Reverse Sumak Saddlebag Face
Reverse Sumak Saddlebag Face: A Journey of Attribution
Initially, experts attributed this piece to the Shahsavan tribe of northwest Persia. However, the attribution shifted when Wilfried Stanzer published an almost identical saddlebag sourced from the northeast Persian province of Khorasan. This revelation prompted a reattribution to the Kurdish enclave in that region.
These Kurds, who migrated from eastern Anatolia in the 16th century, played a crucial role in disseminating Turkic motifs throughout Khorasan. Despite this historical context, I posit that both Stanzer’s example and this piece originated in eastern Anatolia.
Several features bolster this hypothesis:
- The distinctive rendering of hooked lozenges within larger hexagons.
- The portrayal of cruciform motifs in smaller hexagons.
- The arrangement of these elements in parallel and offset rows.
These characteristics echo early Anatolian pile rugs with offset knotting so vividly that I struggle to view them as later Persian interpretations. Moreover, the ivory border, with its quincunx arrangement typical of early Turkish rugs, further supports an Anatolian origin.
In essence, while the piece’s journey has led it through various attributions, its intrinsic design elements strongly suggest an Anatolian provenance, challenging previous assumptions and inviting further scholarly discourse.