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East Central Anatolia

Rug,  early 19th century

Anatolian carpet designs with tilelike patterns date back to so-called Seljuk rugs of the 14th century or earlier. In this rare piece, probably produced by nomadic Kurdish weavers in the vicinity of Sarkisla, the stark rigidity of tiles gives way to a more relaxed, lighthearted sense of expression.¹   The unusual figures in the octagons could be interpreted as abstract animal forms. It is more likely, however, that despite their shamanistic appearance, they are geometric derivations of a floral design originating in old Ottoman velvets and other flatweaves.²   With its vivid colors and casual distortions of symmetry, this rug reflects the vitality characteristic of so many of the old tribal weavings of Anatolia.  

M.H.

 1. For comparison, see J. Arthur MacLean and Dorothy Blair, Catalogue of Oriental Rugs in the Collection of James F. Ballard, Indianapolis, Near Eastern Art Research Center, Inc., 1924, no. 45. The same piece appears in color in Daniel S. Walker, The Saint Louis An Museum Summer 1088 Bulletin: Turkish Rugs, vol. 18, no. 4, St. Louis, Saint Louis Museum of Art, 1988, item no. 25. For other examples see W. Bruggemann and H. Boehmer, Rugs of the Peasants and Nomads of Anatolia, Munich, Kunst & Antiquitaten, 1983, no. 91, and Georg Butterweck, et al.. Antique Oriental Carpets from Austrian Collections, Vienna, Society for Textile Art Research, 1986, pl. 53.

2. Bruggemann and Boehmer, p. 290.