINNER, ROBERT, AND FRANSES, MICHAEL: 'THE EASTERN MEDITERRANEAN CARPET COLLECTION IN THE VICTORIA AND ALBERT MUSEUM', HALI VOL.4, NO.1, PP.37-52; AND SPUHLER, FRIEDRICH:"CHESSBOARD RUGS", IN PINNER, ROBERT AND DENNY, WALTER B.:ORIENTAL CARPET AND TEXTILE STUDIES II, LONDON, 1986, PP.261-269.
FEW OF THESE CARPETS HAVE SURVIVED, INDICATING A SMALL PRODUCTION; IT IS NOT SURPRISING THAT FEW ARE FOUND DEPICTED IN EUROPEAN PAINTINGS. THE EARLIEST SHOWN WAS BY MARCO DALL'ANGELO IN THE ACADEMIA DI BELLE ARTI IN VENICE DATEABLE TO BEFORE 1581, THE DESIGN CONTINUING TO BE FOUND INTO THE MIDDLE OF THE FOLLOWING CENTURY (MILLS, JOHN: 'EAST MEDITERRANEAN CARPETS IN WESTERN PAINTINGS' HALI, VOL.4, NO.1, PP.53-55).
VISUALLY 'CHEQUERBOARD' RUGS RELATE TO THE GEOMETRIC DESIGNS AND PALETTES SEEN IN MAMLUK CARPETS. THE CONTINUOUS KNOT SMALL MEDALLION SURROUNDED BY INVERTED OR RADIATING MOTIFS IS EASY TO PARALLEL AND THE BALANCE OF COLOURS, ALTHOUGH SLIGHTLY DIFFERENT IN HUE, GIVES A SIMILAR OVERALL EFFECT. THEY BOTH HAVE AN ASYMMETRICAL KNOT OPEN TO THE LEFT YET DIFFER ENORMOUSLY IN TEXTURE. 'CHECQUERBOARD' RUGS ARE HEAVY AND STIFF COMPARED TO THE SOFT LUSTROUS AND MORE SUPPLE FEEL OF THE OTHER. THE DIFFERENCES BETWEEN THE RED DYES, MAMLUKS CARPETS HAVING LAC AND CHECQUERBOARD CARPETS HAVING MADDER, ALSO IMPLIES THAT THEY DID NOT ORIGINATE IN THE SAME WORKSHOP. SPUHLER SUGGESTS THAT CHECQUERBOARD CARPETS WERE A LATER SIMPLIFICATION OF THE MORE COMPLICATED MAMLUK DESIGNS AS THE ORIGINAL DESIGNS WERE TOO COMPLEX TO BE COMPATIBLE WITH FOREIGN INFLUENCES (SPUHLER, F.OP.CIT.,PP.267-268).
THE CARPET OFFERED HERE HAS 3 X 3 OPEN CIRCLE MEDALLIONS WHICH IS MORE UNUSUAL IN THE SMALL FORMAT EXAMPLES THAN THE 3 X 2 HEXAGONAL MEDALLION GROUP. THE BORDER IS ALSO TIGHTER AND MORE CONTROLLED THAN NORMAL AND THE WEAVE IS SLIGHTLY FINER. THE PANEL OF SMALL FLORAL MOTIFS AT THE BOTTOM IS REMINISCENT OF THE 'PARA-MAMLUK' CARPETS, WITH WHICH THE CHEQUERBOARD GROUP SHARES MANY TECHNICAL FEATURES, SUCH AS THE CAMPANA CARPET (VIALE, M., VIALE, V: ARAZZI E TAPPETI ANTICHI, TORINO, 1952., NO.28, PP.216-217).