Early Bergama rug, 17th century.

5 ft. 3 in. X 4 ft. 5 in. (160 x 135 cm.)
Description: The closest parallel found to this rare design is a rug illustrated in Hali, Vol. I, Issue 1, fig. 6, p. 87 which has similar multiple layered niches to each corner of the field and a shaped border, 're-entrant' on one side and projecting on the other. In this rug, the 're-entrant' shape is mirrored on both sides. This example may also be related to the Red Double-Niche Rug, dated to the late 15th century, illustrated inKirchheim, E. Heinrich, Orient Stars, Stuttgart and London, 1993, pl. 200, p. 317.