Mujur Prayer Rug with Apricot Border
N°
00701
Period
Circa 1780
Origin
Anatolia
Status
Sold
Size
149 cm x 129 cm4'10" x 4'2"
Ever since I started dealing with rugs I developed a soft spot for Mujur prayer rugs. I have handled a few over the years but nothing that can compare the grandiosity of this example. The rich yet warm red background of the squarish niche (a characteristic which I have found typical of the earliest vintage) is juxtaposed against dark emerald green spandrels, framed by a polychrome tile design border set on apricot. The extreme fineness of weave together with the silky wool pile imparts a particular tactile quality to the piece. The feeling is that of knowing to be in the presence of a majestic rug.
- Warp: wool, ivory Weft: wool, rust red, 2 shots between knotted rows
- Knot: symmetrical, weaving direction is adjacent to niche, slight warp depression
- Knot count: 9H x 10V = 90 knots/square inch
- Selvages: flat, three sets of paired warps wrapped by pistachio green wool
- Ends: missing
- Colours: mahogany red, forest green, apricot, medium blue, light green, aubergine, brown black, ivory (9)
- Condition: pile is uniformly medium-low, missing slightly at both ends. Some conservation and restorations to selvages. A few scattered knots of old repiling in the niche.
James Opie Collection, Portland