OTTOMAN EGYPT, LATE 16TH CENTURY

The field and border design of the present rug reflect the imposition of Ottoman stylistic principles on Egyptian carpets after the conquest of Cairo in 1517, when Ottoman Turkish-style flowers, palmettes and leafy floral vinery gradually began to replace the more formal geometry of Mamluk production (see Walter B. Denny, ‘The Origin and Development of Ottoman Court Carpets’, Oriental Carpet & Textile Studies II, 1986, pp.243-259). The present rug has the elements of the classic design seen in the early carpets of the group, but in a weave that is considerably looser. The soft lustrous wool, so typically used in these carpets, is very susceptible to wear and has characteristically worn to just above the level of the knot collar.

Smaller sized pieces, such as the present rug, were often used as table covers and there is evidence of them being woven in pairs or even in triplicate, as seen in a matching set sold in these Rooms, 1 May 2003, lots 29-31. Ottoman Cairene rugs proved extremely popular with European collectors in the late sixteenth and early seventeenth centuries and many examples appear listed in European collection inventories of the period (see D. King and D. Sylvester, The Eastern Carpet in the Western World from the 15th to the 17th Century, London, 1983, p.79). Their popularity continued with Western collectors in both Europe and the United States from the early part of the twentieth century until today, as demonstrated by their inclusion in most major carpet collections of this period. A very similar rug to the present example is in the Textile Museum, Washington (Ernst Kühnel and Louise Bellinger, Cairene Rugs and Others Technically Related, 15th Century-17th Century, Washington D.C., 1958, no.R 1.81, p.49 and pl.XXVII).