Rug with Pseudo-Kufic Niche Design
N°
00706
Period
Circa 1800
Origin
Bergama, Western Anatolia
Status
Sold
Size
110 cm x 853'7" x 2'9"
The niche design represented here is similar to the double niche arrangement on a rug formerly in the Christopher Alexander collection (C. Alexander, A Foreshadowing of 21st Century Art, New York 1993, p. 279). Alexander makes an interesting parallel between the niche motif seen here and the Kufic element seen on the border of some of the famous Seljuk period rugs at the TIEM in Istanbul. He also notes that the spotted motifs, seen here inside the blue profile of the niche, date back to the Middle Ages.
- Warp: wool, ivory
- Weft: wool, rust, 2 shots between knotted rows
- Knot: symmetrical, weaving direction is adjacent to niche, no warp depression
- Knot count: 5H x 7V = 35 knots/square inch
- Selvages: missing
- Ends: bottom missing, top with partial brick red weft-faced plain-weave
- Colours: rust red, medium blue, dark green, peach, dark brown, graphite, ivory (7)
- Condition: unrestored, the pile is uniformly low to knot collars, exposing occasionally the foundation
Alfred De Credico Collection, Providence