WEST ANATOLIAN RUG
PROBABLY BERGAMA DISTRICT, 18TH CENTURY

Price Realized £15,535 ($22,526)

Estimate
£10,000 - £15,000
($14,500 - $21,750)

Sale Information
Christies SALE 6568 —
ORIENTAL RUGS AND CARPETS
25 April 2002
London, King Street

A WEST ANATOLIAN RUG
Probably Bergama district, 18th century
The brick-red field with angular green and blue motifs containing angular vine around a central golden yellow panel issuing hooked motifs, similar panels above and below, in a golden-yellow border containing polychrome panels enclosing stylised cross-motifs between shaded brown flowerhead and barber-pole stripes, areas of restoration
5ft.7in. x 4ft.6in. (170cm. x 137cm.)

Lot Notes
The design of this rug is based on that of a sixteenth century variant of the star Ushak carpet, an example of which is in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York (McMullan, Joseph V.: Islamic Carpets, New York, 1965, no.68, pp.232-3). Another rug in the Metropolitan Museum of Art dated to the late seventeenth century shows the same centralised effect as seen here, but with a ragged palmette border. There is also a group of rugs dateable to the eighteenth century, also normally attributed to Bergama, of similar design to this rug, but not as tightly drawn (see for example one from Davide Halevim, Christies, 14 February 2001, lot 24).

also seen at

Sothebys Sale: L04760 | Location: London
Auction Dates: Session 1: Wed, 28 Apr 04 2:30 PM

LOT 49 (of 73)
A BERGAMA RUG, WEST ANATOLIA

10,000—15,000 GBP

measurements: 169 by 137cm., 5ft. 6in. by 4ft. 5in.

Description: 18th century

CATALOGUE NOTE
The design of this rug is related to the “four lobed medallion” design of early Ushak carpets, and can be read as a simplified ‘extract’ of the central portion of the medallion. For a related example, dated to the 17th century, which displays four complete lobes encircling the central boss, see Christies London, October 17, 2002, lot 101. The truncated lobes of the present example have acquired an almost anthropomorphic quality in this regional interpretation of the classical model.