Prayer rugs or "seccade" carpets were among the most popular rugs woven in Anatolia. Common features are the characteristic niche design evoking the mihrab or prayer niche and the smaller size that makes such carpets suitable for individual use. Departing from classical Ottoman court carpets, distinct designs and styles were created over time in villages and smaller towns of Anatolia, which explains the existence of a variety of types. This example from Ladik, near Konya in central Turkey shows a stylized niche with a triple arch – each arch shaped in triangles, supported by double-columns. Poly-lobed lozenge shaped medallions are repeated in the border. While the stylized design and motifs as well as the palette dominated by deep red are typical for carpets woven in Ladik during the later Ottoman period, the overall composition as well as the series of tulips atop the niche recall the famous Ottoman court prayer rug ("Ballard double column prayer-rug", no. 22.100.51). In addition this carpet stands out for its rich polychrome palette that includes red, purple, shades blue and green, yellow, white, black-brown.

Geography: Attributed to Turkey, probably Ladik, Konya

The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York

Medium: Wool (warp, weft and pile); symmetrically knotted pile

Dimensions: H. 68 in. (172.7 cm); W. 48 in. (121.9 cm)

Credit Line: The James F. Ballard Collection, Gift of James F. Ballard, 1922

Accession Number: 22.100.62

Provenance: James F. Ballard, St. Louis, MO (until 1922; gifted to MMA)

References: Breck, Joseph, and Frances Morris. "The Metropolitan Museum of Art." In The James F. Ballard Collection of Oriental Rugs. New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 1923. no. 39, p. 24, ill. (b/w).

Dimand, Maurice S., and Jean Mailey. Oriental Rugs in the Metropolitan Museum of Art. New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 1973. no. 138, p. 246, ill. p. 246 (b/w).

Denny, Walter B. How to Read Islamic Carpets. New Haven and London: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2014. pp. 48-49, ill. fig. 34 (color).