@museumwnf/carpets-data 1.0.9

package/translations/items.en.json

@@ -0,0 +1 @@
+{"003a4edc-0d1e-5875-9041-6715b1c36ebf":{"name":"Five textile fragments.","description":"Five circular woollen textile fragments each decorated with a depiction of a bird, perhaps a duck or a goose, in different sizes and colours, and woven in a non-extended weft pattern, a tapestry technique. The fragments were taken from bigger textiles, perhaps used as a counterpane or curtains, and which may have consisted of a decorative design with repetitive motifs. Upper Egypt was famous for sumptuous woven cloth such as this, with Asyut, Akhmim and the City of Fustat prominent places of production during the Tulunid period (AH 3rd / AD 9th century).  \nDuring the Tulunid period, textiles were distinguished by the appearance of a shadow in the decorative components, where the colour was graded from light to dark, as well as for their powerful expression. They were also influenced by the Sassanid style, brought by Ahmad ibn Tulun (r. AH 254–70 / AD 868–84) from Iraq. The production of textiles in the Tulunid period represents a period of transition in Egypt between the Coptic period and the Islamic period with regard to the decorative components and their development.  \nMost of the *jizya* (tribute) which Ahmad ibn Tulun sent to the court of the Abbasid caliphs consisted of textiles made in the *Tiraz* workshops, under royal decree, which produced magnificent fabrics of wool and linen. Tulun took a personal interest in the textile factories of Egypt, which were widespread in the north delta regions of Tanis, Dabik, Damietta, and other cities. These regions were famous for the manufacture of linen cloth with inscriptions woven in silk in a multitude of colours. Interest in textile manufacture increased in Egypt with the rule of the sons of Ibn Tulun: Khumarawayh (r. AH 270–82 / AD 884–96) and Harun (r. AH 283–92 / AD 896–905), who were inclined towards recording their names in inscription bands on the textile itself.","short_description":"Cotton and linen textiles were woven in various factories in Egypt: Alexandria, Damietta, Farma, Bahnasa, Akhmim and Asyut. Coptic-style decorations remained prevalent during the AH 1st–3rd / AD 7th–9th centuries. The pieces here are notable for the shadow effect in the decorations, where colour is graded from light to dark shades.","type":"Textile, wool","holder":"Textile Museum (One of the branches of the Museum of Islamic Art in Cairo)","dates":"Hegira 3rd century / AD 9th century.","location":"Cairo","dimensions":"Diameter of the biggest piece: 20 cm.","method_for_datation":"These fragments have been dated based on a study of their decorative components that include the depiction of birds similar to those found in Tulunid *Tiraz* textiles from the Upper Egypt region, and which also resemble the depictions of birds on other Iraqi applied arts with Sassanid roots. Furthermore, the colours used in these textiles, whether it be different shades of yellow, degrees of green or blue, are colours that were customary on Tulunid textiles.","method_for_provenance":"Egypt was famed during the Tulunid period for its textile industry where magnificent woollen and linen fabrics were produced. The depiction of birds found on these textile fragments are also similar to those found in Tulunid *Tiraz* textiles from Upper Egypt.","provenance":"Egypt.","obtention":"The fragments were bought in 1944 from one of the antiquities dealers in Cairo, Fukyan Jan Tano.","bibliography":"Baker, P., *Islamic Textiles,* London, 1995.  \nHassan, Z. M., *Al-Fan al-Islami fi Masr \\[Islamic Art in Egypt\\],* Cairo, 1935.  \nMarzuq, M. A., *Al-Funun al-Zukhrufiya al-Islamiya fi Masr qabl 'Asr al-Fatimiyyin \\[Islamic Decorative Arts in Egypt before the Fatimids\\],* Cairo, 1974.  \nMaher, S. M., *Al-Nasij al-Islami \\[Islamic Textiles\\],* Cairo, 1977.  \nSelim, M. A., *Mansujat al-Tiraz fi Al-'Asr al-Abbasi \\[Tiraz Textiles in the Abbasid period\\],* MA Thesis, Cairo*,* 1995.","author":"Muhammad Abbas Muhammad Selim","copy_editor":"Majd Musa","translator":"Amal Sachedina (from the Arabic).","translation_copy_editor":"Mandi Gomez","keywords":["wool","royal manufacture","tiraz","workshop","animal decoration","textile","Figurative representation","Tapestry","figurative decoration","bird","Coptic"],"materials":["Wool with the woven decorations woven in a non-extended weft pattern (tapestry technique)."]},"0068e316-b8d1-504c-9eff-2944c56b2888":{"name":"Chechen felt carpet","description":"Woollen felt used to decorate homes. The Chechen community was famous for making these carpets.","type":"Felt","holder":"The Jordan Museum","owner":"The Jordan Museum","dates":"AD 1860","location":"Amman","dimensions":"L: 100cm, W: 50cm","method_for_datation":"Chechens immigrated to Jordan in the same period as the Circassians. This carpet survived and was donated to the museum.","provenance":"Caucasus","obtention":"Gift from Othman Merza","author":"Najd Sweidan","copy_editor":"Lisa Kelman","materials":["Felt"]},"008d8895-3ae0-522b-83a2-64ff01799f07":{"name":"Iron awl","description":"Iron point awl with a handle made of a branch of deer antler. Awls are used for piercing and fibre manipulation. The holes created by an awl may be used as a guide for thread.","type":"Iron awl","holder":"The Jordan Museum","owner":"Department of Antiquities","dates":"600-332 BC","location":"Amman","dimensions":"L: 12cm, W: 1cm","method_for_datation":"The excavation team in Dayer 'Alla dated this tool based on the pottery found in the near vicinity.","obtention":"Loan","author":"Najd Sweidan","copy_editor":"Lisa Kelman","materials":["Iron and Deer antler"]},"012b5222-da31-50c5-8bfc-eb439eea45d0":{"name":"*Flight of the French army and retreat of the Duke of Alençon across the Ticino*","description":"The famous series of seven Flemish tapestries depicting the Battle of Pavia, which are displayed in a large room in the Museum of Capodimonte, entered the public collections as part of the 1862 bequest of Alfonso d’Avalos, who donated his family’s collection to the National Museum of Naples.  \nProduced to be given to Emperor Charles V by the Estates-General of Brussels, on the occasion of the latter’s meeting in Brussels in 1531, the decorative series of tapestries was designed to celebrate the victory of the imperial troops over those of the French, under the command of Francis I. This victory, which occurred on 24 February 1525, was fought in the environs of the Visconti Park, at the gates of Pavia.  \nWoven in Brussels, the tapestries were produced using designs by Bernard van Orley (now in the Louvre in Paris) in the workshop of William Dermoyen (or Van der Moyen), identified thanks to the presence of a weaver’s mark on the right-hand border of the tapestry; the mark can also be found on another example in the series. The presence of the weaver’s mark has also allowed the years in which the series was produced to be established: after 1528, the year in which a decree required tapestry workers to “sign” their products, and by the start of 1531, given that the tapestries would be presented to the Emperor in the March of that year.  \nRecently, an interpretation of the entire cycle has been proposed that aims to recreate sequentially the landscape depicted in the seven tapestries as a single, panoramic, overview (Paredes 2014). According to this perspective, the tapestry examined here, placed in the sequence suggested by Paredes, constitutes the last in the series and should be read in close continuity with the subject represented in the tapestry that precedes it, *Flight of the besieged and retreat of the Swiss who drown in great numbers in the Ticino*. In particular, from the juxtaposition of the two tapestries, the landscape south of Pavia can be recreated, distinguished by the presence of the small island of Gravellone, separated from the city by the waters of the Ticino. The tapestry represents one of the final moments of the battle, with a portrait of the Duke of Alençon – identified by the writing on the caparison of his horse – who, after having crossed the bridge of boats on the Ticino, orders its destruction to prevent the enemy from following. In the foreground, a few infantrymen are depicted, busy destroying the bridge, while a horseman and other soldiers are the last to cross it. The action of the Duke of Alençon, brother-in-law of the King of France, condemns all those who do not manage to cross the bridge to the wrath of the enemy or to the swirling waters of the river. In the distance, one can glimpse a herd of cows grazing serenely, indifferent to the war, in the rural landscape.","type":"Flemish tapestry","holder":"Museum of Capodimonte","owner":"Museum of Capodimonte","dates":"1528–1531","location":"Naples","dimensions":"H: 433cm, W: 863cm","method_for_datation":"Various sources and studies","provenance":"Brussels","obtention":"Bequest of Alfonso d’Avalos to the National Museum of Naples (the Italian State) in 1862","bibliography":"AA. VV (ed.), *Gli Arazzi della Battaglia di Pavia*, Milan: Bompiani, 1999.  \nArbace, Lucia, *Fasti d’Avalos: dagli Arazzi della Battaglia di Pavia alle Selle da parata*, Chieti: Litografia Botolini, 2012.  \nBuchanan, Iain, “The ‘Battle of Pavia’ and the Tapestry Collection of Don Carlos: New Documentation”, *The Burlington Magazine*, vol. 144, no. 1191 (2002): 345‒51.  \nCasali, Luigi, Fraccaro, Cristina, and Prina, Vittorio, *Gli Arazzi della Battaglia di Pavia del Museo di Capodimonte a Napoli*, Pavia: Edizioni ViGiEffe, 1993.  \nParedes, Cecilia, “The tapestries of the battle of Pavia” (2014), online publication.  \n“Pavia. La Battaglia, il futuro. ‘niente fu come prima’” (2015), online publication.  \nSansone, M. R., *Gli arazzi della Battaglia di Pavia: dalla Spagna di Carlo V alla Napoli dei d’Avalos, in 1525‒2015. Pavia, la Battaglia, il Futuro. Niente fu come prima* (publication to accompany the exhibition at the Visconti Castle, Pavia, 14 June‒15 November 2015).","workshop":"William Dermoyen atelier","author":"Maria Rosaria Sansone","translator":"Judith Forshaw","translation_copy_editor":"Mandi Gomez","keywords":["Battle of Pavia","Willem Dermoyen","preparatory cartoons","atelier","frames","Visconti Park","Fernando Francesco d’Avalos","drawings","National Archaeological Museum","Carlo V","Francis I","Francesco Fernando d’Avalos","Bernard van Orley","Flemish tapestries","Alfonso d’Avalos"],"materials":["silk and cotton","gold and silver thread","wool"]},"01c1fd3b-239c-5a49-b106-2c0d2c8ff5bf":{"name":"Textile fragment","description":"This fragment of a scene depicting hunters on camels indicates the extraordinary skill of the Safavid weavers. Another fragment of this textile showing six hunters is in the Keir Collection at the Dallas Museum of Art. In the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts' piece, two turbaned riders hunting gazelles with spears stand out against an orangey red background adorned with rocks and plant designs. The subject of the scene – hunting on camelback – is borrowed from a story that the Persian poet Nizami (AD 1141–1209) told about the Sasanian King Bahram Gur (AD 420–438/39). The theme of the royal hunt figured prominently in Achaemenid and Sasanian decorative arts, providing a favourite motif for Safavid weaving and the miniatures of the period.","type":"Textile fragment","holder":"Montreal Museum of Fine Arts","dates":"16th century","location":"Montreal, Quebec","dimensions":"23.6cm x 32cm","provenance":"Iran","obtention":"Purchase, Horsley and Annie Townsend Bequest  \nPurchased from Arthur Upham Pope, Warren, Connecticut, in 1962, thanks to the Horsley and Annie Townsend Bequest","bibliography":"Salam-Liebich, Hayat, *Art islamique: objets du quotidien / Islamic Art: Objects for Daily Use*, Montreal: Montreal Museum of Fine Arts, 1983: 60.","author":"Shirin Shafiee","copy_editor":"Mandi Gomez","keywords":["Safawid textile","Persian textile","hunting scene","brocaded silk","brocade"],"materials":["silk"]},"02324453-7acd-5e97-99f2-81813dc8f9c1":{"name":"Yomud *chuval*","description":"Common among all people of Central Asia were various bags, of different size and shape, which were hung on the inside of the tent wall and served as containers for clothes and household utensils. The Turkomans called them the *chuval*, *torba* and *mafrach*.  \nThe rectangular central field has 3 by 3 rows of small *chuval göl*s and secondary *chemche* (spoon) motifs. The central field is framed with three borders. The main border is decorated with hexagons alternating red and white *kaikalak* (four opposing ram's horns) motifs. Minor borders are decorated with a chain of S shapes. The top elem panel is decorated with a row of *kochak* (ram's horns) motifs on blue ground. The bottom elem panel has halfs of *kelle* (head) figures and small square motifs on red ground.","type":"Carpet","holder":"Museum of Arts and Crafts","dates":"19th century","location":"Zagreb","dimensions":"H: 70cm, W: 127cm","method_for_datation":"By stylistic analysis","method_for_provenance":"By stylistic analysis","provenance":"Turkmenistan","obtention":"Donated by Ljuba Penić, Zagreb, Croatia","author":"Andrea Klobučar","translator":"Petra Milovac","translation_copy_editor":"Daniel de la Vega","keywords":["Turkmenistan","chuval","Yomud"],"materials":["asymmetrical knots","knotted carpet","wool"]},"048c6a9d-2f1b-5deb-80ce-ba88d1053a07":{"name":"Milas Prayer Rug","description":"Milas region is famous for its prayer rugs. This is an outstanding example of a Milas prayer rug with intensive decoration and skillful handcraft. The prayer area of the rug is decorated with a tree of life on a ground filled with rose, carnation and tulip motifs. The border is composed of highly stylized tree and dragon motifs which are locally called “leaf” and “frog”. These continuous motifs are arranged in the form of “cattle water” which is the most important decoration element of Milas rugs.","type":"Prayer rug","holder":"Museum of Turkish and Islamic Arts","dates":"19th century","location":"Istanbul","dimensions":"L: 103cm, W: 152cm","method_for_datation":"The analyses of the material and the technique used for weaving the rug and the motifs seen on main ground and borders.","provenance":"West Anatolia, Muğla Milas rug","obtention":"From the İzmir Hisar Mosque","bibliography":"Aslanapa, Oktay, *Türk Halı Sanatı’nın Bin Yılı*,İstanbul: Eren Yayınları, 1987: 182.  \nKollektif, *Türk El Dokuması Halılar*, Ankara: Kültür ve Turizm Bakanlığı Yayınları, Cilt 2, Katalog no: 112.","author":"Deniz Kanberoğlu","copy_editor":"Lisa Kelman","keywords":["West Anatolian","Milas rug"],"materials":["Natural wool coloured with natural dyes","symmetrical knot","Gördes knot"]},"05e51871-4d33-519c-836e-6e68090e5a80":{"name":"Ladik Prayer Rug","description":"This rug is an outstanding example of a Ladik prayer rug because of its colours and detailed decorations. Typical characteristics include, upside down tulips in the borders and three crescent motifs at the top of a triple niche *mihrab*. However, the column motifs usually present in this type of rug do not appear. This example demonstrates the variety of the Ladik prayer rugs and the broadness of its motif repertory.","type":"Prayer rug","holder":"Museum of Turkish and Islamic Arts","dates":"19th century","location":"Istanbul","dimensions":"L: 117cm, W: 181cm","method_for_datation":"The analyses of the material and the technique used for weaving the rug and the motifs seen on main ground and borders.","provenance":"Middle Anatolia, Konya","obtention":"From the İzmit province","bibliography":"Kollektif, *Türk El Dokuması Halılar*, Ankara: Kültür ve Turizm Bakanlığı Yayınları, Ankara, Cilt 5, Katalog no: 529.","author":"Deniz Kanberoğlu","copy_editor":"Lisa Kelman","keywords":["Konya","Middle Anatolia","Ladik Prayer Rug"],"materials":["Natural wool coloured with natural dyes","symmetrical knot","Gördes knot"]},"0686d02e-ea89-5422-8643-7f699b666839":{"name":"Wall hanging","description":"Valerie Jorud (1902–1945) began working as a textile artist and later also in ceramic art and sculpting. In 1935 she displayed her textile work at the Grassi Fair. Here, the museum acquired the wall hanging, which was not only designed but also crafted by the artist. In the years that followed, during the Third Reich, the Jewish artist managed to hide with the help of ceramic artist Jan Bontjes van Beek and continued to create art from the underground. She died tragically in 1945 during a bomb attack in Berlin.  \nAzure and cornflower-coloured ribbons (cotton, 2.5cm wide) have been applied to a black-blue cotton sheet. Through the arrangement of the ribbons, which run parallel and in right angles, geometrical figures are created and cover the entire surface. Most prominent are two wide rows consisting of 12 ribbons each, which run from the middle section at a right angle around the entire hanging. The sections between these two rows – six triangles on the outside and a square at the center – are structured by varying, closely positioned ribbons. The work gains a strong spatial presence through the strong contrast of the lighter and darker blue tones. It is signed VJ.","type":"Wall hanging","holder":"GRASSI Museum of Applied Art","owner":"GRASSI Museum of Applied Art, Leipzig","dates":"1935","location":"Leipzig","dimensions":"H: 280cm, W: 180cm","method_for_datation":"Documented by acquisition","method_for_provenance":"Documented by acquisition","provenance":"Germany, Berlin","obtention":"Acquired at the Grassi Fair in 1935","bibliography":"For V. Jorud’s Vita see: *Märkische Ton-Kunst*, Berlin: Deutsches Historisches Museum Berlin, 1992: 205.","author":"Stefanie Seeberg","translator":"Aminata Estelle Diouf","translation_copy_editor":"Daniel de la Vega","keywords":["design","application","crafts","dark-blue","wall hanging","cotton","blue","collection","geometric design","decorative arts","craftsmanship"],"materials":["machine-stitched","cotton","ribbon appliqué"]},"072908a4-0753-537a-a852-9b3ddcb4ddd6":{"name":"Kırşehir Prayer Rug","description":"Kırşehir Province of Central Anatolia was an important prayer rug producing centre. This double *mihrab* prayer rug is an outstanding example of the regional style. Kırşehir prayer rugs characteristically have elaborate stepped arches above the *mihrab*, vivid colours, and detailed floral decorations. The multiple borders are filled with stylized flowers, leaves and a scrolling vine of carnations. The most important element of the decoration is the naturalist bird motif woven inside the *mihrab* area.","type":"Prayer rug","holder":"Konya Mevlana Museum","dates":"19th century","location":"Konya","dimensions":"L: 93cm, W: 142cm","method_for_datation":"The analyses of the material and the technique used for weaving the rug and the motifs seen on main ground and borders.","provenance":"Middle Anatolia, Kırşekir, Elmalı","obtention":"From the Konya Mevlana Dergahı (dervish lodge)","bibliography":"Kollektif, *Türk El Dokuması Halılar*, Ankara: Kültür ve Turizm Bakanlığı Yayınları, Cilt 5, Katalog no: 516.","author":"Gülseren Kervan","copy_editor":"Lisa Kelman","keywords":["Kırşehir","Middle Anatolia","prayer rug"],"materials":["Natural wool coloured with natural dyes","symmetrical knot","Gördes knot"]},"0737cdd3-69a5-54f9-9b1f-1387094ecc4e":{"name":"Spindle","description":"A spindle is a straight spike made from wood. It is used for spinning and twisting wool fibres into yarn. It is weighted on one end, by a disc or spherical object called a whorl.","type":"Spindle","holder":"Jordan River Foundation Bani Hamida Weaving Project","dates":"AD 1916","location":"Mukawer","dimensions":"L: 38cm, W: 5cm","method_for_datation":"Owners","provenance":"Bani Hamida","obtention":"Bought","author":"Halima Al Qa'dan","copy_editor":"Lisa Kelman","materials":["Wood"]},"07917edd-ff85-5fd1-b5b8-5faef0c0f94d":{"name":"Polish carpet","description":"Carpets in Poland were made in manufactories founded by Polish aristocrats on their own estates. This carpet belongs to the group of five stylistically homogenous objects preserved in Polish collections, which were woven probably in Niemirów or Tulczyn, in a manufactory located on the Potocki family estate.  \nIn the middle of the ivory-coloured central field, there is the coat of arms of the Potocki (Pilawa) and Mniszech (Mniszech) family underneath a nobleman’s crown, displayed above trophies of combat. Looking closer at the trophies, elements characteristic of the Republic of Poland and Lithuania are recognisable: two *karabelas* ‒ sabres with an open hilt and pommel, recalling an eagle’s head ‒ and two maces with spherical heads called *bulawas*, which were the attributes of *hetman*s, the highest-ranking commanders in the Polish and Lithuanian army. There are also banners and cannons. Beneath the coat of arms are bullets, gunpowder barrels and kettledrums. Thanks to the coat of arms of the Pilawa and Mniszech, it is possible to presume that the carpet was made to mark the marriage of Stanisław Szczęsny Potocki and Józefina Mniszchówna in 1774, and to decorate their manor house in Tulczyn.  \nThe ornamental decoration of the rug is also very interesting. The central field is decorated with isolated palmettes and roses. The wide border is tightly filled with palmettes and flowers, among which we can find irises, typical of Islamic ornamentation. Strong geometrisation of floral motifs brings to mind Caucasian carpets. It is very probable that the Potocki manufactury employed Armenians and this easily explains the Caucasian inspiration.  \nThe colour green is predominant in this carpet, with the addition of red, yellow, blue and emerald-green, although the colours are somewhat faded now. The wool used to knot Polish carpets was coarser and thicker than the wool used for rugs in warmer, sunnier areas of the world.","type":"Carpet","holder":"National Museum in Kraków","dates":"c. 1774","location":"Kraków","dimensions":"H: 200cm, W: 144cm; knot density 810/dm2","method_for_datation":"Analysis of written sources, the coat of arms and comparative analysis of style","provenance":"Ukraine, Niemirów or Tulczyn","obtention":"Purchased in 1911","bibliography":"Biedrońska-Słotowa, Beata, “Carpets from Polish Manufactories”, in *Tkaniny artystyczne z wieków XVIII I XIX. Materiały sesji naukowej w Zamku Królewskim na Wawelu, Kraków, 21 marca 1991*, Kraków: Antykwa, 1997: 151–63, ills. 59–65.  \nBiedrońska-Słotowa, Beata, *Leksykon sztuki kobierniczej* (Lexicon of carpet art), Kraków: Radamsa publications, 1999: 169‒71.  \nRychlewska, Maria, “Kobiernictwo” (Carpet weaving), in Irena Turnau (ed.), *Zarys historii włókiennictwa na ziemiach polskich do końca XVIII wieku* (An outline of the history of the textile industry in Poland by the end of the 18th century), Warsaw and Kraków: Polish Academy of Sciences, 1966: 438.  \n*War and Peace: Ottoman‒Polish relations in the 15th‒19th centuries*, exhib. cat., Istanbul: Museum of Turkish and Islamic Arts, 1999: 380–1, cat. 298. (Analogy)","author":"Joanna Regina Kowalska","copy_editor":"Mandi Gomez","keywords":["Pilawa","Korczak","Potocki","Niemirów","Ukraine","Tulczyn","Poland","Mniszech"],"materials":["symmetrically knotted pile (Turkish knot)","Wool (warp","weft","pile)"]},"088db2ad-2975-50d5-98f5-125c810d504b":{"name":"*Ensi*","description":"The basic design of the Turkmen rug called *ensi* (or *engsi*) features two long narrow rectangles intersecting at a right angle, which accounts for the term formerly used to designate them: *khachli* or *khachlu* (from the Armenian *khach* = cross). The arch at the upper end, which sometimes also appears on the vertical band of the cross, seems to suggest *ensi*s may have been used as prayer rugs. More recently, though, the idea has been largely abandoned, the *ensi* being currently defined only as a door cover for felt tents. Sometimes, *ensi*s have been compared to the *chahār-bāgh*\\-style Persian garden, whose layout resembles the quartered format of the *ensi*’s central field. The present example dates most probably from the last decade of the 19th century; its decorative repertoire is characteristic of the Tekke rugs, with Y-shape motifs and “ram’s horns” along the secondary outer border. This remarkably well preserved rug was part of the Romanian treasure sent to Moscow in 1916.","type":"Tent door hanging","holder":"The National Museum of Art of Romania","dates":"Late 19th–early 20th century","location":"Bucharest","dimensions":"H: 170cm, W: 122cm; knot density ver. 56/dm; hor. 34/dm; 1,904/dm2","method_for_datation":"Stylistic analysis","provenance":"Central Asia, Tekke tribe","obtention":"Partial return of the Romanian treasure sent to Russia for safekeeping during the First World War","bibliography":"Dunca, Mircea, *De la mihrab la grădina paradisului*, Bucharest: Muzeul Național de Artă al României, 2006: cat. 18.","author":"Mircea Dunca","translator":"Victoria Gheorghita","translation_copy_editor":"Mandi Gomez","keywords":["ensi","Tekke"],"materials":["wool","asymmetrical knot","knotted"]},"095b7e62-f9c6-596f-a836-6ef282bea7af":{"name":"Carpet","description":"As a curtain that covers a Torah Ark containing the Torah scrolls in a synagogue, this carpet contains above the arch a Hebrew inscription from Psalms CXVIII:20 that reads “This is the Gate of the Lord: Through it the Righteous Enter.” Material, technique, design elements, and coloring supply sufficient proof that the carpet was woven in a Ottoman court-controlled atelier in Cairo, Egypt, although it is unknown in the ark of which synagogue it was hung. When the Ottoman Turks conquered Egypt in 1517, there was already an established carpet-weaving industry there. This carpet, and others of its time woven in Cairo, reflect Ottoman taste in elements of the design, but they were produced for a wide raging clientele from European aristocracy to Sephardic Jewish comminities who lived in Ottoman lands.  \n  \nProbably, woven for a Sephardic Jewish community that settled in the Ottoman lands after their expulsion in the late fifteenth century from Iberian Peninsula, this Torah curtain shows many of the same stylistic characteristics as the two seccade hanging behind it. The artistic forms shared between the Muslim *seccade* and the Jewish *parochet* are no coincidence, for they indicate a vocabulary of symbolism: the shared meaning of door- like forms as gateway to heaven given to the Muslim *mihrab* and the Jewish Torah ark and hanging lamps and light as a metaphor for God.  \n  \nThe contrast between styles shows especially well on the carpets produced in Egypt during the Mamluk Sultanate and afterwards during the Ottoman Empire. Curvilinear and naturalistic rendering of the floral motifs on the Ottoman carpets, such as in this example, produces a more sensuous effect than the geometric and angular patterning of the Mamluk style in which the limited colour scheme – red, blue and green – imparts a restrained and intellectual quality.","type":"Carpet","holder":"The George Washington University Museum and The Textile Museum","owner":"The Textile Museum","dates":"Early 17th century","location":"Washington, D. C.","dimensions":"L: 186.70cm, W: 155.57cm","method_for_datation":"The carpet exhibits both Mamluk and Ottoman elements in its style, material, and structure, and thus could be after the Ottoman Empire took control of Egypt and the process of adopting Ottoman artistic elements into the Cairene carpet weaving tradition was underway.","method_for_provenance":"Stylistic analyses, comparative materials, and historical documentary evidence.","provenance":"Egypt, Cairo","obtention":"Purchased by The Textile Museum founder George Hewitt Myers in 1915 and donated to the Museum in 1928.","bibliography":"Mann, V. B., *Art & Ceremony in Jewish Life: Essays in the History of Jewish Art*, London: The Pindar Press, 2005.  \nDenny, W. B., *The Classical Traditions in Anatolian Carpets*, with contribution by Sumru Belger Krody, Washington, DC: The Textile Museum and London: Scala Publishers Ltd., 2002.  \nEttinghausen, R. with M. S. Dimand and L. W. Mackie, *Prayer Rugs*, Washington, DC: The Textile Museum, 1974.  \nEllis, C. G. , “The Ottoman Prayer Rugs”, *Textile Museum Journal*, 2.4 (December 1969), Washington, DC: The Textile Museum, 1970: 5-22.  \nKühnel, E. and L. Bellinger, *Cairene Rugs and Others Technically Related 15th Century-17th Century*, Washington, DC: The Textile Museum, 1957.","workshop":"Anonymous","author":"Sumru Belger Krody","keywords":["wool","Cairene","Synagogue carpet","Jewish","Ottoman carpet"],"materials":["wool","knotted pile carpet","asymmetrical knot","open left"]},"09a4894e-2a26-5a8f-8c64-32e79d122187":{"name":"Pile carpet fragment","description":"The dark green central square is surrounded by three light-coloured borders, which in their turn are framed by thin bands in various colours. The first border is decorated with polychrome zig-zags, the second with yellow dots placed on differently-coloured bands and the third has a perimetric *kufic* inscription, which bears the name of Allah, on an abrashed red ground. The pile is in relatively good condition, apart from the areas of dark brown which are noticeably worn, so that the surface of the carpet gives the impression of having concave sections. The original dimensions of the carpet were approximately 45 cm square, as indicated by the shape of the pattern, the inscription which runs around the central decorative feature, and the fact that in technique, design and dimensions it resembles Benaki fragments 16148 and 16193, as well as no.73.726 in the Textile Museum, Washington.","type":"Carpet","holder":"Benaki Museum","dates":"8th-10th century","location":"Athens","dimensions":"24x43 cm","method_for_datation":"It belongs to a group of fragments attributed to Egypt and their dating between the 8th and the 11th century. In addition, the form of the *kufic* inscription belongs to this period","method_for_provenance":"Factors that determine the provenance: 1. The use of linen, which is the basic Egyptian fibre, for both warps and wefts; 2. The left-twisting (S) spin of the materials is also an Egyptian feature. Linen warps S-spun, Z-plied are found in Coptic fabrics of the 9th-10th century. Right-twisted spinning (Z) is rarely found in Group A; 3. The technique of weaving with cut-pile loops which continues the long-standing Egyptian tradition of weaving with a pile made of loops; 4. The pattern, colouring and techniques of this group fragments bear a close resemblance to contemporaneous Coptic textiles. 5. The fragments display similarities to certain inscribed and non-inscribed fragments from Fustat.","provenance":"Egypt","obtention":"Purchased from Fokion Tanos in 1947","bibliography":"Published in Theologou, J., Ozoline, A., Sartzetakis, Y., \"Fustat Carpet Fragments\", *Hali*, 156 (summer 2008): 65-71.","author":"Mina Moraitou","keywords":["wool","Fustat fragment","inscription band","geometric","linen","kufic script"]},"09cdeb4b-d8af-5846-88b2-2da55fbe30d8":{"name":"Carpet","description":"Spanish carpet of the Crown style.  \nField: The field is formed of three full crowns of oak leaves along with a partial segment of a fourth in which a barely visible golden leaf litter stands out on the rounded bottom. The better distinguished blue flowers mark the quadrants of the wheels or crowns. Within the inner border, the field finishes off in a continuous line of the same colours.  \nBorder: The border is formed by candlestick motifs utilising the same colours as the field, which stand out against the dark blue background. On the larger sides they are arranged on a longitudinal axis, while on the smaller side, the same decorative motif is repeated horizontally.  \nThe colours of the wool used consists of molasses, gold and dark blue.  \nThe carpet is from the crown series which was largely produced throughout the 16th century and typical of the workshops of the Old Kingdom of Murcia.  \nThe laurels or crowns were a decorative element widely used in the Renaissance and can be found in numerous decorative designs. In exceptional cases they may also contain heraldic motifs or religious anagrams. However, the internal border that creates linked rhombuses is an outdated Mudejar stylistic element.  \nThis carpet is catalogued as belonging to the workshops of Alcaraz by several scholars, however certain stylistic elements such as its colour or composition may call into question this attribution. The range of colours (yellow, molasses and blue) as well as the arrangement of the crowns, free of any reference, would make it closer to the core of the Cuenca region, although today there are no parallels or documentary evidence.  \nThe carpet conforms to carpet number ten of the Weissberger collection visible in the collections acquisition catalogue, although the measures differ slightly.  \nA similar carpet is found in: Ferrandis, J., 1933: Exhibition Catalog of Old Spanish Carpets. Madrid, nº 36, plate XXVIII, page 112. Another in the catalogue of the Textile Museum of Washington.","type":"Carpet","holder":"National Museum of Decorative Arts","dates":"First half of the 16th century","location":"Madrid","dimensions":"Length: 300cm, Width: 148cm, Density: 10cm","method_for_datation":"Through the stylistic and technical analysis of the piece.","method_for_provenance":"Through the stylistic and technical analysis of the piece.","provenance":"Old Kingdom of Murcia or Cuenca","obtention":"Acquired in 1957","workshop":"Kingdom of Murcia or Cuenca (Spain)","author":"Mª Dolores Vila Tejero","translator":"Asad Islam","keywords":["coronas","carpet"],"materials":["Wool/Spanish knot","Density: 2.116/dm2"]},"09fff21c-90f5-5324-8374-bd46dbcc09ba":{"name":"Kurdish carpet, so-called *Şarkışlar*","description":"An Anatolian Kurdish carpet, most likely stemming from the middle of the 19th century and preserved in almost full size. Not much more is missing from the top and bottom of the carpet than the narrow border retained on the sides. Up to the 1990s, pile carpets formed part of the traditional tent decoration of Kurdish nomads in Anatolia. In their black goat-hair tents, the openings of which were located on the longer side, the pile carpet was accorded a central place. Only a very few examples of this type of carpet still exist. They are ascribed to the region around Şarkışla, southwest of Sivas. Characteristic here are the totem-like symbols in large, variously coloured rhomboid shapes, which, in alteration with small squares, form the carpet's tiled pattern. However, the central motif, which appears quite zoomorphic, can probably be traced back to plant shapes. The Dresden piece displays typical East Anatolian colouring and a straightforward, differentiated overall design. Despite some damage and later reworkings, this carpet makes a powerful and confident impression.","type":"Carpet","holder":"Museum für Völkerkunde Dresden (Ethnological Museum Dresden), Dresden State Art Collections","dates":"19th century, probably first half","location":"Dresden, Saxony","dimensions":"Length: 172cm, Width: 138cm","provenance":"East Anatolia, probably Şarkışlar region","obtention":"Purchased in 1980 from a Dresden Collector, Friedrich Uhlemann, who afore acquired the piece at a stately art-dealing shop in Leipzig (VEB Leipzig). Uhlemann was very much engaged in helping Dresden painter Wilhelm Müller (1928–99) to secure oriental rugs, carpets and flatweaves of rural and nomadic tradition that were still on the territory of the GDR with building up a collection for the Ethnographic Museum of Dresden, mainly between 1979 and 1986.","bibliography":"Bailey, J. and Hopkins, M., *Through the Collector’s Eye. Oriental Rugs from New England Private Collections*, Providence: Museum of Art, Rhode Island School of Design, 1991: no.12.  \nBöhmer, H., *Nomads in Anatolia. Encounters with a Vanishing Culture*, Ganderkesee: Remhöb-Verlag, 2008: 152–173.  \nBrüggemann, W. and Böhmer, H., *Teppiche der Bauern und Nomaden in Anatolien*, Munich: Kunst&Antiquitäten, 1980: no.91.  \nTKF Gesellschaft zur Förderung der Textilkunstforschung (ed), *Antike Teppiche Band I – Antique Carpets Volume I. Antike anatolische Teppiche aus Österreichischem Besitz*, Vienna: TKF Gesellschaft zur Förderung der Textilkunstforschung, 1983: no.53.  \nYohe, R.S., “Rugs of the Yörük Triangle. A family of rugs of Eatern Turkey”, *Hali Magazine*, vol II : no 2 (1979): 113–118 (see image page 116, plate 15).","author":"Simone Jansen","copy_editor":"Janice Medina","keywords":["Tribal"],"materials":["pile weave","wool","symmetrical knot"]},"0a4bee6d-d19c-5df8-85c0-343c3bb0c7b6":{"name":"‘Animal combat’ carpet","description":"Indian carpets began to arrive in Portugal from the second half of the 16th century onwards. Despite apparently not having been introduced in significant quantities, Indian carpets constituted an alternative to the decoration present in their Turkish and Persian counterparts.  \nThis carpet is a beautiful example of North Indian production, with its palette dominated by tones of red, as well as by *ton sur ton* colouring. It features a rectangular field with a red background, filled by a vertically organised scene in which various felines are chasing herbivorous animals. Dense branches interspersed with floral motifs, bunches of grapes, cutout leaves and palmettes frame the scene.  \nThe wide border also has a red background. This is decorated with cutouts and a repeated, interlocking series of three coloured and poly-lobed cartouches, themselves filled with polychrome rosettes, which alternate with palmettes, Timurid-inspired sinuous cloudbands and floral and leaf arrangements.","type":"Textile; carpet","holder":"National Museum Machado de Castro","dates":"17th century (1601‒1700)","location":"Coimbra","dimensions":"H: 195cm, W: 138cm; knot density warp 2Z x 3.50/dm; weft Z7S, 70‒100/dm; wool, 2Z, 3Z, 4Z; c. 2,100/dm2","method_for_datation":"Bibliographic references","method_for_provenance":"The transference from the Monastery of Santa Clara-a-Nova, Coimbra, is documented","provenance":"North India","obtention":"Transferred from the Monastery of Santa Clara-a-Nova (Order of Saint Claire), Coimbra, Portugal","bibliography":"Hallett, Jessica and Pereira, Teresa Pacheco, *The Oriental Carpet in Portugal: Carpets and paintings, 15th‒18th centuries*, Lisbon: MNAA, 2007, p. 119, cat. no. 48; T53: 178.  \n*Museu Machado de Castro ‒ Secção de tecidos, bordados, tapeçarias e tapetes. Catálogo-guia*, Coimbra: Coimbra Editora, 1943, p. 85, cat. no. 2.","workshop":"Unknown","author":"Pedro Miguel Ferrão","translator":"Lily Chadwick","translation_copy_editor":"Mandi Gomez","keywords":["wool","North India","cartouches","palmettes","carpet","flowers","animals"],"materials":["open to the left. Chromatic composition of 13 colours","asymetric knot","wool","cotton","pink cotton warp","knotted","white cotton weft"]},"0b92d7bf-5e20-5bb2-8dc2-0844969d6fc4":{"name":"Carpet with dragon and phoenix.","description":"This fragmented carpet is one of the most important animal-carpets of the early Ottoman period that have become known to the present day. Two highly stylised animals, a dragon and a phoenix, are depicted fighting, against a yellow background and within two octagonal spaces. The phoenix is swooping down onto the dragon from above. The image is clearer in the lower octagonal casing than in the upper. The outer border is composed of semi-palmette tendrils, which are framed on both sides by an edging of little rosettes. The original border appears to be missing on both the left and right sides. It is possible that the carpet was originally wider in shape, featuring a greater number of octagonal compartments. This would make it more akin to the animal-carpets that were reproduced in paintings. The dragon and phoenix motif, which originated in China – where yellow was considered to be the colour of the sovereign – was introduced into Islamic art in the AH 7th / AD 13th century with the arrival of the Mongols, as is demonstrated by its ubiquitous presence on a number of works of art, made in a variety of materials.  \nAnimal-carpets often appear in the paintings of Italian artists, but only a few of the actual pieces survived. The painter Domenico di Bartolo depicted a similar dragon-phoenix carpet in his fresco ‘The Wedding of the Foundlings’, which he painted in the Spedale della Scala in Siena in 1440–4. An animal-carpet featuring stylised birds on trees was found in a church in Sweden. The wide distribution of animal-carpets in Europe demonstrates that they were among the early types of carpets to be exported to Europe from the Ottoman Empire. This carpet allegedly comes from a church in central Italy and, from the results of Carbon-14 analysis, is dated to be from the AH mid-9th / AD mid-15th century.","short_description":"This Ottoman carpet with the pattern of a dragon being attacked from above by a phoenix is one of the most famous carpet designs. Introduced from the Far East, carpets with animal designs already occurred in numerous paintings from the European masters in the 13th and 14th centuries.","type":"Carpet","holder":"Museum of Islamic Art at the Pergamon Museum","initial_owner":"Museum of Arts and Crafts, Berlin.","dates":"Hegira mid-9th / mid-15th century.","location":"Berlin","dimensions":"Length 172 cm, width 90 cm.","method_for_datation":"Carbon-14 analysis has dated the carpet to the mid-9th / mid-15th century.","method_for_provenance":"The carpet’s Turkish knot and its unique motifs and colours place it within the Ottoman era.","provenance":"Turkey .","obtention":"Acquired in Rome by Wilhelm von Bode in 1886 and bought by the Museum of Arts and Crafts, Berlin. Given on loan to the Museum of Islamic Art in 1906, after which it was included in the Museum’s inventory.","bibliography":"Bode, W. v., *Vorderasiatische Knüpfteppiche aus älterer Zeit*, Leipzig, 1901, p.109.  \nEnderlein, V., *Wilhelm von Bode und die Berliner Teppichsammlung*, Berlin, 1995, p.23, no. 9, p.29, pl. 9.  \nErdmann, K., *Die Geschichte des Frühen Türkischen Teppichs*, London, 1977, pp.56–7, ill. 52.  \nRageth, J., “Dating the Dragon & Phoenix Fragments”, *Halı* 134, 2004, pp.106–109.  \n*The Eastern Carpet in the Western World from the 15th to the 17th century*, London, 1983, p.49, cat. no. 1, p.34, fig. 1.","linkcatalogs":"IAM_TR_EN_001","author":"Jens Kröger","translator":"Maria Vlotides","translation_copy_editor":"Monica Allen","keywords":["knot-carpet","animal decoration","Phoenix","imaginary animal","zoomorphic imagery","Ottoman carpet"],"materials":["wool","knotted."]},"0bdd9721-3f27-532b-aa49-d29c2756dbbe":{"name":"*Flight of the besieged and retreat of the Swiss who drown in great numbers in the Ticino*","description":"The famous series of seven Flemish tapestries depicting the Battle of Pavia, which are displayed in a large room in the Museum of Capodimonte, entered the public collections as part of the 1862 bequest of Alfonso d’Avalos, who donated his family’s collection to the National Museum of Naples.  \nProduced to be given to Emperor Charles V by the Estates-General of Brussels, on the occasion of the latter’s meeting in Brussels in 1531, the decorative series of tapestries was designed to celebrate the victory of the imperial troops over those of the French, under the command of Francis I. This victory, which occurred on 24 February 1525, was fought in the environs of the Visconti Park, at the gates of Pavia.  \nWoven in Brussels, the tapestries were produced using designs by Bernard van Orley (now in the Louvre in Paris) in the workshop of William Dermoyen (or Van der Moyen), identified thanks to the presence of a weaver’s mark on the border of two tapestries in the series. Furthermore, the presence of the mark has allowed the years in which the series was produced to be established: that is, after 1528, the year in which a decree required tapestry workers to “sign” their products, and by the start of 1531, given that the tapestries would be presented to the Emperor in the March of that year.  \nRecently, an interpretation of the entire cycle has been proposed that aims to recreate sequentially the landscape depicted in the seven tapestries as a single, panoramic, overview (Paredes 2014). According to this perspective, the tapestry examined here should be viewed immediately after the tapestry with *The taking of Mirabello Castle*, and it precedes the last in the series, *Flight of the French army and retreat of the Duke of Alençon across the Ticino*. In particular, from the juxtaposition of the three tapestries, one can reconstruct on the left the French encampment, bordered in the foreground by the walls of the Visconti Park and by the defensive system composed of a series of gabions, which one can also distinguish in the distance. On the right, one can recreate the landscape south of Pavia, distinguished by the presence of the small island of Gravellone and by the course of the waters of the Ticino.  \nDominating the tapestry is the depiction of the city of Pavia, bordered by walls, with the Visconti Castle on the left and the Covered Bridge on the right. This is the final phase of the battle: troops commanded by Antonio de Leyva burst out of the city besieged by the imperial troops and attack the French army from behind. In the centre, soldiers and civilians come out of their shelters, trying to flee, while several men, pushed towards the Ticino by the imperial cavalry, drown in the river. In the centre of the tapestry, one of the cavaliers of François de Laval, Count of Montfort, can be identified thanks to the writing embroidered on his horse’s harness.","type":"Flemish tapestry","holder":"Museum of Capodimonte","owner":"Museum of Capodimonte","dates":"1528‒1531","location":"Naples","dimensions":"H: 424cm, W: 886cm","method_for_datation":"Various sources and studies","provenance":"Brussels","obtention":"Bequest of Alfonso d’Avalos to the National Museum of Naples (the Italian State) in 1862","bibliography":"AA. VV (ed.), *Gli Arazzi della Battaglia di Pavia*, Milan: Bompiani, 1999.  \nArbace, Lucia, *Fasti d’Avalos: dagli Arazzi della Battaglia di Pavia alle Selle da parata*, Chieti: Litografia Botolini, 2012.  \nBuchanan, Iain, “The ‘Battle of Pavia’ and the Tapestry Collection of Don Carlos: New Documentation”, *The Burlington Magazine*, vol. 144, no. 1191 (2002): 345‒51.  \nCasali, Luigi, Fraccaro, Cristina, and Prina, Vittorio, *Gli Arazzi della Battaglia di Pavia del Museo di Capodimonte a Napoli*, Pavia: Edizioni ViGiEffe, 1993.  \nParedes, Cecilia, “The tapestries of the battle of Pavia” (2014), online publication.  \n“Pavia. La Battaglia, il futuro. ‘niente fu come prima’” (2015), online publication.  \nSansone, M. R., *Gli arazzi della Battaglia di Pavia: dalla Spagna di Carlo V alla Napoli dei d’Avalos, in 1525‒2015. Pavia, la Battaglia, il Futuro. Niente fu come prima* (publication to accompany the exhibition at the Visconti Castle, Pavia, 14 June‒15 November 2015).","workshop":"William Dermoyen atelier","author":"Maria Rosaria Sansone","translator":"Judith Forshaw","translation_copy_editor":"Mandi Gomez","materials":["silk and cotton","gold and silver thread","wool"]},"0c5bacf8-49f2-5415-b7db-491e97a23a73":{"name":"Weaving shuttle","description":"A tool designed to neatly and compactly store weft yarn while weaving. To weave the weft, shuttles are passed back and forth through the 'shed', the threads of the warp.","type":"Weaving shuttle","holder":"The Jordan Museum","owner":"Department of Antiquities","dates":"1000-539 BC","location":"Amman","dimensions":"L: 6cm","method_for_datation":"The excavation team in Dayer 'Alla dated this tool based on the pottery found in the near vicinity.","obtention":"Loan","author":"Najd Sweidan","copy_editor":"Lisa Kelman","materials":["Bone"]},"0c9e0529-7380-57a8-b3d5-151fa4c93eb2":{"name":"The revenge ground of al-Mukhtar (Persian: *Dar al-entegham-e Mokhtar*)","short_description":"The tragic martyrdom of the Prophet’s grandson al-Husayn and his companions at Karbala' near Kufa, where they were massacred by an Umayyad army in 61/680, played an important role in the consolidation of the *Shi'i* ethos; it also led to the formation of radical trends among the *Shi'i*. The earliest of such trends became manifest in the movement of al-Mukhtar, who won control of Kufa in an open revolt in 66/685. Aiming to avenge al-Husayn’s murder, al-Mukhtar launched his own movement and proclaimed Ibn al-Hanafiyya, al-Husayn’s half-brother Muhammad, as the *Mahdi*, 'the divinely guided one', the messianic saviour imam and restorer of true Islam who would establish justice on earth and deliver the oppressed from tyranny.","type":"Textile; painting","holder":"Weltmuseum Wien","dates":"1996","location":"Vienna","dimensions":"L: 295cm, W: 285cm","method_for_datation":"Personal documentation by the curator.","method_for_provenance":"Personal documentation by the curator.","provenance":"Iran, Esfahan","obtention":"Purchased 1996 in Isfahan by Dr Axel Steinmann, curator at the Museum für Völkerkunde, during his fieldwork in Iran.","bibliography":"Steinmann, Axel, \"The revenge ground of al-Mukhtar\", in Anne-Marie Bouttiaux and Anna Seiderer (eds), *Fetisch Modernity, exhibition catalogue*, Tervuren: Royal Museum for Central Africa, 2011: 118.  \nSteinmann, Axel, \"Heroic Stories\", in Christian Schicklgruber (ed), *Weltmuseum Wien, exhibition catalogue*, Vienna: Weltmuseum Wien, 2017: 110-113.","materials":["Cloth with painted and stamped designs"]},"10698c43-c17e-5574-bbc9-4b8526898e69":{"name":"Carpet","description":"The highly elaborate design of the red central field features richly coloured motifs – palmettes, lotus blossoms, scrolls and Chinese cloudbands – rigorously ordered along an axis of symmetry. Many such carpets, dating from the late 16th or 17th century can still be found in Europe. In what concerns the Romanian Principalities, 17th-century documents, notably those related to the Movilă princes, mention hundreds of Iranian carpets, thus attesting to their popularity in this part of the world as in the rest of Europe. In all likelihood, this carpet, unique in Romania, has come from a Moldavian monastery, to which it was donated by a rich *boyar* or by the *voivode* himself. The use of silk warp could be indicative of a royal workshop. The carpet is comparatively small, but it is precisely its size and its surprisingly well-preserved pile that make it a rare and valuable work of art.","type":"Carpet","holder":"The National Museum of Art of Romania","dates":"First half of the 17th century","location":"Bucharest","dimensions":"H: 204cm, W: 137cm; knot density ver. 49/dm; hor. 56/dm; 2,744/dm2","method_for_datation":"Stylistic analysis; comparison with similar carpets depicted in seventeenth-century paintings","provenance":"Central Iran, Isfahan","obtention":"Partial return of the Romanian treasure sent to Russia for safekeeping during the First World War","bibliography":"Dunca, Mircea, *De la mihrab la grădina paradisului*, Bucharest: Muzeul Naţional de Artă al României, 2006: cat. 21.  \nDunca, Mircea, “Persian Art in Romania before World War I”, in Yuka Kadoi and Ivan Szánto (eds.), *The Shaping of Persian Art: Collections and Interpretations of the Art of Islamic Iran and Central Asia*, Newcastle-upon-Tyne: Cambridge Scholars Publishing, 2013: 32.  \nDunca, Mircea, *Islamic Art at the National Museum of Art of Romania*, Bucharest: Muzeul Naţional de Artă al României, 2015: no. 2.","author":"Mircea Dunca","translator":"Victoria Gheorghita","translation_copy_editor":"Mandi Gomez","keywords":["scrolls","palmettes","cloudbands"],"materials":["cotton weft","Silk warp","knotted","asymmetrical wool knot"]},"10b17ece-2288-5183-879d-01d56cb6c09d":{"name":"Armenian carpet","description":"Carpet made by members of the Armenian community living in Jordan.","type":"Carpet","holder":"The Jordan Museum","owner":"The Jordan Museum","dates":"AD 1890","location":"Amman","dimensions":"L: 100cm, W: 50cm","method_for_datation":"This carpet was bought in 1890 and brought to Jordan in 1917 as Armenians immigrated to Jordan.","provenance":"Armenia","obtention":"Bought","author":"Najd Sweidan","copy_editor":"Lisa Kelman","materials":["wool"]},"11712c70-825f-5003-97bb-14deb92e5caf":{"name":"Uşak Rug (Lotto type)","description":"“Lotto” rugs are produced in the Uşak Province of Anatolia. Classical examples of “Lotto” rugs are generally dated to the 16th century. Lotto type rugs dated to 17th and 18th centuries are rare and they differ from the examples from the 16th century. This example from the 18th century, is part of the late Lotto group. The distinctive motif in this group of rugs are squares filled with octagons and stylized patterns which form ivy. Blue areas on the main ground are a distinctive feature of late Lotto rugs. The schema of classical early carpets is preserved while the intensive geometrical motifs has changed into sparse botanical ones.","type":"Rug","holder":"Museum of Turkish and Islamic Arts","dates":"18th century","location":"Istanbul","dimensions":"L: 139cm, W: 175cm","method_for_datation":"The analyses of the material and the technique used for weaving the rug and the motifs seen on main ground and borders.","provenance":"West Anatolia, Uşak","obtention":"From the Istanbul Topkapı Palace Museum","bibliography":"Denny, Walter, and Tekeli, Gönül, *Anadolu Dokuma Mirası*, Istanbul: C.2, 2007: s.49, Kat.no: 27.  \nKollektif, *Türk El Dokuması Halılar*, Ankara: Kültür ve Turizm Bakanlığı Yayınları, Cilt 2, Katalog no: 134.","author":"Deniz Kanberoğlu","copy_editor":"Lisa Kelman","keywords":["West Anatolia","Lotto Type","Uşak rug"],"materials":["Natural wool coloured with natural dyes","symmetrical knot","Gördes knot"]},"13b29772-43e9-5a5f-9d0a-30a66bd89d36":{"name":"Arraiolos rug","description":"During the 17th century, oriental carpets were an important source of inspiration for production in Arraiolos. However, throughout the 18th century, the impact of Eastern patterns would gradually fade from Portuguese carpets. This rug is a good example of such a process. A highlight of the old Arraiolos production, it is wool-embroidered, in small stitches, onto burlap, with the outlines of the motifs featuring stem-stitch, characteristic of early Arraiolos rugs. Its rich chromatic scheme varies from yellow to deep blue and includes red, green and black. It is decorated with the so-called “animal pattern”, itself quite representative of that industry’s tendencies during the first half of the 18th century. In this pattern both animal figuration of erudite and popular inspiration and floral motifs abound. Both in the field, with its central medallion, and on the border, birds, quadrupeds and mythological animals are combined with winding vegetation and flower vases. These still denote the influence of other oriental textiles besides carpets, namely the *colchas* (coverlets), made in India since the middle of the 16th century for the Portuguese market.","type":"Textile; carpet","holder":"Museum of Portuguese Decorative Arts – Ricardo do Espírito Santo Silva Foundation","dates":"First half of the 18th century","location":"Lisbon","dimensions":"H: 405.7cm, W: 299.5cm","method_for_datation":"Stylistic analysis","method_for_provenance":"Stylistic analysis","provenance":"Portugal, Arraiolos","obtention":"Donated by Ricardo do Espírito Santo Silva in 1953","bibliography":"Leite, Fernanda Passos, *Museum of Portuguese Decorative Arts – Guide*, Lisbon: FRESS, 2004.  \nMendonça, Maria José de, “Tapetes de Arraiolos”, in João Barreira (ed.), *Arte Portuguesa ‒ As Artes Decorativas*, Lisbon: Excelsior, n.d.  \nOliveira, F., Baptista de, *História e Técnica dos Tapetes de Arraiolos*, Lisbon: Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation, 1973.  \nPereira, Teresa Pacheco, *Tapetes de Arraiolos*, Lisbon: SILVIP, 1991.","workshop":"Arraiolos, Portugal","author":"Maria da Conceição Amaral","translator":"Lily Chadwick","translation_copy_editor":"Mandi Gomez","keywords":["Arraiolos stitch","ponto de Arraiolos","Portuguese carpet","embroidery","18th century"],"materials":["wool embroidered on burlap","Burlap","oblique or Slavic cross-stitch (known as ponto de Arraiolos)","wool","stem-stitch"]},"13bf4865-8625-5d78-b74e-0541eb8ce9e3":{"name":"Carpet fragment","short_description":"The fragment is a piece cut from a large carpet measuring 7.40 x 3.00 m. In the foreground is a deer, whose dark olive-green coat is spotted pink, surrounded by a coloured floral background and pinned down by a white leopard.","type":"Carpet","holder":"MAO Museum of Oriental Art","dates":"Hegira second half of the 10th century / AD second half of the 16th century","location":"Turin","dimensions":"Height 60 cm, length 110 cm","provenance":"Eastern Iran","keywords":["Safawid","animal decoration","floral motifs","carpet"],"materials":["silk","wool"]},"13cbe817-137e-568a-9fe2-c1976fbb2dba":{"name":"Wall hanging with scenes from the *Tale of Tristan and Iseult* (2 fragments)","description":"The frieze in the bottom section of this wall hanging depicts the tragic love story of Tristan and Iseult (alternatively Isolde). A short introductory text and banners with caption complete the visual narrative. The story begins with the wedding of Tristan’s parents and his birth. This is followed by the young hero's first deeds at the behest of his uncle, King Mark of Cornwall, and his subsequent journey to Ireland to propose to princess Iseult for his uncle. The last part of the tale, depicting their return to Cornwall, the wedding of Iseult and Mark, and the tragic ending of Tristan and Iseult, is missing, due to the fragmentary condition of the hanging.  \nThe décor in the upper section of the hanging is inspired by ornaments of oriental carpets, which were commonly used as tablecloths during the 16th century. These precious predecessors were either knotted or woven. In the Upper-Rhenish region, this type of design was achieved by embroidering the textile. This hanging was presumably produced in 1539 in Strasbourg, which is evident in the date on the cartouche as well as the coats of arms of four Strasbourgian families. It was rediscovered in 1883 in the church of Schwarzenberg in the Ore Mountains. How the embroidered work got from Strasbourg to Schwarzenberg or why only two fragments of the hanging remain today is unknown.","type":"Wall hanging","holder":"GRASSI Museum of Applied Art","owner":"GRASSI Museum of Applied Art, Leipzig","dates":"1539","location":"Leipzig","dimensions":"H: 76cm and 78cm, W: 187cm and 422cm","method_for_datation":"By inscriptions and coat of arms on the object","method_for_provenance":"Documented by acquisition","provenance":"Strasbourg","obtention":"Acquired from the Saxon Antiquity Society Dresden, 1923","bibliography":"GRASSI Museum für Angewandte Kunst Leipzig, *Ständige Ausstellung, Antike bis Historismus*, Leipzig: Passage-Verlag, 2009, second edition: 31.","author":"Stefanie Seeberg","translator":"Aminata Estelle Diouf","translation_copy_editor":"Daniel de la Vega","keywords":["horses","wool","inscription band","geometric decoration","crafts","geometric patterns","landscape","vegetal motifs","coat of arms","linen","human figure","silk","floral motifs","wall hanging","Fragment","embroidery","blue","craftmanship","collection","human representation","heraldy","decorative arts","silverthread","Turkish influence"],"materials":["silk","wool","embroidery on linen","Linen","silver thread"]},"13da07fe-8678-5b0a-9f85-cd3db783760a":{"name":"Bird *Uşak* (fragment)","description":"The Viennese bird *Uşak* is a fragment: the border of the bottom narrow side was sewn onto the shortened carpet field, whereby the original length of the carpet cannot be reconstructed. The eponymous rapport pattern unit of the white-grounded carpet field, four birds around a rosette, is repeated four times horizontally and seven times vertically. This special interpretation of the otherwise figureless *Uşak* carpets, is preferred again today, since an Ottoman source of the 17th century apostrophises the “crow pattern”. Moreover, it was established that numerous white-grounded carpets from the Ottoman region are located in the Habsburg inventories of the late 16th century that can possibly be indentified with bird *Uşak*s.","type":"Carpet","holder":"MAK – Austrian Museum of Applied Arts / Contemporary Art","dates":"16th century","location":"Vienna","dimensions":"H: 362cm, W: 212cm; knot density 900/dm2","method_for_datation":"Research and documentary evidence","method_for_provenance":"Research and documentary evidence","provenance":"Turkey, western Anatolia, Uşak","obtention":"Obtained in 1971, acquired from the estate of Wilhelm von Bode","bibliography":"Völker, Angela, *Die orientalischen Knüpfteppiche das MAK, Vienna*: Böhlau, 2001: 92–3.","author":"Angela Völker","copy_editor":"Mandi Gomez","keywords":["wool","Ottoman","textile","carpet","geometric design"],"materials":["Wool warp and weft","knotted","symmetrical knot"]},"15127984-6ea0-5f83-a95c-d9e4f798184a":{"name":"Spindle wheel","description":"Early wooden spinning wheel which would have been used for the long-draw spinning technique for producing both cotton and wool.","type":"Spindle wheel","holder":"Department of Antiquities","owner":"Department of Antiquities","dates":"Early 20th century","location":"Amman","method_for_datation":"Early 20th century treadle loom weavers from Syria and Palestine settled in Jordan. They produced rugs, saddle bags and other textiles.","provenance":"Amman","obtention":"Purchased","bibliography":"Rashid, Abdallah, *Traditional life in Amman from 1878-1948*, Amman: Ministry of Culture and Youth, 1983.","author":"Samia Khouri","copy_editor":"Lisa Kelman","materials":["Wood"]},"153bbb81-8ae2-506c-9a4e-b290f062e24d":{"name":"Animal carpet","description":"The appeal of this small-format carpet is due to its unusual proportions. The borders take up far more space than the narrow, vertical central field, which is unassertively filled with geometrical hooked lozenges. The charm of this border is in its strong contrasts of colour. Stylised birds are arranged all around the inside of the delimited rectangles. They are enclosed and flanked by cream-coloured stylised vines. It is striking that the birds vary in colour and face alternately left and right, but are always shown vertically. This gives the carpet a distinct sense of direction. The vines are reminiscent of the stylised, vegetal border designs of early Spanish carpets. They are linked with the depiction of trees, which makes sense in combination with that of birds. A technical peculiarity is found in the symmetrical knots of the border. They are partly offset, presumably in order to achieve the desired incline of the diagonals. A further animal carpet (KGM 1885,984) in the Museum of Islamic Art in Berlin displays this technique.","type":"Carpet","holder":"Museum of Islamic Art at the Pergamon Museum","dates":"AD end of the 14th century","location":"Berlin","dimensions":"L: 142, W: 86","method_for_datation":"The carpet has been dated on stylistic analysis of its pattern, due to its colours and knot-technique","method_for_provenance":"The carpet has been located on stylistic analysis of its pattern, due to its colours and knot-technique","provenance":"Anatolia","obtention":"Purchased by Wilhelm von Bode for the Kunstgewerbemuseum Berlin in Venice; 1956 transferred through the Kunstgewerbemuseum, Berlin","bibliography":"Beselin, Anna, *Geknüpfte Kunst. Teppiche des Museums für Islamische Kunst*, Berlin: Minerva, 2011.","author":"Anna Beselin","keywords":["Wilhelm von Bode","Animal Carpet","carpet","bird"],"materials":["wool","knotted pile carpet","symmetrical knot"]},"153bc1d1-5d6c-586c-8edb-2c0cf7039424":{"name":"Double Niche Rug or Rosette Garland 'Transylvanian' Rug","description":"A fashionable version of the 16th and 17th century Ottoman-Turkish prayer rugs was the \"double niche\" or *'mihrab* (prayer niche)' rug. The rhomboid medallion that fills the middle of the rug is created by mirroring the traditional *mihrab*, the niche in the mosque wall that traditionally had a single apex. These double *mihrab* Usak rugs were primarily popular in Transylvania. Their symmetric patterns were used as table, bed and catafalque covers, known in specialist literature as \"Transylvanian\" rugs. Additional characteristics of the Transylvanian rugs were the dominating red and blue colours and the line of Transylvanian medallions decorating the main band of the border. The pattern of the \"Transylvanian\" rugs was simplified from the middle of the 17th century the once complicated arabesque and floral ornaments of the central medallion were replaced by double garlands made of slightly schematic rosettes.","type":"Carpet","holder":"Museum of Applied Arts","dates":"Second half of 17th century","location":"Budapest","dimensions":"Height: 169cm, Width: 122cm, Knot density: 1,330/dm2","method_for_datation":"Stylistic analysis","method_for_provenance":"Stylistic analysis","provenance":"West Anatolia, Turkey","obtention":"Dr and Mrs Ferenc Papolczy bequest, Budapest, 1980.  The former owner was Dr Lajos Szádeczky, Kolozsvár (now Cluj-Napoca, Romania), who exhibited it in the 1914 'Transylvanian' Turkish Rugs Exhibition in the Budapest Museum of Applied Arts.","bibliography":"Batári, Ferenc, *Ottoman Turkish Carpets: The Collection of the Museum of Applied Arts, Budapest I*, Budapest–Keszthely: Museum of Applied Arts, 1994: 56, no. 47 and 137, figure.  \nPásztor, Emese (ed), *'Transylvanian ' Turkish Rugs: Tracing the Ottoman Rugs from the 1914 Exhibition in the Budapest Museum of Applied Arts*, Budapest: Museum of Applied Arts, 2020: 192–193, no. 137 and figure \\[Emese Pásztor\\].  \nPásztor, Emese, *Ottoman Turkish Carpets in the Collection of the Budapest Museum of Applied Arts: In Memoriam Ferenc Batári*, Budapest: Museum of Applied Arts, 2007: 132–133, no. 33.","author":"Emese Pásztor","copy_editor":"Valerie Pulsifer","translator":"Alan Campbell","keywords":["wool","Ottoman rug","Double Niche Rug"],"materials":["Symmetrical (Turkish or Ghiordes) knot","Pile: wool"]},"159db56e-edd6-577a-b51e-40b856217129":{"name":"Prayer rug","description":"The rich colour palette and the contrast between the undecorated *mihrab* field and the borders with intricate geometric motifs, the so-called *Crivelli güls*, convey a sense of vitality and unsophisticated beauty. The apex of the stepped *mihrab* echoes the crenellations on the narrow panel above. Identical motifs can be found on earlier carpets, which testify to the persistence of certain patterns over more than two centuries. These motifs, drawn from architecture, appear to have lost their original meaning, much like the columns turned into flower garlands on other 19th-century rugs. Two ewers featured in the spandrels on either side of the pointed top of the *mihrab* suggest, in all probability, the ritual ablution before prayer.","type":"Prayer rug","holder":"The National Museum of Art of Romania","dates":"Early 19th century","location":"Bucharest","dimensions":"H: 174cm, W: 139cm; knot density ver. 39/dm; hor. 27/dm; 1,053/dm2","method_for_datation":"Stylistic analysis","provenance":"Turkey, central Anatolia, Mucur","obtention":"Purchased (art trade)","bibliography":"Dunca, Mircea, *Covoare turceşti, secolele XVII–XX*, Bucharest: Muzeul Național de Artă al României, 1994: cat. 41.  \nDunca, Mircea, *De la mihrab la grădina paradisului*, Bucharest: Muzeul Național de Artă al României, 2006: cat. 2.  \nDunca, Mircea, *Islamic Art at the National Museum of Art of Romania*, Bucharest: Muzeul Național de Artă al României, 2015: no. 5.  \nZigura, Alexandra, *Covoare turceşti din colecţia muzeului*, Bucharest: Muzeul de Artă al Republicii Socialiste România, 1966: 70–1.","author":"Mircea Dunca","translator":"Victoria Gheorghita","translation_copy_editor":"Mandi Gomez","keywords":["Crivelli güls","prayer rug"],"materials":["wool","knotted","symmetrical knot"]},"159e3b0b-362a-55fb-aa30-ee216a64766a":{"name":"Prayer rug","description":"Kula, a small town in western Anatolia, became a major site of rug production in the 18th century. A significant proportion of the rugs made there were prayer rugs, all variations on the same design featuring a pair of tall columns crowned with a simple triangular arch and a wide multi-striped border around the niche. The most distinctive feature of the Kula rugs are stylized floral motifs decorating the architectural elements: small flowers and leafy branches grow out of the columns, arches and spandrels, completely filling the borders and creating a symbiotic fusion of garden and architectural compositions unique to Kula rugs. All Kula rugs share a loose weave and a warm palette of yellow, blue, white and red.","type":"Prayer rug","holder":"Textile Museum of Canada (TMC)","owner":"TMC","dates":"1850-1870","location":"Toronto, Ontario","dimensions":"L: 175cm, W: 116cm","method_for_datation":"By stylistic analysis","method_for_provenance":"By stylistic analysis","provenance":"Turkey, Kula","obtention":"Gift of Thomas Kalman","bibliography":"Asianapa, Oktay, *One Thousand Years of Turkish Carpets*, Istanbul: Muhitten Salih, 1988.  \nFranses, Michael; Pinner, Robert, “Turkish Carpets in the Victoria and Albert Museum: the ‘Classical’ Carpets of the 15th to 17th Centuries”, *Hali*, 6.4 (Issue 24 1984): 356-381.","author":"Natalia Nekrassova","keywords":["prayer rug"],"materials":["knotted pile","wool"]},"1687a165-29f8-5b58-b99f-27a895254675":{"name":"The Wagner Garden Carpet","description":"Named after a previous early 20th century owner, the Wagner Garden Carpet is a 17th century Persian Kirman pile carpet with a formal garden layout on a dark blue background. It is dominated by two long parallel water channels that are linked by a central pool and two short branch channels, all together forming the shape ‘H’. The garden’s six rectangular sections are vertically symmetrical, with the right side of the carpet mirroring its left.  \n  \nResembling a walled park, it is packed with a variety of trees, shrubs and flowering plants amongst which animals, birds, butterflies and moths live. The animals depicted include foxes, deer, onagers, goats, hares, wild boars, lions and leopards; storks, ducks, peacocks and smaller birds. Its waterways meet at a central pool, and are all teeming with fish and ducks.  \n  \nThe layout of the flora and fauna gradually changes direction in the top half of the carpet, creating a panoramic view of the garden for the person sitting on it at the bottom half – a most unusual layout for this type of garden carpet. It almost invokes a heavenly walled menagerie that immerses the person sitting on it in its natural but well-ordered world. Reminding the viewer of its cultural roots, its design was inspired by both the pre-Islamic Persian Paradise and the descriptions of the Garden of Heaven in the Qur’an.","type":"Carpet","holder":"Glasgow Museums - The Burrell Collection","dates":"17th century","location":"Glasgow, Scotland","dimensions":"H: 5309mm, W: 4318mm","method_for_datation":"Manufacturing techniques and stylistic analysis","method_for_provenance":"Stylistic analysis","provenance":"Iran, Kirman","obtention":"Gifted by Sir William and Lady Burrell to the City of Glasgow, 1944","bibliography":"Beattie, May H., *Carpets of Central Persia*, London: World of Islam Festival Publishing Company Ltd., 1976: 60.","workshop":"Kirman workshop","author":"Noorah Al-Gailani","keywords":["river","pool","Paradise","insect","Kerman","mammal","tree motifs","landscape","animal decoration","floral motifs","garden","water","shrubs","fish","bird","cypress"],"materials":["Cotton warp","wool pile","wool","cotton and silk weft"]},"1719f15c-e08b-55ce-a654-6a3286d1c836":{"name":"Medallion","short_description":"This textile is unique. It is a tapestry, a technique that in the period was otherwise used primarily in Mongol China. The fact that the “gold thread” is animal in origin and spun around cotton, however, points in the direction of a western weaving center. The textile was probably made by or under the supervision of Chinese weavers in Ilkhanid Iran or Iraq.","type":"Medallion, textile","holder":"The David Collection","dates":"Hegira 1st half of the 8th century / AD 1st half of the 14th century","location":"Copenhagen","provenance":"Iraq or western Iran","keywords":["Chinese influence","figural decoration","medallion","textile","human representation","Chinese silk"],"materials":["tapestry","silk and gilded lamella of animal substrate spun around cotton"]},"172c1382-0e81-55ba-805f-8035e133cc1d":{"name":"\"Lotto\" Carpet with Closed Kufesque Border","short_description":"A so-called \"Lotto\" carpet with stylized pseudo-*kufic* (Kufesque) inscription around the border. The red field has an allover pattern of arabesques in yellow with touches of white, blue, red, and brown. The arabesques form quatrefoiled and irregular compartments symmetrically arranged. The green border is decorated with an angular interlacing derived from *kufic* writing, in white with brown outlines. The guard bands have a ribbon design in red and brown on a blue ground (inner guard band) or in blue on a red ground (outer guard band).","type":"Textiles","holder":"Saint Louis Art Museum","dates":"Hegira First half of the 10th century / AD first half 16th century","location":"Saint Louis","dimensions":"Length: 203.2cm x Width: 111.8cm","method_for_datation":"Scholarly review and/or comparison to similar objects from the period.","method_for_provenance":"Scholarly review and/or comparison to similar objects from the period.","provenance":"Central Anatolia, Turkey, Asia","obtention":"Gift of James F. Ballard, 1929","bibliography":"Denny, Walter and Farnham, Thomas, *The Carpet and the Connoisseur: The James F. Ballard Collection of Oriental Rugs*, Saint Louis: The Saint Louis Art Museum, 2016.","keywords":["wool","Anatolia","Central","Turkey","Ottoman","Lotto","textile","carpet","Asia","Closed Border","Kufesque"],"materials":["wool","slightly pulled to the left","approximately 40Vx36-37H per decimetre","symmetrical knot"]},"177e0811-3e15-572b-95e1-041901bc5047":{"name":"Carpet","description":"Spanish carpet of the Holbein series, incomplete.  \nField: The field is divided into two columns with each containing five squares, one of which is incomplete. Each square houses a double-frame octagon, whose vertices are surrounded by radial geometric decorations. These converge on a central eight-pointed star that rotates counterclockwise.  \nEach square is separated by a geometric valance, which is repeated successively, and whose motifs could be inspired by calligraphic stylisations.  \nThe background of the field is formed by reticulated polychrome motifs, leaving no part of the carpet without decoration.  \nBorder: Only part of border decoration is preserved on one of its narrower sides and consist of stylised plants and trees.  \nThe carpet utilises wool of blue, red, yellow and green. According to Campana (Campana, M, 1966: Tappeti d’́occidente, p. 38) this carpet is similar to oriental productions that are known as the Holbein series.  \nA similar copy is also presented in the catalogue of the Washington Textile Museum, Plate XVI.  \nIn Spain, very few copies of this series are preserved and the best preserved specimens can be found in the convent of Santa Clara de Medina de Pomar, although it presents great differences in colour.","type":"Carpet","holder":"National Museum of Decorative Arts","dates":"Second half of the 15th century","location":"Madrid","dimensions":"Length: 190cm, Width: 367cm","method_for_datation":"Through the stylistic and technical analysis of the piece.","method_for_provenance":"Through the stylistic and technical analysis of the piece.","provenance":"Alcaraz (Old Kingdom of Murcia, Spain)","obtention":"Acquired in 1957","bibliography":"Ferrandis Torres, José, *Exposición de Carpets antiguas españolas*, 1933. nº 7: 106-107, lám. V; Madrid: s.n..","workshop":"Workshops of Alcaraz (Old Kingdom of Murcia)","author":"Mª Dolores Vila Tejero","translator":"Asad Islam","materials":["Wool/Spanish knot"]},"17c36009-e18b-5127-b723-8d7a283f5251":{"name":"Grotesque Animal Carpet fragment","description":"A rare Safavid period Herati pile carpet-border fragment with dark blue and yellow-coloured backgrounds, showing animal heads growing amongst flowers, buds and leaves on meandering vegetal stems. The animals appearing on the symmetrically laid out arabesque design are lions, bulls, fish, foxes and horses. The delicate rendition of the animals has made use of a variety of colour shades to highlight the animals’ features. This can be seen especially on the horses’ foreheads and noses, where fine ivory knots are gradually mixed with the red knots to give a pink-shaded impression, accentuating the shape of the horses’ heads. The bellies of the fish have been rendered in a similar fashion, with paler cream threads used to shade the undersides.  \n  \nThe term “grotesque animal design” is applied to this type of pattern, where animals’ heads spring out of stems. This type of pattern first appeared on Middle Eastern metal wares and on works on paper during the Seljuq and Ilkhanid periods (11th – 14th centuries), and subsequently on Safavid manuscripts and textiles. The Burrell fragment seems to belong to a unique carpet of its age and place of manufacture. And although very little is known about who owned it before Sir William Burrell acquired it, a small number of other fragments from the same carpet have survived. One border fragment was acquired by the Nationalmuseum in Stockholm, Sweden, in 1899 from the art collector Fredrik Robert Martin (1868 - 1933), a Swedish Islamic Art historian, orientalist, collector and diplomat; four fragments from the centre field of the carpet are in the Musee des Arts Decoratifs in Paris, France; another field fragment is in the Museum of Fine Art in Boston, Massachusetts, USA; and an eighth fragment is reputed to be in a collection in Hanover, Germany.","type":"Carpet","holder":"Glasgow Museums - The Burrell Collection","dates":"Late 16th / early 17th century","location":"Glasgow, Scotland","dimensions":"H: 788mm, W: 407mm","method_for_datation":"Manufacturing techniques and stylistic analysis","method_for_provenance":"Stylistic analysis. Part of a large carpet with other known fragments in public collections","provenance":"Afghanistan, Herat","obtention":"Gifted by Sir William and Lady Burrell to the City of Glasgow, 1944","bibliography":"Cohen, Steven, “Beasts of the imagination”, *Hali*, 172 (summer 2012): 46-49.","workshop":"Khurasan / Herat town workshop","author":"Noorah Al-Gailani","keywords":["vegetal arabesque","fox","animal decoration","lion","Fragment","fish","imaginary animal","horse","bull"],"materials":["wool pile","Silk warp and weft"]},"1834ffc3-67d6-503e-b212-298000fe04fb":{"name":"Carpet","short_description":"Throughout a history of political instability, carpet design would potentially incorporate political realities and cultural conditions of the time as well as geo-politically sensitive landmarks. Knotted in the late 19th century in the city of Herat, known for large Turkmen workshops, hand-spun wool and natural dyes, this carpet depicts Sultan Ghiyath al Din Muhammad from the Ghurid Dynasty (1163 - 1202) riding his horse through the Afghan landscape. The landscape includes prominent landmarks such as the UNESCO-protected Minaret of Jam, the Buddha of Bamyian and other monuments of the local Islamic and Buddhist heritage. The carpet bears the signature of the craftsmen with the words, \"the work of Wijdani.\" Textiles such as this fine example would offer one of the few decorative elements in Afghan homes as symbols of status.","type":"Carpet; Rug","holder":"FBQ Museum","owner":"Sheikh Faisal Bin Qassim Al Thani","dates":"19th century","location":"Shahaniya","dimensions":"Length: 138cm, Width: 105cm","place_of_production":"Afghanistan, Herat","method_for_datation":"Date and origin were derived from material, colour, pattern and knot examination.","method_for_provenance":"Date and origin were derived from material, colour, pattern and knot examination.","provenance":"Afghanistan","obtention":"Auction","bibliography":"Barmaki, S., \"Afghan Rugs Pattern in a Visual Ethnographic Perspective\", *International Journal of Visual and Performing Arts*, 2 : 2 (2020): 96-104.  \nHatch Dupree, N., \"Cultural Heritage and National Identity in Afghanistan\", *Third World Quarterly*, 23 : 5 (2002): 977-989.  \nPain, A. and Ali, M., *Understanding Markets in Afghanistan: A Case Study of Carpets and the Andkhoy Carpet Market*, Kabul: Afghanistan Reserach and Evaluation Unit, 2004.  \nSpooner, B., \"Afghan Wars, Oriental Carpets, and Globalization\", *Expedition*, 53 : 1 (2011): 11-20.","author":"Sarah Schroeder","copy_editor":"Valerie Pulsifer","keywords":["rug","Herat","Ghurid Dynasty","carpet","Afghanistan"],"materials":["wool","knotting"]},"18c89e89-802f-568c-9a64-e8df0931e34b":{"name":"‘Portuguese’ Carpet","description":"In the past the origin of this type of carpet has been the object of many theories, however, when taking into consideration their technical characteristics, especially the use of Jufti knotting, it seems to be agreed that they were woven in Khorasan. The “Portuguese” carpet-type’s name derives from the figurative motifs present in the four corners of the field depicting European boats and sailors, and identified as Portuguese because of Portuguese presence in the Persian Gulf throughout the 16th century.  \nEventually the Portuguese diplomatic and religious missionaries, as well as traders would bring prints and drawings to the East, which would inspire painters and other local artists.  \nIndependently of their being Portuguese people or those of other European nationalities, these representations lend themselves to the exotic dimension, as well as to the marked impact of “the foreigner” in Persian art.  \nAs with the other known carpets (12 pieces, as well as some fragments), this example has the distinctive and prominent central-field design consisting of indented serrated, concentric flame-like bands. The middle of the central lozenge is decorated with a small rosette, itself flanked by four large palmettes, with nautical scenes in the corners. These are made up of single vessels manned by two figures in European dress and accompanied by sea monsters and figures swimming in the water.","type":"Textile; carpet","holder":"Calouste Gulbenkian Museum","owner":"Calouste Gulbenkian Museum","dates":"17th century","location":"Lisbon","dimensions":"H: 477cm, W: 200cm","method_for_datation":"Stylistic analysis and documents","method_for_provenance":"Stylistic analysis and documents","provenance":"Persia, Khorasan","obtention":"Purchased by Calouste Gulbenkian in Paris in 1933","bibliography":"Cohen, Steven, “Safavid and Mughal carpets at the Gulbenkian Museum”, *Hali*, 114 (January/February 2001): 75‒88, 99.  \nLanger, Axel (ed.), *The Fascination of Persia: The Persian‒European dialogue in seventeenth-century art and contemporary art of Teheran*, Zurich: Scheidegger-Spiess ‒ Museum Rietberg, 2013.  \nLeite, Maria Fernanda Passos, *Work of Art in Focus: A carpet from Mughal India in the Calouste Gulbenkian Collection*, Lisbon: Museu Calouste Gulbenkian, 1999.  \nPereira, João Castel-Branco and Silva, Nuno Vassallo e (eds), *Calouste Gulbenkian Museum*, Lisbon: Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation, 2011.","workshop":"Persia, Khorasan (?)","author":"Clara Serra","translator":"Lily Chadwick","translation_copy_editor":"Mandi Gomez","keywords":["Persia","‘Portuguese’ carpet","Safawid dynasty","Jufti knot","central lozenge","knotted carpet","Persian knot","palmettes","European dress","medallion","Khorasan","sea","human representation","boat","figurative motifs"],"materials":["wool pile","Cotton warp and weft","knotted (Persian knot","some Jufti knots","open to the left)"]},"19436bb0-e910-5297-bf56-dfae31040762":{"name":"Polonaise carpet","alternate_name":"Shah Abbas carpet","short_description":"The MAK owns six sensational silk carpets from Central Iran, brocaded with silver and gold, which were produced during the reign of Shah Abbas I (r. 1587–1629). He is said to have shown a lively interest in carpets and to have established court workshops. The so-called Polonaise carpets were not manufactured in Poland, as examples with European emblems preserved there might assume, but rather, to some extent, made especially for export to Europe. Although Alois Riegl, the former textile curator of the Austrian Museum of Art and Industry (today, the MAK), pointed to this misleading name, coined in the 19th century, it nonetheless stuck. Polonaise, respectively Shah Abbas carpets of the late 16th century, are localised in the silk city of Kashan; in the 17th century, workshops of the new Safavid capital, Isfahan, possibly overtook production. They are distinguished by a voluminous patterning, the once lively, strong colours, whose effect is hardly imaginable today, and the silver and gold brocading.","type":"Carpet","holder":"MAK – Museum of Applied Arts","dates":"First quarter of the 17th century","location":"Vienna","dimensions":"H: 210cm, W: 141cm; knot density 3,900/dm2","provenance":"Central Iran, probably Kashan/Isfahan","obtention":"Assumption","bibliography":"Noever, Peter (ed), *Global Lab. Kunst als Botschaft. Asien und Europa 1500 - 1700. Ausstellung Museum für angewandte Kunst Wien, 03. Juni bis 27. September 2009*, Ostfildern: Hatje Cantz, 2009: cat. nr. 157 (97).  \nVölker, Angela, *Die orientalischen Knüpfteppiche das MAK*, Vienna: Böhlau, 2001: 206–7.","catalogue_holding_link":"https://sammlung.mak.at/sammlung_online?id=collect-121272","copy_editor":"Mandi Gomez","keywords":["geometric patterns","Safawid","silk","Baroque","floral motifs","textile","cotton","carpet","Warp","vegetal design"],"materials":["Cotton warp","cotton and silk weft","around silk core","part gilded","knotted","silk asymmetrical knot. Silver thread brocade"]},"194eae24-474f-5738-ae6d-da405e61b7f3":{"name":"Wall hanging","description":"After an apprenticeship as a stage painter, Erwin Hahs (1887–1970) began to study at the Berlin School of Decorative Arts under Bruno Paul. Through his contact with Walter Gropius, he received a commission for a wall hanging for Gropius’ building at the Cologne Werkbund exhibition in 1913 (Work Federation of Architects and Builders). He was appointed to the School of Applied Arts Burg Giebichenstein after the First World War. There, he founded a new painting class in 1919 and was made professor in 1922. In addition to teaching, he continued his work as a designer, creating wall hangings for public spaces, stage curtains for theaters etc. This may have sparked his interest in the art of tapestry. In 1925, under the direction of Benita Koch-Otte, two tapestries were produced after designs by Erwin Hahs. The collection of Burg Giebichenstein features a photograph of one of the tapestries, whose remains are unknown. The other tapestry is this piece, which was formerly in the artist’s family estate.","type":"Wall hanging","holder":"GRASSI Museum of Applied Art","owner":"GRASSI Museum of Applied Art, Leipzig","dates":"1925","location":"Leipzig","dimensions":"H: 185cm (without fringe), W: 140cm","method_for_datation":"Documented by acquisition","method_for_provenance":"Documented by acquisition","provenance":"Germany, Halle","obtention":"Acquired in 1996 from the family estate of the designer, 1996","bibliography":"GRASSI Museum für Angewandte Kunst Leipzig, *Ständige Ausstellung, Jugendstil bis Gegenwart*, Lepzig: Passage-Verlag, 2012: 108f.","workshop":"Burg Giebichen-stein, Hand Weaving Studio, Halle/Saale","author":"Stefanie Seeberg","translator":"Aminata Estelle Diouf","translation_copy_editor":"Daniel de la Vega","keywords":["wool","design","crafts","wall hanging","cotton","collection","geometric design","decorative arts","craftsmanship"],"materials":["tapestry","wool","cotton"]},"19712bce-3702-52aa-a6e1-3f6ba2529789":{"name":"‘Transylvanian’ rug","description":"The term “Transylvanian” rug is related to small prayer rugs made in the villages of Anatolia but preserved mostly in the region of Transylvania. Commonly these are decorated with two prayer niches in mirror image and have a border filled with elongated, polygonal cartouches.  \nThe Kraków rug represents both these features. The red field of the double niche is ornamented with palmettes and cogwheels organised along the vertical axis, and two flowering branches flanking it. The indigo-colour spandrels are filled with an ornament of the “rosette and leaf”-type with large rosettes among lanceolate leaves. In the main border, flanked by two narrower borders, there are cartouches with lozenges, placed on the red ground.  \nSo-called Transylvanian carpets were very popular in Poland and many are preserved in Polish collections. We can also find such rugs depicted in Polish paintings. On the refectory ceiling in the former Piarist monastery in Rzeszów, a Transylvanian rug covers the table in a scene from “The meeting in Emaus”, painted at the end of 17th century by Łukasz Ziemecki. It looks very much like the rug in the Kraków collection. It is interesting that in the Brukenthal National Museum in Sibiu, Transylvania, a rug with almost the same design as the Kraków version is preserved. The only visible differences are colouristic. On the edge of the Sibiu rug is an inscription with the date 1675. Therefore, the Kraków rug was probably made in third quarter of 17th century.","type":"Prayer rug","holder":"National Museum in Kraków","dates":"Third quarter of the 17th century","location":"Kraków","dimensions":"H: 170cm, W: 122cm; knot density 1,056/dm2","method_for_datation":"Comparative analysis of other preserved rugs; analysis of paintings","method_for_provenance":"Stylistic analysis","provenance":"Anatolia","obtention":"Bequest of Feliks Jasieński in 1929","bibliography":"Biedrońska-Słotowa, Beata, *Kobierce wschodnie. 1. Kobierce tureckie*, Kraków: The National Museum in Kraków, 1983: 51, 154, cat. 15.  \nBiedrońska-Słotowa, Beata, “Islamic carpets in Polish painting: A contribution to the iconography of Oriental textiles”, in *Rozprawy Muzeum Narodowego w Krakówie. Seria nowa, vol. I*, Kraków: National Museum in Kraków: 1999: 111‒28.  \nIonescu, Stefano (ed.), *Kobierce anatolijskie z kolekcji Muzeum Narodowego Brukenthala w Sibiu / Anatolian Carpets From the Collection of the Brukenthal National Museum in Sibiu* (Romania ed.), Gdańsk: National Museum of Gdańsk, 2013: 120–3, cat 9. (Analogy)","author":"Joanna Regina Kowalska","copy_editor":"Mandi Gomez","keywords":["Anatolia","‘Transylvanian’ rug","mihrab","prayer rug","Transylvania"],"materials":["symmetrically knotted pile (Turkish knot)","Wool (warp","weft","pile)"]},"1a476191-4d4c-570a-ab3c-a49e3f98f66c":{"name":"Prayer rug.","description":"This rug belongs to the group of prayer rugs from Ghiordes, a village between Izmir and Ushak, where most of the Anatolian prayer rugs were manufactured in the AH 12th–13th / AD 18th–19th centuries. It shows in the central field a pointed niche with a half-niche on each side on a cream background. The motif of the three-arched niche derives from rug patterns of Ottoman courtly manufacturing during the AH 10th–11th / AD 16th–17th centuries. In contrast to these original designs, the columns of this rug are based on stylised carnations. Edged with trefoiled blossoms they support the main niche and separate it from the half-niches. The spandrels are filled with stylised carnations on a dark-blue background. A large bouquet of flowers hangs in the apex, reaching nearly to the bottom where a row of carnations is presented. The panel above the spandrels is filled with rosette blossoms and ornaments.  \nThe border is formed by two horizontal and two vertical stripes showing an endless pattern of stylised plants on a dark blue background. The wavy motif of a flower scroll alternately coloured in blue, red and tan is repeated on the inner and outer guard bands.","short_description":"Prayer rug, probably from Ghiordes. In the central field the rug shows a pointed niche with a half-niche on each side. Stylised carnations and bouquets of flowers are the most important motifs of this rug. The central field is framed with a border.","type":"Wool, knotted, carpet","holder":"Museum of Mediterranean and Near Eastern Antiquities (Medelhavsmuseet).","dates":"Hegira 12th century / AD 18th century.","location":"Stockholm","dimensions":"Height 157 cm, width 113 cm.","method_for_datation":"A very similar rug is dated to the 12th / 18th century.","method_for_provenance":"Rugs showing similar designs and colour schemes are usually ascribed to the Ghiordes group.","provenance":"Anatolia (Ghiordes district), Turkey.","obtention":"Acquired from the carpet dealer P. Willborg, Stockholm, in 1984. The rug belonged to the collection of R. Christensen, Stockholm.","bibliography":"Dimand, M. S., *Oriental Rugs in the Metropolitan Museum of Art*, Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, 1973.  \nSterner, M., *Orientens Mattor*, Stockholm, 1959, 204.","linkcatalogs":"IAM_TR_EN_001","author":"Friederike Voigt","copy_editor":"Monica Allen","keywords":["floral decoration","prayer","prayer rug","Religion","Purity"],"materials":["wool","knotted."]},"1bcda966-0907-5cad-9985-11a269890212":{"name":"Niche or prayer carpet","short_description":"The carpet represents a crowning achievement of Ottoman court manufacturing in the second half of the 16th century. Besides Istanbul as the place of manufacture, where knotted carpet production at this time is verified, the silk city of Bursa remains an option for its origin. The so-called *saz* style – emanating from the court – shaped the period’s textile arts, book painting and ceramics, bringing them into full bloom. The niche or prayer carpet is an early example of the incorporation of architectonic motifs ‒ here, two flanking columns ‒ into carpet art. Nearly perfectly preserved, this Ottoman carpet shows an arch in the field, characteristic for the genre as a decoration or stylization of a prayer niche (*mihrab*) in a mosque. Technically, the Ottoman carpets are similar to those of the Mamluk and Safavid empires, since they feature asymmetrical knots allowing a nuanced design. However, the story of the 11 carpet makers summoned by Sultan Murad III from Cairo to Istanbul in 1585 shows that craftsmen could travel and work throughout the Ottoman Empire.","type":"Carpet","holder":"MAK – Museum of Applied Arts","dates":"Second half of the 16th century","location":"Vienna","dimensions":"H: 181cm, W: 127cm; knot density: 5,600/dm2","provenance":"Turkey, Istanbul, or Bursa","obtention":"Purchase","bibliography":"Noever, Peter (ed), *Global Lab. Kunst als Botschaft. Asien und Europa 1500 - 1700. Ausstellung Museum für angewandte Kunst Wien, 03. Juni bis 27. September 2009*, Ostfildern: Hatje Cantz, 2009: cat. nr. 157 (97).  \nVölker, Angela, *Die orientalischen Knüpfteppiche das MAK*, Vienna: Böhlau, 2001: 54–7.","catalogue_holding_link":"https://sammlung.mak.at/sammlung_online?id=collect-98435","author":"Martina Dax","copy_editor":"Mandi Gomez","keywords":["wool","Ottoman","silk","textile","cotton","carpet","floral design"],"materials":["wool and cotton","Silk warp and weft","asymmetrical knot","knotted"]},"1bf69490-ca90-5412-8d8f-d71fe19527b9":{"name":"Carpet","description":"Incomplete carpet of Renaissance style, the decoration of which is articulated on the axis of symmetry that reproduces stylised scrollwork linked upon a hexagonal frame, depicting floral shapes resembling open tulips and lilies. Due to the carpet being incomplete, only two whole hexagons and part of another are visible.  \nField: The field contains a complete decorative motif and two alternating half motifs on the sides.  \nBorder: The border is separated from the field by a narrow line and is formed by Renaissance era motifs where opposing decorative floral mallets appear that house other forms of grotesques in an upright position.  \nThe motifs of the field and the frame are outlined in yellow.  \nThe carpet consists of a woollen warp and weft in its natural colour as well as the use of brown. The decoration is made of dark green, yellow, orange and red wool.  \nThis carpet was probably made in the workshops of Alcaraz due to similarities in colour and design with other pieces from these workshops rather than with those in the Cuenca area. However, this assumption does not definitively rule out that such a piece may have been made in the workshops of Cuenca.  \nAlthough it does not fully fit other carpets from the Lotto series, this piece certainly draws inspiration from it. In the field, the green decoration stands out upon the orange-red field, the colours being reversed in the border. The border is incomplete and has suffered some damage. This carpet is published by Ferrandis Torres, J. 1933, Catalog of the Exhibition of Old Spanish Carpets. Madrid, nº 30, plate XXI, p. 111, and was displayed by the Count Welczeck. In addition, there is a similar piece in the same catalogue (no. 33, p. 112.)  \nIt is possible that it corresponds with carpet number 6 of the Weissberger collection, although the measurements differ slightly.","type":"Carpet","holder":"National Museum of Decorative Arts","dates":"16th century","location":"Madrid","dimensions":"Length: 186cm, Width: 179cm, Thickness: 9.1cm","method_for_datation":"Through the stylistic and technical analysis of the piece.","method_for_provenance":"Through the stylistic and technical analysis of the piece.","provenance":"Alcaraz (Old Kingdom of Murcia)","obtention":"Acquired in 1957","bibliography":"Sánchez Ferrer, José, *Carpets de Alcaraz y Liétor. Instituto de estudios albacetenses “Don Juan Manuel”*, Excma, Diputación de Albacete, Albacete, 2013: 344.","workshop":"Alcaraz (Old Kingdom of Murcia)","author":"Mª Dolores Vila Tejero","translator":"Asad Islam","keywords":["Alcaraz"],"materials":["Warp: Wool [brown]","Weft: Wool /Spanish knot [Density: 1.400 knots/dm2]"]},"1bfea8bf-24e7-5c2a-971a-d0c258670c2c":{"name":"Kilim, *Rašić's pattern*","description":"At the end of the 19th and in the first decades of the 20th century Pirot kilims were very popular in urban interiors in Serbia. The kilim of large size belongs to *batal* type which was used for floor covering. It was owned by Borislav Muškatirović, ironmonger from Belgrade and his wife Nada. The kilim was decorated with *Rašić's pattern* (*Rašićeva šara*) and the colours used are red, black, blue, green, orange, yellow and white. *Rašić's pattern* was named after divisional general Mihailo Rašić, who served as an orderly officer, adjutant and Court Marshal to King Milan and King Alexander of Serbia in the late 19th century. According to tradition, Rašić escorted king Milan on the journey to the East and brought back the kilim with the pattern which Pirot weavers used as a sample. The same patterns are found on Karabakh kilims from Caucasus and Sivas and Malatya kilims from Anatolia.","type":"Carpet","holder":"Museum of Applied Art","dates":"First half of the 20th century","location":"Belgrade","dimensions":"H: 344 cm, W: 277cm","method_for_datation":"By stylistic analysis, material and technique; by historical research (belonged to the second generation of a family)","provenance":"Pirot","obtention":"Donated by Ms Vera Muškatirović from Belgrade in 2010","bibliography":"Maskareli, D., “Kilim (2)”, *Journal*, Belgrade: Museum of Applied Art, n. s. 11 (2015): 110–111.  \nHull, A., and Luczyc-Wyhowska, J. , *Kilim: The Complete Guide, History, Pattern, Technique, Identification*, London: Thames&Hudson, 2008.  \nVitković-Žikić, M., *Pirotski ćilimi = Les Kilims de Pirot*, Belgrade: Muzej primenjene umetnosti, 2001.  \nPetković, M., and Vlatković, R., *Pirotski ćilim* \\[Abstract in English\\], Belgrade: Srpska akademija nauka i umetnosti, 1996.  \nStojanović, D., *Pirotski ćilimi* \\[Summary in English\\], Belgrade: Muzej primenjene umetnosti, 1987.","author":"Draginja Maskareli","keywords":["weave","wool","Şarköy","Pirot","Kilim"],"materials":["weaving","wool"]},"1c321ff2-f9fc-51f3-9f64-5dbfe87b3948":{"name":"*Der Tag wird kommen (The Day will Come)*","description":"This bright, colourful tapestry is made from dyed wool. Four rectangular fields seem to be in front of a white background with a bright red sun. The upper right field shows five male figures with arms stretched towards the sky. They stand naked upon a field of skeletons and flowers symbolizing a graveyard. The living and the dead are separated by formal antagonisms in respect to orientation, flesh, eyes and hands. The shape of the people’s bodies and limbs, however, parallels the bone structure of the dead. The artwork’s title translates to “The Day will Come”, which might point to a resurrection of the dead accompanied by the downfall of earth, symbolized by the tilting flowery fields on the left side of the tapestry.  \nIn her use of colour, human shape and ornament, Margarita Pellegrin is influenced by the naïve art of the South American natives. During her time in Chile, she was at first assistant and later on lecturer at Chile University in Antofagasta, both were positions that presumably served to intensify Pellegrin’s artistic exchange with local artists. The power that this artwork assigns to life and death, taking place as a magic, yet integral part of nature, might reflect a perspective linked to the close-to-nature lifestyle of the indigenous South American people Pellegrin encountered when she was living in Chile in the 1960s.  \nThe artist studied at Dresden Hochschule für Bildende Künste, where she met her future husband Hernando Léon. In 1963, she moved to Chile with him. From 1964-69, she worked at Chile University in Antofagasta. After the military coup in 1973, she returned, together with her husband and their three children, to the German Democratic Republic. Since then, she had been living as a freelance artist in Dresden until her death in 2016.","type":"Tapestry","holder":"Kunstfonds, Dresden State Art Collections","owner":"Kunstfonds, Dresden State Art Collections","dates":"1975","location":"Dresden","dimensions":"Height: 142cm, Width: 153.5cm","method_for_datation":"The date mentioned above is the date of production","provenance":"Germany, Saxony, Dresden?","obtention":"Commissioned by Rat des Bezirkes Dresden, it came into the Kunstfonds after the German Reunification.","bibliography":"Pellegrin, Margarita, *Margarita Pellegrin*, exhibition catalogue, 16.10. bis 16.11.81, Magdeburg: Kleine Galerie Magdeburg, 1981.  \nPellegrin, Margarita and Christel Seidel-Zaprasis, *Textil*, exhibition catalogue, 12. 07.- 10. 08. 1985, Dresden: Galerie Kunst der Zeit, 1985.  \nPellegrin, Margarita et al.,*Santos Chavez, Guillermo Deisler Gonzalez, Hernando León, Margarita Pellegrin : Grafik, Malerei, Teppiche*, exhibition catalogue, Dresden: Neue Dresdener Galerie, 1979.","author":"Silke Wagler","keywords":["wool","Paradise","design","tree motifs","vegetal motifs","human figure","floral motifs","cotton"],"materials":["wool","knotted"]},"1c83b59f-bba0-5630-b9da-a13188474ac4":{"name":"Prayer rug","description":"Outlined on the contrasting green of the central field, the red prayer niche has a stepped arch fringed with hooks along its inner edges. Inside the niche, a floral composition encircled by 12 tiny ewers recalls the mosque-lamp motif. A recurrent motif of prayer rug designs, ewers are traditionally associated with an *aide-mémoire* meant to remind the believer of the ritual ablution required before prayer. The present rug features a main border reminiscent of the so-called Gothic border of 16th- and 17th-century carpets, and, in the upper corners of the main field, stylised vegetal motifs, which show the Western influence on Turkish art. This rather unusual blending of two stylistic sources is illustrative of the two main “forces” with a strong impact on the decorative vocabulary of 19th-century Ottoman carpets: the Turkish tradition and the influence of European art. The bright colour scheme is quite remarkable and its sharp contrasts almost shocking compared mainly to the fine colouring of the Gördes and Kula carpets that reigned supreme on the European market of Oriental carpets at the turn of the century.","type":"Prayer rug","holder":"The National Museum of Art of Romania","dates":"19th century","location":"Bucharest","dimensions":"H: 166cm, W: 115cm; ; knot density ver. 36/dm; hor. 30/dm; 1,080/dm2","method_for_datation":"Stylistic analysis","provenance":"Turkey, central Anatolia, Kırşehir","obtention":"Purchased (art trade)","bibliography":"Dunca, Mircea, *De la mihrab la grădina paradisului*, Bucharest: Muzeul Național de Artă al României, 2006: cat. 5.","author":"Mircea Dunca","translator":"Victoria Gheorghita","translation_copy_editor":"Mandi Gomez","keywords":["Ghiordes","prayer rug"],"materials":["wool","knotted","symmetrical knot"]},"1d09ef00-f799-5214-9495-07ffcd396eb9":{"name":"Hungarian Silk Rug","description":"The designer of this rug was the painter and designer Pál Horti (1865-1907), one of the Hungarian pioneers in modern applied arts and a distinctive representative of the Art Nouveau style at the turn of the 20th century.                                                                                                                                                                                                               The central field is decorated with a peacock, blue-green rosette inset against a terracotta base. It is connected to the inner stripe of the border with four curved tendrils that end in leaves. The inner border is ornamented with cherry-red against a green base. The outer, wider border shows Art Nouveau wavy ornaments in cherry red, blue and yellow against a grey base. The wave turns terracotta at the corners.  The carpet was exhibited at the Turin Exhibition of 1902.","type":"Carpet","holder":"Museum of Applied Arts","dates":"1901","location":"Budapest","dimensions":"Height: 245cm, Width: 166cm, Knot density: 3,000/dm2","method_for_datation":"Historical documents","method_for_provenance":"Historical documents","provenance":"Budapest, Hungary","obtention":"Purchased from the Society for Applied Arts, 1904","bibliography":"Bossaglia, R., and Godoli, E., and Rosci, M. (eds), *Torino 1902: Le arti decorative intenazionali del nuovo secolo, Exhibition Catalogue/The International Decorative Arts in the New Century*, Milano: Fabbri Editori, 1994: no. 493 and figure.  \nErnyey, Gyula (ed), *Hungarian Art Nouveau*, Exhibition Catalogue, Washington: Smithsonian Institution, 1977: no. 216 and figure.  \nSzilágyi, András, and Horányi, Éva (eds), *Style 1900: A Great Experiment of Modernism in the Applied Arts, An Exhibition From the Collection of the Budapest Museum of Applied Arts, Periods in European Decorative Arts*, Budapest: Museum of Applied Arts, 1996: no. 9.31. \\[Emese Pásztor\\].  \nTurin Exhibition of 1902, *Deutsche Kunst und Dekoration*, 6 (1902): 293.","workshop":"Manufacturer: Mrs Dániel Kabay, Budapest","author":"Emese Pásztor","copy_editor":"Valerie Pulsifer","translator":"Chris Sullivan","keywords":["Art Nouveau","Hungarian rug","Turin Exhibition 1902","silk","European rug"],"materials":["Symmetrical (Turkish or Ghiordes) knot","silk"]},"1d2768ad-2141-599f-8c1c-15909185df1d":{"name":"Kilim, *Zorić’s pattern*","description":"Pirot kilims were presented in many exhibitions abroad among which was the World Fair (*Exposition Universelle*) in Paris in 1900. For this occasion, engineer Svetozar Zorić, a professor at the Belgrade Higher School (future University of Belgrade), designed a pattern which was named after him *Zorić’s pattern* (*Zorićeva šara*). Different Pirot kilim patterns designed for 1900 Paris World Fair were exhibited in *Ilija M. Kolarac Endowment* in Belgrade in 1899. The exhibited patterns expressed the search for the national style inherent to arts of that period. This kilim, decorated with *Zorić’s pattern*, belongs to *šestak* (a kilim of six square ells) type, which was used as a cover for bed or wall. The colours used are: red, green, yellow, white and black.","type":"Carpet","holder":"Museum of Applied Art","dates":"Early 20th century","location":"Belgrade","dimensions":"H: 206cm, W: 143cm","method_for_datation":"By stylistic analysis, material and technique; through historical research","provenance":"Pirot","obtention":"Purchased from the Auction House *Madl'Art* in 2003","bibliography":"Maskareli, D., \"Rug (Kilim), *Zorić’s pattern*\", in I. Zorić (ed.), *Novo u kolekcijama: Akvizicije 2001–2010 = New in the Collections: Acquisitions 2001–2010*, Belgrade: Museum of Applied Art, 2010: 62–63.  \nVitković-Žikić, M., *Pirotski ćilimi = Les Kilims de Pirot*, Belgrade: Muzej primenjene umetnosti, 2001.  \nPetković, M., and Vlatković, R., *Pirotski ćilim* \\[Abstract in English\\], Belgrade: Srpska akademija nauka i umetnosti, 1996.  \nStojanović, D., *Pirotski ćilimi* \\[Summary in English\\], Belgrade: Muzej primenjene umetnosti, 1987.","author":"Draginja Maskareli","keywords":["weave","wool","Şarköy","Pirot","Kilim"],"materials":["weaving","wool"]},"1d6c98e5-6c31-5edc-99b5-0d1528d23d86":{"name":"*Arbeiterfestspiele (Workers' Festival)*","description":"This tapestry was a commission of the FDGB on the occasion of the *Arbeiterfestspiele* (workers‘ festival) in 1974. Arbeiterfestspiele had been arranged in the German Democratic Republic (GDR) almost every year since 1959, it was a cultural festival of “Lebensfreude”, or joy of life, at which fine artists and folk artists from within the country and abroad would meet. Correspondingly, the tapestry shows a colourful and detailed narrative that illustrates every aspect of these meetings.  \nThe artwork shows eight horizontal rows of human figures. They are characterised by their silhouettes; ornamental seams delineate the bodies’ inner contours. The formally strict alignment of figures is given relief to with elements that overlap into neighbouring rows or that interact with objects or other people. This form resembles the *Trajan’s Column*, the key artwork of figural narrative that has been standing in Rome since c. AD 112, being a canonical artwork for European artists throughout the ages.  \nProminently positioned on the middle left is the emblem of the workers‘ festival. Noticeably smaller is the abbreviation of the commissioner, the FDGB. Public procurement in the GDR fostered a special kind of art production that was markedly infused with socialist ideology. The predominant colours in this tapestry – bright yellows and reds, accentuated with blueish green and purple in the darker bottom part – are the main colours associated with the red and golden flag of Soviet Russia which is manifold reflected in the political iconology of the GDR. The artist signed her name among floral elements on the lower right side.  \nUrsula Jobst had managed different folk art circles since 1959 and committed herself to amateur art groups in the districts of Leipzig and Altenburg. In the 1970s, she initiated the revival of the historical Lindenau painting school at Lindenau-Museum Altenburg. She subsequently was managing and teaching at the Studio Bildende Kunst at Lindenau-Museum Altenburg until 1999.","type":"Wall hanging","holder":"Kunstfonds, Dresden State Art Collections","owner":"Kunstfonds, Dresden State Art Collections","dates":"1974/1975","location":"Dresden","dimensions":"Height: 235cm, Width: 230cm","method_for_datation":"The date mentioned above is the date of production","provenance":"Germany, Saxony, Leipzig","obtention":"Commissioned by the FDGB-Bezirksvorstand Leipzig, the object had been property of the former German Democratic Republic. It was taken over by the Kunstfonds Dresden after the German Reunification.","bibliography":"Jobst, Ursula and Galerie Torladen, *Ursula Jobst Altenburg Applikationen*, exhibition catalogue, Borna, 1982.  \nJobst, Ursula, Hesselbarth, Theo, Staatliches Lindenau-Museum, *Ursula Jobst, Johannes Burkhardt, Günter Rackwitz*, Altenburg: Staatliches Lindenau-Museum, 1989.","author":"Silke Wagler","keywords":["GDR","human figure","wall hanging","figurative decoration","political iconography"],"materials":["hand-stitched","lining: cotton blend fabric/spun rayon (vegetable fibre)","Appliqué","front side: different fabrics"]},"1ea784c2-43a6-5b56-a630-cf0e65b51980":{"name":"Carpet","description":"In 1664 Jean-Baptiste Colbert, King Louis XIV’s minister in charge of buildings, began a campaign to transform the Louvre (the royal residence at the time) into the grandest and largest palace in Europe. Central to this project was the renovation of a 1,450-foot-long space known as the Grande Galerie. This amazing interior overlooked the Seine and connected the Louvre and Tuileries palaces.  \nFor this hall Colbert commissioned the Savonnerie carpet factory to produce ninety-three carpets. The commission’s scale was unprecedented in the history of French woven arts, and the carpets that were ultimately produced rank among the greatest artistic achievements of the 1600s.  \nProduction of the carpets, which were each some thirty feet in length and required the construction of new looms made from particularly long and stout tree trunks, began in 1668 and continued until 1688, by which time the king had lost interest in the project and moved the court to Versailles. In the following centuries the carpets were given away as diplomatic gifts or, on special occasions, brought out of storage for use at the royal residences and elsewhere.  \nIn 1788 the Museum’s carpet was sent for one day to the Paris church of Saint-Roch for the marriage of the Duke de Montmorency. And on June 18, 1919, when the treaty that ended World War I was signed at Versailles, twenty-four of the carpets adorned the Galerie des Glaces (Hall of Mirrors).  \nAlthough each of the Savonnerie carpets is individual in design, they share certain distinct traits: a black background, a modified egg-and-leaf border, scrolling acanthus leaves in the corners, and cartouches at each end that contain either a landscape or allegorical scene. All display decorations replete with royal emblems. The design of the Museum’s carpet includes the crowned monogram of the king four times in the center and a crowned globe with the motto NEC PLURIBUS IMPAR (One Among Many) at each end.","type":"Carpet","holder":"Philadelphia Museum of Art","dates":"1668-1685","location":"Philadelphia, Pennsylvania","dimensions":"800.1 × 563.9cm (26 feet 3 inches × 18 feet 6 inches)","provenance":"Paris, France, Europe","obtention":"Bequest of Eleanore Elkins Rice, 1939","bibliography":"Noreika, Sarah, *Philadelphia Museum of Art: Handbook*, Philadelphia: Philadelphia Museum of Art, 2014: 138-139.","workshop":"Savonnerie carpet manufactory","author":"Quintin Blumka","copy_editor":"Xena Wang","keywords":["rug","carpet"],"materials":["Wool and Linen"]},"1ea85cb9-0757-5c4b-8946-2a77eb3721c6":{"name":"*Padishah* kilim","description":"This extremely fine silk tapestry weaving with metal thread was given its name on account of the word *Padishah* woven into four cartouches. This is the Persian word for emperor or prince. The overall design corresponds to that of a medallion carpet. In the centre of the inner field is a green-ground medallion with a battle between a dragon and a phoenix. The spandrels contain red-ground quarter-medallions filled with the mythical creatures called *qilin*. These motifs derive from East Asian cultures and have been known in Islamic art at least since the 13th century. In addition the inner field is filled with a number of blossoms and birds. In the borders are elongated cartouches alternating with quatrefoil medallions. The cartouches are filled with beasts of prey, the medallions with grotesque faces. Technically this tapestry weaving, unlike a knotted carpet, consists only of warp and weft threads. There are no knots forming a pile. The special character of the piece lies in its materials. The areas in the field and border which today appear grey were originally gleaming silver. The yellow and red surfaces were also adorned with metal threads. These fine metal threads, which were spun around a silk core filament, have by now become corroded, so that they no longer effectively reflect the light and the surrounding colour surfaces. One must also imagine the tapestry as highly and vividly colourful. Since silk is very delicate, the colours, particularly on the front, have become seriously faded on account of their exposure to light. The blurred impression given by the motifs is accounted for by the technique. Various coloured wefts have been interlocked, that is, alternately wound around a common warp. This produces a soft outline, but avoids the appearance of slits, which would have detracted from the stability of the textile.","type":"Kilim","holder":"Museum of Islamic Art at the Pergamon Museum","dates":"AD end of the 16th century","location":"Berlin","dimensions":"L: 221, W: 136","method_for_datation":"The kilim has been dated on written sources, stylistic analysis of its pattern, due to its colors and technique","method_for_provenance":"The kilim has been located on written sources, stylistic analysis of its pattern, due to its colours and technique","provenance":"Iran, Kashan","obtention":"Purchased 1914 from the possession of Kaiserin Friedrich (Prinzessin Victoria of Great Britain 1840-1901)","bibliography":"Beselin, Anna, *Geknüpfte Kunst. Teppiche des Museums für Islamische Kunst*, Berlin: Minerva, 2011.","author":"Anna Beselin","keywords":["Kelim","Padischah","Princess Victoria","silk","Phoenix","dragon","inscription"],"materials":["weaving","silk"]},"1f5c6dc5-6513-5d82-859c-28c5a85f3ecf":{"name":"Dragon Rug","description":"Three pairs of stylized, black-brown dragons are the focus of this bold and striking carpet. The dragon motif originated in China and became widely known from Persian miniature paintings.","type":"Carpet","holder":"Philadelphia Museum of Art","dates":"17th-18th century","location":"Philadelphia, Pennsylvania","dimensions":"518.2 x 238.8cm (17 feet x 7 feet 10 inches)","provenance":"Possibly made in Shemakha, Caucasus, Shirvan Province, Iran, Asia","obtention":"Gift of the Sharples family in memory of Philip M. Sharples, 1948","bibliography":"Babbit, Sherry, *Philadelphia Museum of Art: Handbook of the Collections*, Philadelphia: Philadelphia Museum of Art, 1995: 66  \nEllis, Charles Grant, *Oriental Carpets in the Philadelphia Museum of Art*, Philadelphia: Philadelphia Museum of Art, 1988: cat. 42.  \nNoreika, Sarah, *Philadelphia Museum of Art: Handbook*, Philadelphia: Philadelphia Museum of Art, 2014: 28-29.","author":"Quintin Blumka","copy_editor":"Xena Wang","keywords":["rug","carpet"],"materials":["wool"]},"1fe8c60c-8233-5366-8669-298db2abbead":{"name":"War-Rug","short_description":"Since the late 1970's, Afghanistan experienced a continuous state of civil war punctuated by foreign occupation. Afghan carpets were one of the country’s most famous folk arts as an important trade item. Carpets had a strong social meaning, and often comprised part of a bride’s dowry. Shortly after the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan the \"war rug\" appeared on the market, drawing great attention from consumers, collectors and museums. Adapting the Baluchi convention of depicting plants and animals on their carpets, refugees in Pakistan started to weave images of war. This particular rug represents the scars of the Soviet-Afghan war of 1979-89.","type":"Textile; rug","holder":"Weltmuseum Wien","dates":"Ca. 1990","location":"Vienna","dimensions":"L: 174cm, W: 97cm","method_for_datation":"Entry in the TMS digital collection database and archival documents.","method_for_provenance":"Entry in the general inventory book.","provenance":"Afghanistan, Pakistan or Iran","obtention":"Purchased from the collector, Hans Seethaler, 1995.","bibliography":"Steinmann, Axel, *Afghanistan, exhibition catalogue*, Vienna: Museum für Völkerkunde, 2003: 221.","materials":["wool","cotton"]},"20307948-fcd2-5df5-81f3-34a9ced1ac3d":{"name":"Knotted carpet (fragment)","description":"The oldest preserved knotted carpet fragments date back to the Islamic era and were produced in Egypt between the 8th and 10th centuries. However, only a few carpets produced before the 16th century have stood the test of time. Most of the preserved historical pieces found today stem from subsequent periods. These carpets are divided into two categories: those produced in urban or court weaving mills, and those hand-crafted in countryside homes. The former is closely linked to stylistic developments of contemporaneous art. To create their elaborate symmetrical patterns a template – provided by contemporary painters – was often used. The manner in which rugs were produced in the countryside differed: the pattern designs were long-lived and traditionally passed down from one generation to the next.  \nThe pattern template for this carpet has also been preserved. Arabesque and palmette tendrils, as well as cloud bands, cover the red middle field in horizontal and vertical mirroring patterns. They are framed with a broad dark-green border of spiral tendrils, palmettes, and birds. This type of design emerged in Herat and Kashan, beginning around the late 16th century, and later also Isfahan.","type":"Knotted carpet","holder":"GRASSI Museum of Applied Art","owner":"GRASSI Museum of Applied Art, Leipzig","dates":"Late 16th century","location":"Leipzig","dimensions":"H: 240 cm, W: 335 cm; 360 knots/dm2","method_for_datation":"By comparison, typical stylistic and technical elements","method_for_provenance":"Documented by acquisition","provenance":"Iran, Herat","obtention":"Acquired in 1906 from Julius Boehler, Munich","bibliography":"Neumann, Reingard, “Knüpfteppich-Teilstück”, in GRASSI Museum für Angewandte Kunst Leipzig, *Ständige Ausstellung, Asiatische Kunst Impulse für Europa*, Leipzig: Passage-Verlag, 2009: 160.","author":"Stefanie Seeberg","translator":"Aminata Estelle Diouf","translation_copy_editor":"Daniel de la Vega","keywords":["Chinese influence","Persia","floral decoration","wool","Herat","lotus","crafts","dark-blue","vegetal motifs","vegetal decoration","floral motifs","Iranian influence","Fragment","palmette","blue","craftmanship","collection","cloud pattern","decorative arts"],"materials":["knotted carpet","wool","cotton"]},"2150f414-c029-55db-bbc1-2009b71383c4":{"name":"*Lotto* carpet","short_description":"In the central field, the carpet shows a network of yellow stylised arabesques arranged in crosses and octagons on a red ground. This decoration is characteristic of so-called Lotto carpets, named after the Renaissance painter Lorenzo Lotto (AD 1480-1556/57 / Hegira 885-963), who immortalised such a carpet on a famous altarpiece in 1542.  \n  \n‘Lotto’ carpets usually have a border in pseudo-kufi, which is sometimes interpreted as a combination of the letters lam and alif. Here, on the other hand, it is a simple leaf tendril on a medium blue ground, which perhaps goes back to Persian models.  \n  \n‘Lotto’ carpets were produced in commercial workshops in western Turkey from about 1516 to about 1700.","type":"Carpet","holder":"Museum Rietberg","initial_owner":"Lily Gamper","dates":"Hegira 11th-beginning 12th century / AD 17th-beginning 18th century","location":"Zurich","dimensions":"Height: 178cm, Width: 125cm","method_for_datation":"By comparison with stylistically similar and approximately dated objects","method_for_provenance":"Old museum inventory.","provenance":"West Turkey","obtention":"Gift from Lily Gamper","author":"Axel Langer","copy_editor":"Jonathan Turnbull","materials":["Wool (warp","weft and pile)"]},"21ac3a7d-d4d0-5c9e-9017-11a7d6aa7b6c":{"name":"Summer carpet","description":"Wool carpets had little fashion in India during the heat of summer and damp of the monsoon season. Wool may smell or feel sodden underfoot in humid environments and a heavy pile may be unwanted in hot climates. At such times, summer carpets were preferred for furnishing domestic spaces. Usually made of cotton and silk threads, they varied in size and elaborateness depending on the means of the patron.  \nThis summer carpet features very fine, chain-stitched flora and fauna motifs in shades of pink, green and yellow floss silk on a pale pink cotton ground. A lobed rosette medallion at centre is repeated in quadrants at each corner. The arrangement calls to mind the layout of medallion carpets. Interspersed among the larger floral motifs are smaller floral motifs of great variety, size, and form. Secreted among the floral motifs are small animals such as rabbits, deer, and birds. They are repeated in the wide border.  \nMuch of the carpet’s charm derives from the embroiderers’ minute attention to detail. An intriguing variety of flowers, primarily sewn in pink threads, is offset by yellow threads differentiating petals and parts of the flowers. Green threads become leaves and stems which weave around the blossoms and form the medallions’ lobed borders. There is interest in naturalism, but it is offset by idealism. Every petal is in full bloom, a defiance of nature’s limitations. The carpet offers to the viewer’s imagination the most beautiful summer garden with prancing animals delighting in a display more perfect than nature.  \nThe textile is characteristic of Mochi embroidery of the 18th century from the Kutch region of Gujarat, India. Many beautiful examples are known to have been made during this period. A large one such as this may have been made at an urban or court workshop in the region. An inscription embroidered inside one border is now too degraded to read. To preserve the fragile carpet, netting has been gently tacked to the textile.","type":"Floorspread","holder":"Shangri La, Doris Duke Foundation for Islamic Art","dates":"First half of the 18th century","location":"Honolulu, Hawai'i","dimensions":"L: 195.6cm, W: 195.6cm","method_for_datation":"Stylistic analysis","method_for_provenance":"Archival photographs and documents","provenance":"India, Gujarat","obtention":"Purchased by Doris Duke in 1935 while travelling in India","bibliography":"Crill, Rosemary, *Indian Embroidery*, London: Victoria and Albert Museum, 1999.  \nCrill, Rosemary, *The Fabric of India*, London: Victoria and Albert Museum, 2015.  \nGuy, John, and Swallow, Deborah, *Arts of India 1550-1900*, London: Victoria and Albert Museum, 1999.","author":"Sharon Tomlinson","keywords":["floral decoration","Floor spread","animal decoration","cotton","collector"],"materials":["cotton","floss silk"]},"2226ba39-b622-58ea-afd8-df2abd02bed6":{"name":"Dyes","description":"A natural substance that is used to change the colour of something. Generally in an aqueous solution, dyes may require mordant to improve their fastness to the fibre.","type":"Dyes","holder":"Jordan River Foundation Bani Hamida Weaving Project","dates":"AD 2016","location":"Mukawer","dimensions":"N/A","method_for_datation":"Owners","provenance":"Bani Hamida","obtention":"Bought","author":"Halima Al Qa'dan","copy_editor":"Lisa Kelman","materials":["Derivations of plant or minerals"]},"224ac8b1-6853-53b0-9795-ce4a3ebc91c3":{"name":"*Der wunderbare Fischzug (The Miraculous Draught of Fish)*","description":"In 1515/16, on commission to Pope Leo X, Raphael produced ten large-format preparatory drawings for tapestries which were intended for the Sistine Chapel in the Vatican. These tapestries, which are among the most outstanding achievements of the High Renaissance in Rome, were woven in the manufactory operated by Pieter van Aelst in Brussels (they are now held in the Pinacoteca Vaticana, Città del Vaticano). Designed for use in celebratory masses, they depict scenes from the life of the two chief apostles, saints Peter and Paul. A few of Raphael's cartoons turned up in Genoa in 1623 and were purchased by the Prince of Wales, the later King Charles I. The designs were used again at the Mortlake Tapestry Works in England. The Mortlake works not only wove a series for Charles I but also produced the one that later came into the collection of Augustus the Strong in Dresden. Three of the six tapestries in Dresden are dedicated to Saint Peter, the other three to Saint Paul. The depiction of the Miraculous Draught of Fish (Luke 5, 1-11) begins the series devoted to Saint Peter: although Peter has been fishing all night without success, he follows Jesus’ instruction to put out into the Sea of Galilee and cast his net once again. This time the fishermen are so successful that their two boats return to the shore overloaded with fish. Peter and his companions James and John recognise the greatness of Jesus, fall at his feet and worship him. Jesus then summons them to become his disciples and follow him. The dynamic, monumental figures reveal a stylistic proximity to Michelangelo. The restoration of the entire series between 1991 and 1997 was made possible by a generous donation from the businessman Rudolf Augustus Oetker.","type":"Tapestry; after a cartoon by Raphael","holder":"Gemäldegalerie Alte Meister (Old Masters Picture Gallery), Dresden State Art Collections","dates":"Design: c. 1515;  \nExecution: 2nd quarter of the 17th century (from 1623)","location":"Dresden","dimensions":"Height: 415cm, Width: 514cm","method_for_datation":"Research and documentary evidence","method_for_provenance":"Research and documentary evidence","provenance":"England, Mortlake","obtention":"In about 1700 the tapestry was transported from England to Paris, where in 1723 it was purchased on behalf of Field Marshal Count Jakob Heinrich von Flemming in Dresden. In 1728 Elector Friedrich Augustus I of Saxony (who was also King Augustus II of Poland) purchased it from him for his art collection.","bibliography":"Bruseberg, Gisela, “Die Restaurierung der Dresdner Raffael-Bildteppiche”, *Jahrbuch der Staatlichen Kunstsammlungen Dresden*, 26 (1996/1997) 69–75.  \nMarx, Harald (ed), *Gemäldegalerie Alte Meister*, 2 vols, Köln: Buchhandlung Walther König, 2005/07: vol 1. 703f., vol. 2 678, gallery n. B 1.  \nPuhlmann, Helga, “‘nicht ohne Anmuth und selbst in der Erfindung lobenswerth‘. Die Dresdner Bildteppiche nach Kartons von Raffael und ihre Bordüren”, *Jahrbuch der Staatlichen Kunstsammlungen Dresden*, 26 (1996/1997): 55–68.","workshop":"Mortlake Tapestry Works","author":"Bettina Forger","copy_editor":"Janice Medina","keywords":["Bibel","Christianity","New Testament","Renaissance","Tapestry","Cartoon"],"materials":["silk","wool","Linen"]},"225df813-478d-5038-a7f6-a57c1047907d":{"name":"Carpet","description":"Rectangular carpet from the Crown or Laurel series, derived from the Holbein series.  \nField: The field consists of crowns with an octagonal shape formed by foliage and shapes reminiscent of stylised cobs. Spread out cruciformly within the octagonal shapes are plant motifs that are curled into decorative scrollwork and ataurique motifs. The green coloured foliage stands out on the orange-red background.  \nBorder: The border consists of vegetal candlestick motifs.  \nA two-strand Franciscan knot strip separates the field from the border. All the decorative motifs of the carpet are outlined in yellow.  \nThe warp is of naturally coloured linen and the weft is of naturally coloured wool. The decorative aspects are defined by woollen knots of green, yellow and orange red.  \nThis carpet is similar to one published by Ferrandis Torres, J. 1933, Catalog of the Exhibition of Ancient Spanish Carpets. Madrid, No. 36, Plate XXVIII, p. 112, presented by Count Welczeck. It is the carpet that appears in the Weissberger collection with the number 7.  \nIn the Holbein series the octagons were separated by registers, whilst in this one such a demarcation is only suggested in the intersection of the columns by a partial cruciform design.  \nOn the other hand, the decoration of the border and the field corresponds to the renovating models of the Renaissance period.","type":"Carpet","holder":"National Museum of Decorative Arts","dates":"Second third of the 16th century","location":"Madrid","dimensions":"Length: 218cm, Width: 150cm","method_for_datation":"Through the stylistic and technical analysis of the piece.","method_for_provenance":"Through the stylistic and technical analysis of the piece.","provenance":"Alcaraz (Old Kingdom of Murcia)","obtention":"Acquired in 1957","workshop":"Workshops of Alcaraz (Old Kingdom of Murcia, Spain)","author":"Mª Dolores Vila Tejero","translator":"Asad Islam","keywords":["Alcaraz"],"materials":["Warp: Linen","Weft: Wool"]},"2292af80-5b22-5a47-a417-5ef4d3e112f5":{"name":"Animal carpet","description":"The field design of this carpet is exceptional. Four double-headed creatures dominate the vertical centre of the field. They are embedded in cream-coloured star forms. The free spaces between the stars are filled with multicoloured octagons. The star points directed outwards and the animal heads each also pointing outwards lend a special dynamic to the carpet. This piece displays two technical peculiarities. On the one hand, the knots are partly offset, presumably in order to achieve the desired incline of the diagonals. A further animal carpet (KGM 1888,112) in the Museum of Islamic Art in Berlin displays this technique. A special feature are the yellow wefts which are additionally inserted at regular intervals. It is assumed that they mark the day’s work of the weaver. These marks are also found in the so-called Dragon-Phoenix carpet (I.4) in the Museum of Islamic Art in Berlin.","type":"Carpet","holder":"Museum of Islamic Art at the Pergamon Museum","dates":"AD around 1500 or earlier","location":"Berlin","dimensions":"L: 140, W: 94","method_for_datation":"The carpet has been dated on stylistic analysis of its pattern, due to its colours and knot-technique","method_for_provenance":"The carpet has been located on stylistic analysis of its pattern, due to its colours and knot-technique","provenance":"Anatolia","obtention":"Purchased by Wilhelm von Bode for the Kunstgewerbemuseum Berlin; transferred through the Kunstgewerbemuseum, Berlin","bibliography":"Beselin, Anna, *Geknüpfte Kunst. Teppiche des Museums für Islamische Kunst*, Berlin: Minerva, 2011. Spuhler, Friedrich, *Oriental Carpets in the Museum of Islamic Art*, Munich: Smithsonian, 1987.","author":"Anna Beselin","keywords":["Wilhelm von Bode","Animal Carpet","carpet","bird"],"materials":["wool","knotted pile carpet","symmetrical knot"]},"23fdfdb6-6e3c-535f-8aeb-18963016d92a":{"name":"Kenare-Achma-Yumma","description":"Against a bright pink background a diamond-shaped medallion in the central field is just touching five pointed projections. Sky-blue is used as an outline for the medallions that contain an intense arrangement of floral ornaments forming the background. Only half the medallions in the central field have been developed.","type":"Carpet","holder":"Azerbaijan National Museum of Art","owner":"Azerbaijan National Museum of Art","dates":"Date unknown, purchased by the Museum in the 19th century","location":"Baku","dimensions":"H: 580cm, W: 108cm","method_for_datation":"The date is not certain, but research and documentary evidence suggests a maker in Garabagh","method_for_provenance":"Information offered by the seller has been further researched and corroborated by experts at the Museum","provenance":"Garabagh, Azerbaijan","obtention":"Purchased in the 19th century","bibliography":"Rasim Efendiyev, *Azărbai̐jan khalg sănăti / Folk Art of Azerbaijan*, Azerbaijan, Baku: Ishyg, 1984 (text in Azerbaijani, English and Russian).","author":"Emin Suleymanov","copy_editor":"Mandi Gomez","keywords":["Kenare-Achma-Yumma","Azerbaijan","Kanara","carpet"],"materials":["Wool warp and weft","symmetrical knot"]},"2494bdbf-c4c0-5e69-9919-23f82e0ed33e":{"name":"Carpet","description":"Field: Carpet is formed by three cloths of a navy blue field in which the light blue floral decoration stands out, with eight rows of small branches in ascending and alternating positions.  \nBorder: The carpet consists of three sets of borders with the central one being the widest and consisting of light blue carnation vegetal motifs on a dark background. In the corners, a pomegranate is featured bisecting the angles between the two borders.  \nThe two narrow borders that frame the central border consist of dark blue geometric patterns on a light blue background. Wool is used in the two shades of blue.  \nThe production technique of looping is used to add some additional wefts, which go from selvedge to selvedge and are taken out in the form of rings to the surface with the aid of an auxiliary needle, whenever the design demands it.  \nThis technique was common to almost the entire peninsular territory and depending on the areas where it was carried out, it received different names: \"garbancillo\", \"caracolillo\" or \"caramullo\" as well as the \"Alpujarras technique\", a term referred to in historical texts linking it with the region in Andalusia. This reference however is not entirely appropriate as this technique would be found in other regions and the Andalusian reference only emerged at the end of the 19th century, despite the technique being significantly older.  \nThe same technique is visible in textile weavings of the Balearic Islands particularly for wall coverings as well as floor coverings of hemp and silk known as a *catalufa*.  \nMost of the pieces of looped decorative patterns found in the museum, have been produced between the 18th and early 20th centuries. This decoration is possibly inspired by fabric ornamentations from the middle of the 18th century, particularly the corner motifs. The fine decorative solution used in the corners, suggests that it is inspired by cultured motifs, but the simplicity of chromatism indicates that it is a later production in time. In some areas, it produces a secondary decorative effect, since it uses two very contrasting colours.","type":"Carpet","holder":"National Museum of Decorative Arts","dates":"1700-1799","location":"Madrid","dimensions":"Length: 225cm, Width: 172cm","method_for_datation":"Through the stylistic and technical analysis of the piece.","method_for_provenance":"Through the stylistic and technical analysis of the piece.","provenance":"Spain","workshop":"Spain","author":"Mª Dolores Vila Tejero","translator":"Asad Islam","keywords":["looped"],"materials":["Vegetable fibre [supplementary weft is in wool]"]},"24d526fe-7421-53a9-aca1-e36f943f39ee":{"name":"Floral carpet","description":"A 17th century Mughal Indian pile carpet with an Arabesque floral design that consists of a wine red centre-field and a dark blue border. The centre-field is filled with a symmetrically laid out Arabesque network of multi-coloured palmettes intertwined with a more delicate pink network of vines with grapes and small leaves and flowers. This delicate pink network, imposed on the wine-red background, with no dark borderlines defining it and separating it from the wine-red colour of the field, is typical of Mughal Indian carpet designs.  \n  \nThe border holds an ivory coloured winding vegetal scroll that meanders between large multi-coloured palmettes and rosettes. The bottom end of the border shows a well planned distribution of palmettes and scrolls, with the corner motifs worked out to transition smoothly from the horizontal to the vertical sides of the carpet. The top end of the carpet border seems to have been extended beyond the natural flow of the repeat patter of the border to accommodate the extension of the repeat design in the centre-field, causing the border patter to get disrupted in the corner areas, with palmettes merging to accommodate the transition from vertical to horizontal. This situation seems to have been caused by a mismatch between the over all design cartoon being used and the desired length to be achieved for the carpet. A not an uncommon situation found on many hand woven pile carpets.","type":"Carpet","holder":"Glasgow Museums - The Burrell Collection","dates":"17th century","location":"Glasgow, Scotland","dimensions":"H: 3455mm, W: 1575mm","method_for_datation":"Manufacturing techniques and stylistic analysis","method_for_provenance":"Stylistic analysis","provenance":"Pakistan, Lahore","obtention":"Gifted by Sir William and Lady Burrell to the City of Glasgow, 1944","workshop":"Lahore workshop (possibly royal workshop)","author":"Noorah Al-Gailani","keywords":["vegetal arabesque","grape vine","floral motifs","Iranian influence","palmette"],"materials":["wool pile","Cotton warp and weft"]},"254e7f7c-61c1-5991-8986-210fe384e734":{"name":"Pile carpet fragment","description":"This is the lower section of a border with a relatively legible *kufic* inscription which can be roughly translated: “*\\[Blessing\\] from God to the owner, what was made...*” The rich decoration is divided into two sections. One has a greenish-blue ground and the other a deep red. The first section is ornamented with two rows of lozenges with a cotton off-white contour, followed by two thin bands, one orange and the other greenish-blue, on which rest a mustard-yellow garland with triple-lobed leaves, surrounding the inscription as if to give it emphasis. The inscription is woven with undyed cotton on a deep red woollen ground. The vivid colours and dense, carefully worked weaving with additional wefts give this fragment its special quality.","type":"Carpet","holder":"Benaki Museum","dates":"8th-10th century","location":"Athens","dimensions":"15 x 22 cm","method_for_datation":"It belongs to a group of fragments attributed to Egypt and their dating between the 8th and the 11th century. In addition, the form of the *kufic* inscription belongs to this period","method_for_provenance":"Factors that determine the provenance: 1. The use of linen, which is the basic Egyptian fibre, for both warps and wefts; 2. The left-twisting (S) spin of the materials is also an Egyptian feature. Linen warps S-spun, Z-plied are found in Coptic fabrics of the 9th-10th century. Right-twisted spinning (Z) is rarely found in Group A; 3. The technique of weaving with cut-pile loops which continues the long-standing Egyptian tradition of weaving with a pile made of loops; 4. The pattern, colouring and techniques of this group fragments bear a close resemblance to contemporaneous Coptic textiles. 5. The fragments display similarities to certain inscribed and non-inscribed fragments from Fustat.","provenance":"Egypt","obtention":"Purchased from Fokion Tanos in 1947","bibliography":"Published in Theologou, J., Ozoline, A., Sartzetakis, Y., \"Fustat Carpet Fragments\", *Hali*, 156 (summer 2008): 65-71.","author":"Mina Moraitou","keywords":["wool","Fustat fragment","inscription band","geometric","linen","kufic script","cotton"]},"255f45d9-17b4-565e-8c90-1983dbce43f3":{"name":"*Majlis* Carpet","short_description":"This large-scale textile is termed the *majlis* (council) carpet. Handcrafted in Hamdan from wool and camel hair utilizing the Seneh knot, it represents the spatiality of the Gulf-Arab \"sitting place\". The *majlis* unites notions of privacy and hospitality appearing to be incompatible in one entity.  \n  \nWhile the carpet would have stretched from one corner of the *majlis* to the other with design elements such as the paisley, damascene rose, diamond-shapes and symmetry characteristic of Persian carpets, the discrete sections of the textile embody the different spatial components of the room. The outer segments reflect sitting positions of the head of the household, the family, friends and guests. The centrepiece would offer room to dance, perform music, play board games or display food and coffee. It would have stretched from one corner of the *majlis* to the other.  \n  \nDue to the cost of these large pieces of art, merchants began cutting apart the separable sections and selling fragments to decorate hallways and corridors. Only few of such majlis carpets may still be reassembled into their original composition.","type":"Carpet; Rug","holder":"FBQ Museum","owner":"Sheikh Faisal Bin Qassim Al Thani","dates":"19th century","location":"Shahaniya","dimensions":"Length: 430cm, Width: 340cm","place_of_production":"Iran, Hamedan","method_for_datation":"Date and origin were derived from material, colour, pattern and knot examination.","method_for_provenance":"Date and origin were derived from material, colour, pattern and knot examination.","provenance":"Iran","obtention":"Purchase","bibliography":"Asmi, R., \"Finding a Place to Sit\", *Anthropology of the Middle East*, 11 : 2 (2016): 18-38.  \nSobh, R. and Belk, R., \"Domains of Privacy and Hospitality in Arab Gulf Homes\", *Journal of Islamic Marketing*, 2 : 2 (2011): 125-137.  \nSobh, R. and Belk, R., \"Privacy and Gendered Spaces in Arab Gulf Homes\", *Home Cultures*, 8 : 3 (2011): 317-340.","author":"Sarah Schroeder","copy_editor":"Valerie Pulsifer","keywords":["rug","Majlis","Arabian Gulf","carpet","Iran","Hamdan","Hamadan"],"materials":["camel hair","wool","Senneh knot"]},"25615117-b95e-51bc-bba3-33731c28624f":{"name":"Portrait of a young woman","description":"A young woman on the photograph poses in the interior, lying on the Pirot kilim. She is wearing an overcoat named *džube*, which belongs to traditional urban dress ensemble worn in Kosovo. For this occasion *džube* is turned into an evening dress and combined with modern accessories. The outfit was most probably worn at a costume ball, which was a popular practice at this time, related to the elements of traditional 19th century urban dress. The kilim on the photo is decorated with the *Crown Prince* (*prestolonaslednik*) ornament.","type":"Photograph","holder":"Museum of Applied Art","dates":"Around 1930","location":"Belgrade","dimensions":"H: 8.4cm, W: 11.4cm","method_for_datation":"By stylistic analysis","provenance":"Serbia","obtention":"Purchased in 1987","author":"Draginja Maskareli","keywords":["photograph","Şarköy","Pirot","Kilim"],"materials":["Photograph"]},"2633161b-f5f4-5b93-9f4f-f9cc6954257e":{"name":"Star Ushak carpet","short_description":"The star-like motif, which is immediately recognisable, lends this carpet part of its name. The carpet is characterised by a clear arrangement of its motifs and by a distinct palette of the five colours, red, blue, yellow, green and white, as well as a few secondary colours such as purple or pink.  \n  \nThe western Anatolian city of Ushak was a centre of carpet production from the second half of the 15th century. In addition to carpets dominated by the star-like motif, carpets with large medallions were also produced here. Many of these Ushak carpets ended up being exported to Europe where this particular design present here enjoyed particular popularity.","type":"Carpet","holder":"Museum Rietberg","initial_owner":"Friedrich Sarre (1865-1945); Bernheimer gallery, Munich; 1930s: Eduard von der Heydt (1882-1964)","dates":"Hegira late 11th-early 12th century / AD late 17th-early 18th century","location":"Zurich","dimensions":"Height: 269cm, Width: 151cm","method_for_datation":"By comparison with stylistically similar and approximately dated objects","method_for_provenance":"Old museum inventory.","provenance":"Turkey, West Anatolia, Ushak","obtention":"Gift from Eduard von der Heydt","bibliography":"Hermann, Fritz, *Teppiche aus dem Orient in der Sammlung des rietbergmuseums*, Zurich: Museum Rietberg, 1986: 30-31.","author":"Axel Langer","copy_editor":"Jonathan Turnbull","materials":["Wool (warp","weft and pile)"]},"26a27bde-c75d-503b-b339-fc2c2f75b4c7":{"name":"Tree Carpet","description":"This carpet is one of the best known and most highly respected examples of the classic era of Persian carpet weaving (the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries). The six column-like cypress trees in varied blue-green shades form a striking symmetrical arrangement.  \nOriginally, the carpet was almost forty feet long, twice as long as it now appears.","type":"Carpet","holder":"Philadelphia Museum of Art","dates":"16th-17th century","location":"Philadelphia, Pennsylvania","dimensions":"528 x 358cm (17 feet 3 7/8 inches x 11 feet 8 15/16 inches)","provenance":"Iran, Asia","obtention":"The Joseph Lees Williams Memorial Collection, 1955","bibliography":"Babbit, Sherry, *Philadelphia Museum of Art: Handbook of the Collections*, Philadelphia: Philadelphia Museum of Art,1995: 65.  \nBode, Wilhelm and Kuhnel, Ernst, *Antique Rugs from the Near East*, New York: E. Weyhe, 1922: Fig. 40.  \nEllis, Charles Grant, *Oriental Carpets in the Philadelphia Museum of Art*, Philadelphia: Philadelphia Museum of Art, 1988: cat. 47.","author":"Quintin Blumka","copy_editor":"Xena Wang","keywords":["rug","carpet"],"materials":["wool","cotton"]},"276c2c49-a8b4-526b-9394-194f30fc855a":{"name":"Shadda","description":"Caucasian flatweaves in the so-called Soumak technique (wrapping of weft yarn around warp threads) with additional brocades (floating wefts; so-called Cicim technique) are referred to as Shadda; in older literature, they are also called Verneh. Various types of patterns are known. Mostly, pieces were made from two panels, like this example. This Shadda was for personal needs and used as a representative hanging or cover that stood for wealth and high social rank, most probably a part of a bride's dowry. It is dated H.1310 (AD 1892/93) and shows a large caravan of camels. Pieces of this caravan type are well documented in the literature. They are ascribed to the Southern Caucasus, whereby they often feature a static-looking pattern and generally appear somewhat rigid. This Shadda, however, is an excellent example of the caravan type. This fine and superbly done fabric shows a vibrant and skilful drawing of the caravan with its beautiful colours. It is remarkable how the highly stylized motives are diversified and make the piece appear strong and lively yet by no means rigid or crowded, even though lots of little secondary motives fill the field and the border. Along with seven other flatweaves from the holdings of the Museum für Völkerkunde Dresden, this piece was shown in 1986 in the exhibition \"Oriental Kilims\" in the Islamisches Museum der Staatlichen Museen Berlin (Islamic Museum of the Berlin State Museums, now the Museum für Islamische Kunst) and was published in the accompanying catalogue (Enderlein, V., Orientalische Kelims, Wesel: Uta Hülsey Verlag, 1986: 99, no.51).","type":"Cover/hanging","holder":"Museum für Völkerkunde Dresden (Ethnological Museum Dresden), Dresden State Art Collections","dates":"19th century, last quarter, dated 1892/93 (1310 H.)","location":"Dresden, Saxony","dimensions":"Length: 195cm, Width: 217cm","provenance":"South Caucasian, probably Karabagh region","obtention":"Donated by a Dresden private household in 1981, in support of Dresden painter Wilhelm Müller (1928–99) establishing a collection for the Ethnographic Museum of Dresden since 1979.","bibliography":"Evans, Ben (ed) *Hali Magazine*, 181 (2014): 16.  \nHousego, J., *Tribal Rugs: An introduction to the Weaving of the Tribes of Iran*, London: Scorpion Publications Limited, 1978: no.13.  \nKerimov, L., Stepanjan, N., Grigolia, T. and Ziizschwili, D., *Rugs and Carpets from the Caucasus*, London/Leningrad: Allen Lane Penguin Books/Aurora Art Publishers, 1984: no.7.  \nLandreau, A. N. and Pickering, W.R., *From Bosporus to Samarkand: Flat-Woven Rugs*, Washington: Textile Museum, 1969: no.98.  \nSpuhler, F., König, H., and Volkmann, M., *Meisterstücke aus deutschen Privatsammlungen*, Munich: Callwey, 1978: no.61.","author":"Simone Jansen","copy_editor":"Janice Medina","materials":["flat weave with both wrapping and floating wefts","wool","cotton","metal threads"]},"277c2330-13d4-5a0a-b00f-b07533e627aa":{"name":"Carpet.","description":"A large rectangular carpet of the type known as a Medallion Uşak. On a red ground, a large blue primary medallion, in the shape of a slightly flattened oval with pendants, occupies the centre of the carpet and is reflected at either end. Four elaborate secondary medallions, which would have 16 lobes each if they were not interrupted by the border of the main field, occupy the quadrants above and below the central medallion. Each of the carpet's medallions contains arabesque patterns, and the red ground between them is filled as well with a continuous floral pattern which fills the space without appearing to go 'behind' any of the medallions. The carpet's triple border has repeating floral patterns on yellow, red, and blue backgrounds. The compelling abstract complexity of this carpet is testimony to the skill which Ottoman designers lavished on the creation of non-figurative patterns.","short_description":"A large rectangular carpet of the type known as a Medallion Uşak. The design, which includes elaborate medallions on a ground of a continuous floral pattern, is quite complex and shows the skill with which the Ottomans created non-figurative designs.","type":"Ottoman carpet, knotted wool","holder":"Victoria and Albert Museum.","dates":"Hegira 10th / AD 16th century.","location":"London, England","dimensions":"Length 531 cm (including fringes), width 250 cm.","method_for_datation":"The quality of the pattern and the sophistication of its execution have led scholars to attribute this carpet to the late 10th / 16th century, a period of high artistic attainment in Turkey.","method_for_provenance":"Carpets of this type have been associated with the town of Uşak for many years. Yet while Ottoman historical sources confirm that Uşak was an important center of carpet weaving, it is difficult to be certain that any given carpet was woven there.","provenance":"Possibly Uşak, a town in west-central Anatolia (modern Turkey).","obtention":"Purchased by the Museum in 1914.","bibliography":"Franses, M., and Pinner, R., \"The 'Classical' Carpets of the 15th to 17th Centuries\" (part 1 of an article on \"Turkish Carpets in the Victoria and Albert Museum\"), Hali 6:4, 1984, p.371 (NB photos for figs. 19 and 20 are reversed).  \n  \nStanley, T., with Rosser-Owen, M., and Vernoit, S., Palace and Mosque: Islamic Art from the Middle East, London, 2004, p.58 and plate 76.","linkcatalogs":"IAM_TR_EN_001","author":"Barry Wood","copy_editor":"Mandi Gomez","keywords":["floral decoration"],"materials":["Knotted wool."]},"27f64d8c-b2e4-52c4-a51c-fbe641ebcaef":{"name":"Prayer rug.","description":"This rug, dominated by the colours red, brown and white, is dedicated to prayer because of its niche motif in the central rectangular field. The niche is formed by a stepped, pointed arch and edged all around with carnations. A geometrical ornament is set against the light brown background of the area below the arch. A floral device replaces the lamp often to be seen in other prayer rugs. The spandrels are filled with five red flowering bushes. There are two transverse panels, one above the spandrels and one below the niche. Both show the same motif of a cloud-band in combination with rosette blossoms filling the spaces. The small central field is framed by a broad border consisting of an inner and an outer row of heavily stylised carnations and seven narrow stripes coloured alternately white and red.  \nThere were two places, Ghiordes (Gördes in Turkish) and Kula, manufacturing prayer rugs of similar patterns. This rug combines characteristic elements of both: for example, the seven narrow stripes are found in Kula prayer rugs and the niche with two transverse panels and a colour scheme dominated by red are typical of Ghiordes prayer rugs.","short_description":"Rug dedicated to prayer because of the niche motif in the central rectangular field. The floral device in the area below the arch replaces the lamp often to be seen in other prayer rugs. The central field is framed by a border of stylised carnations and seven narrow stripes.","type":"Wool, knotted, carpet","holder":"Hallwyl Museum.","dates":"Hegira 13th century / AD 19th century.","location":"Stockholm","dimensions":"Height 167.5–173.5 cm, width 128–132.5 cm.","method_for_datation":"In the 13th / 19th century, rugs from Ghiordes and Kula show a strong stylisation of the floral motifs similar to that of the rug described above.","method_for_provenance":"The rug cannot definitely be ascribed to Ghiordes or Kula. It shows characteristics of both manufacturing centres such as the two transverse panels, one at either end of the central field, typical of rugs from Ghiordes, and the seven narrow stripes which are to be found in rugs from Kula.","provenance":"Anatolia (Ghiordes or Kula), Turkey.","obtention":"Bought for the collection of Wilhelmina von Hallwyl (1844–1930) in Saloniki in 1896. Count and Countess Walther and Wilhelmina von Hallwyl donated the collection and their home to the Swedish state in 1920.","bibliography":"Ådahl, K., *Den Orientaliska Mattan i Sverige*, Stockholm, 1998, cat. no. 31.  \nDimand, M. S., *Oriental Rugs in the Metropolitan Museum of Art*, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, 1973.  \nSterner, M. and Kinch, J., *Antika Orientaliska Mattor i Sverige*, Stockholm, 1937.","linkcatalogs":"IAM_TR_EN_001","author":"Friederike Voigt","copy_editor":"Monica Allen","keywords":["floral decoration","prayer","prayer rug","Religion","Purity"],"materials":["wool","knotted."]},"28485e93-6aee-597e-b6d4-519ba9eeb8e4":{"name":"Caucasian Rug","short_description":"Although the Ummayad and Abbasid caliphates overthrew the Iranian empires in the Caucasus and Azerbaijan, the cultural influence of Persia remains. This Caucasian carpet displays a blend of influences from Islam and pre-Islamic Persia.  \n  \nPrimary colours from natural dyes typically brighten carpets from the Shirvan region with blue likely representing water as a life's source. The symmetry in these textiles creates harmony with repeated shapes such as the *kubpa* (hexagonal medallion) with tooth-like edges and diamonds to protect from the evil eye.  \n  \nBright colours and geometric figures adorn this rug with abstracted religious symbols. The *mehrab* (arched prayer niche) denotes the direction toward toward which Muslims pray, Mecca. The upper end of the carpet displays the date, 1281 Hegira (1864 AD). Two chequered rectangles resemble a chess board, which suggests a possible alternative use for this carpet for entertainment during travels.","type":"Carpet; Rug","holder":"FBQ Museum","owner":"Sheikh Faisal Bin Qassim Al Thani","dates":"1864 AD / 1281 Hegira","location":"Shahaniya","dimensions":"Length: 130cm, Height: 110cm","method_for_datation":"The date can be read on the upper side of the carpet, while the origin was derived from an examination of material, colour, pattern and knot.","method_for_provenance":"The date can be read on the upper side of the carpet, while the origin was derived from an examination of material, colour, pattern and knot.","provenance":"Caucasus, Daghistan, Shirwan","obtention":"Purchase","bibliography":"Bier, C., *Carpets For Commerce: Rug-Weaving In The Caucasus. Proceedings of The Textile Society of America Biennial Symposium*, 1990: 166-177.  \nBoggs, J., *Carpets as Signifiers of Historical Change: The Azerbaijani Carpet Industry from the Mid-nineteenth to Late Twentieth Century*, Senior Theses, University of South Carolina, 2011: 394.  \nGoswami, K. K., \"Developments in Handmade Carpets: Introduction\", in K.K. Goswami (ed), *Advances in Carpet Manufacture*, Duxford: Woodhead Publishing, 2018: 213-268.  \nMast, T. M., *Ruglore and Ruglife: A folkloric Study of Oriental Rugs, Rug Weaving and Rug Scholarship with a Focus on Turkey and the Caucasus*, Dissertation, University of Pennsylvania, 1995.","author":"Sarah Schroeder","copy_editor":"Valerie Pulsifer","keywords":["rug","carpet","Caucasus","Mehrab"],"materials":["Ghiordes knot","wool"]},"2862e8f6-d332-5544-a574-53dd68d204ec":{"name":"*Partida de Emigrantes* – Gare Marítima da Rocha de Conde de Óbidos","description":"Although Portugal never had a tradition of tapestry manufacture, a manufactory for fine hand-woven contemporary tapestries was created in Portalegre in 1948. Weaving by means of a totally manual procedure and on vertical looms from the base up and from the reverse, the manufactory specialised in translating the paintings of famous contemporary Portuguese and international artists into tapestries.  \nOne of its best examples is a set of three tapestries titled *Partida de Emigrantes* (‘Departure of Emigrants’), based on the murals by José de Almada Negreiros (1873‒1970), a multidisciplinary artist and one of the key-figures of the Portuguese modernist movement. Having foreseen the deterioration of the murals that decorated the departure lounge of the Rocha de Conde de Óbidos Harbour Station, built during the 1940s near the Tagus river in Lisbon, Almada Negreiros suggested that they should be remade into tapestries at Portalegre. Such would be a perfect way to trustingly preserve his artwork.  \nWith a strong modernist aesthetic and a chromatic richness, these works focus on the departure of emigrants, in a ship docked at Rocha de Conde de Óbidos. The moment of the farewell, and in particular the behaviour of the individuals involved (both the remaining and departing), is depicted vividly. The upper section of the first third of the tapestry shows the control deck with those on the quay saying good-bye below. In the central tapestry the accommodation ladder, already collected and suspended by a crane, is indicative of the moment of departure; at the ship’s bulwark one sees the sad and worried expressions on the faces of those departing. In the third tapestry, close to the prow, one can see wooden scaffolding from which a worker, carrying an object made of cement, looks on those who are departing.","type":"Textile; wall tapestry (triptych)","holder":"Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation","owner":"Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation","dates":"1979","location":"Lisbon","dimensions":"H: 404cm, W: 204cm each tapestry; knot density 2,500‒10,000/dm2","method_for_datation":"The date mentioned above is the date of production, 1979","provenance":"Portalegre, Portugal","obtention":"Commissioned by the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation from the Manufactura de Tapeçarias de Portalegre for the opening of the Centro de Arte Moderna (Gulbenkian Foundation Center for Modern Art)","bibliography":"*50 Anos de Tapeçaria em Portugal*, Lisbon: Fundação Calouste Gulbenkian, 1996.  \n*Nós na Arte – Tapeçaria de Portalegre e Arte Contemporânea*, Lisbon: Museum for the Presidency of the Republic, 2012.  \n*A Arte da Tapeçaria – Tradição e Modernidade*, São Paulo: SESI, 2012.","workshop":"Manufactura de Tapeçarias de Portalegre, Portugal","author":"Maria João de Melo","translator":"Lily Chadwick","translation_copy_editor":"Mandi Gomez","keywords":["Manufactura de tapeçarias de Portalegre","Center for Modern Art","Rocha de Conde de Óbidos","Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation","Almada Negreiros","Departure of Emigrants","Portalegre tapestries","Partida de Emigrantes"],"materials":["Cotton warp","cotton weft binding","Australian wool weft","hand-woven on a vertical loom using the Portalegre weaving technique where the decorative weft wraps around the warp. Chromatic composition of 290 colours"]},"28aa8b45-d054-5e14-b453-dac969602bb2":{"name":"Rug","description":"This arabesque rug features a composition of spiralling stems bearing leaves and blossoms. Its precise drawing and fine weaving were produced by a trained artist and an experienced weaver. It was probably made in a workshop in Isfahan, and its exquisite style evokes the architectural tile decorations, miniature paintings and manuscript drawings from this period. Its minimalist palette of three colours is unusual for classical Persian rugs and is reminiscent of Cairene rugs of the late fifteenth to mid-sixteenth century.","type":"Carpet","holder":"Textile Museum of Canada (TMC)","owner":"TMC","dates":"1600-1700","location":"Toronto, Ontario","dimensions":"L: 208cm, W: 144cm","method_for_datation":"By stylistic analysis","method_for_provenance":"By stylistic analysis","provenance":"Iran, Isfahan","obtention":"Gift of Mrs. Herta Vodstrcil in memory of Andrew Vodstrcil","bibliography":"Gans-Ruedun, Erwin, *The Splendor of Persian Carpets/Iranian Carpets: Art, Craft and History*, New York: Rizzoli, 1978.  \nMaktabi, Hadi, “Lost and Found: the Missing History of Persian Carpets”, *Hali* 153 (Autumn 2007): 68-79.","author":"Natalia Nekrassova","keywords":["Iranian"],"materials":["knotted pile","wool","cotton"]},"28b0548c-f552-5757-958a-3d914767931a":{"name":"Carpet","description":"This carpet is a typical example of Egyptian carpet production after the fall of the last Mamluk dynasty. The MAK owns three carpets of this group. Nearly square Mamluk carpets like these were often produced for the European market, where they were popular as table carpets. Most were imported to Europe via Venice, which maintained trading bases in Egypt. Today it is assumed that Mamluk carpets were produced in Cairo until at least after the mid-16th century, and that carpets with patterns strongly influenced by the Ottoman style, such as the Cairene Ottoman (T 8344) carpet, up until the first quarter of the 17th century.","type":"Carpet","holder":"MAK – Austrian Museum of Applied Arts / Contemporary Art","dates":"First half of the 16th century","location":"Vienna","dimensions":"H: 244cm, W: 268cm; knot density 1,440/dm2","method_for_datation":"Research and documentary evidence","method_for_provenance":"Research and documentary evidence","provenance":"Egypt, Cairo","obtention":"Obtained in 1922, formerly in the Imperial House of Habsburg","bibliography":"Völker, Angela, *Die orientalischen Knüpfteppiche das MAK*, Vienna: Böhlau, 2001: 50–1.","author":"Angela Völker","copy_editor":"Mandi Gomez","keywords":["wool","Ottoman","textile","carpet","geometric design"],"materials":["Wool warp and weft","asymmetrical knot","knotted"]},"2bf9cea5-1c42-51eb-896f-5fb33a3aa734":{"name":"Isfahan Carpet","short_description":"This Persian wool carpet displays a central flower vase and a prayer niche (mihrab) at the top. This rug represents an example of textiles produced for the Qajar courts in Isfahan, one of the most prominent centres since the 17th century.  \n  \nIsfahani carpet manufacturers would employ the seneh knot, harmonious colours and Arabesque flowers such as the carnation and Damascene rose. The roses on the border embody the lively inhabitants of Isfahan.  \n  \nThe top of the carpet reads the \"The eternal reign of the Sultan, son of Sultan Mozafaradin Shah Qajar in the village celebrating the factory of Mullah Alimorad 1317 Hegira\" (1899). A poem praising Isfahan and the Shah embellishes the carpet with the repetition of the word *zafar* (success, victory), also part of the Sultan's name.","type":"Carpets and rugs","holder":"FBQ Museum","owner":"Sheikh Faisal Bin Qassim Al Thani","dates":"1899 AD / 1317 Hegira","location":"Shahaniya","dimensions":"Length: 308cm, Width: 170cm","place_of_production":"Iran, Isfahan","method_for_datation":"Date and origin were derived from material, colour, pattern and knot examination.","method_for_provenance":"Date and origin were derived from material, colour, pattern and knot examination.","provenance":"Iran","obtention":"Purchase","bibliography":"Ackles, S. F., *Symbols and their meanings in the carpets and prayer rugs of the Turkish, Armenian and Persian traditions*, Doctoral dissertation, Colorado: Colorado State University Libraries, 1998.  \nGans-Ruedin, E., *Iranian Carpets: Art, Craft, and History,* London: Thames and Hudson, 1978.  \nVandshoari, A., and Ebrahimi, A. N., \"Epic and Myth in Pictorial Carpets of Qajar Era in Iran\", *Art-Sanat*, 5 (2016): 103–118.","author":"Sarah Schroeder","copy_editor":"Janice Medina","keywords":["rug","poetry","carpet","Qajar","Iran","Isfahan"],"materials":["wool","Senneh knot"]},"2c715951-49f5-5c98-954b-3838b4d8dc7b":{"name":"Karabagh-Carpet","description":"Bought by the Museum of Applied Arts in Istanbul in 1891.","type":"Kilim","holder":"MAK – Austrian Museum of Applied Arts / Contemporary Art","dates":"End of the 18th century","location":"Vienna","provenance":"Caucasus, Karabagh","copy_editor":"Daniel de la Vega"},"2d16dd66-a963-5f6f-b65b-339f7f17148f":{"name":"Carpet","description":"Carpet composed of three cloths joined together with approximately the same width of red and green wool decoration.  \nField: The decorative motifs on the field are formed by a collection of rhombuses that contain palms with small pineapples with a red core lodged in their centre.  \nBorders: It consists of five red borders separated by spans. The short sides are extended with green borders.  \nThe carpet is topped by a woollen fringe of the same colours as the field and borders, with slight wear on its narrow sides.  \nThe production technique used in this carpet was common throughout the Iberian Peninsula and was known by different names according to the geographical region in which it was utilised; \"garbancillo\", \"caracolillo\" or \"caramullo\". It is more commonly known as the \"Alpujarras technique\", a term referred to texts and treaties that geographically linked it with historic Andalusia in southern Spain. However, this reference is not wholly correct as this would only be one of several regions in which the technique was used. Furthermore, this association with the Alpujarras region would only occur at the end of the 19th century, despite the technique being considerably older.  \nIn the Balearic Islands, a similar technique was used for hemp and silk textiles that would adorn walls as well as floor coverings and are more commonly known as *catalufa*.  \nMost of the pieces found in the museum, with their decoratively looped wefts, have been produced between the 18th and early 20th centuries. The technique used in this carpet consisted of adding extra wefts, which go from selvedge to selvedge, and are taken out in the form of rings to the surface through the use of an auxiliary needle, whenever the design demands it.  \nThe design of this carpet evokes the rural countryside and its decoration imitates the Renaissance period carpets known as “of Toledan brocade”. Another inspiration visible in the borders of this carpet is its aesthetic emulation of counted-thread embroidery, a technique common in older Spanish carpets. The calligraphy and style of the borders indicate that this carpet most likely could have been from the 18th century. Similar pieces are preserved in the museum, such as the carpet with inventory number CE00981.","type":"Carpet","holder":"National Museum of Decorative Arts","dates":"1776–1800","location":"Madrid","dimensions":"Length: 232m, Width: 188m","method_for_datation":"Through the stylistic and technical analysis of the piece.","method_for_provenance":"Through the stylistic and technical analysis of the piece.","provenance":"Spain","workshop":"Spain","author":"Mª Dolores Vila Tejero","translator":"Asad Islam","keywords":["Spain","looped"],"materials":["Weft: Linen","Warp: Linen","Foundation: Linen taffeta","Weft: Wool","Decorative Weft: Looped wool"]},"2e37ae24-5c92-5eeb-bdae-5fa66679ca7b":{"name":"Ladik prayer rug","description":"Ladik, in Anatolia, had been an important carpet-making centre since at least the 17th century. Two types of prayer rug can be assigned to Ladik, but both have one charming feature: a row of elongated tulips in a cross-panel. The first group, considered to be earlier, are triple-arch prayer rugs. These have a narrow cross-panel with tulips over a *mihrab*. Another group consists of mostly 18th- and 19th-century rugs. They have a much smaller central niche and a wide cross-panel with upside down tulips beneath the *mihrab*.  \nThe Kraków rug belongs to the second group. The small, red *mihrab* niche is closed with a stepped, pointed arch, decorated with hook motifs. It has three elongated blossoming shrubs inside the niche that resemble the columns of the first group of Ladik rugs. The spandrels are decorated with five rosettes, a pair of lanceolate leaves and three ewers. The *mihrab* niche and ewers are symbols connected with the everyday ritual prayers of Muslims. Beneath the *mihrab* there is a wide cross-panel with two rows of arcades, upside down tulips, roses and stems with flowers. Six borders surround the field of the carpet. The main border is filled with an ornament of bold, strongly geometrised carnations.  \nIt is interesting that a very similar Ladik rug was depicted in a painting dating to as early as the second quarter of the 17th century. In the votive picture of the priest Tarło in one of the Polish churches, the rug can be seen beneath the altar of the prayer scene.","type":"Rug","holder":"National Museum in Kraków","dates":"Beginning of the 18th century","location":"Kraków","dimensions":"H: 187cm, W: 108.5cm; knot density 1,075/dm2","provenance":"Anatolia, Ladik","obtention":"Bequest of Feliks Jasieński in 1929","bibliography":"Biedrońska-Słotowa, Beata, *Kobierce wschodnie. 1. Kobierce tureckie*, Kraków: The National Museum in Kraków, 1983: 82‒3, 165‒6, cat. 32.  \nBiedrońska-Słotowa, Beata, “Islamic carpets in Polish painting: A contribution to the iconography of Oriental textiles”, in *Rozprawy Muzeum Narodowego w Krakówie. Seria nowa, vol. I*, Kraków: National Museum in Kraków: 1999: 111‒28.  \nGrzybkowska, Teresa, and Żygulski, Zdzisław, junior (eds), *Cuda Orientu* (Wonders of the Orient), Gdańsk: National Museum of Gdańsk, 2006: 36, cat. 10.","author":"Joanna Regina Kowalska","copy_editor":"Mandi Gomez","keywords":["Ladik","Anatolia","mihrab","tulip","prayer rug"],"materials":["symmetrically knotted pile (Turkish knot)","Wool (warp","weft","pile)"]},"2eb076be-b166-5091-8049-e6bf0adeed60":{"name":"Carpet of the ‘animal combat’-type","description":"The city of Kashan was famous for the trade and production of silk from the 16th century.  \nEuropean descriptions from that period mention the existence of beautiful knotted carpets with sophisticated designs sometimes made of silk, the most luxurious carpet material in Persia. Carpets of this quality were made to decorate royal palaces and to be offered as prestigious diplomatic gifts.  \nProduced in royal or urban workshops, they are characterised by an extensive use of silk (both the foundations and the knotting), relatively small sizes, brilliant colours and masterful designs that drew influence from the Persian art of the book. With its sophisticated design, this carpet is an exceptional example of its type, being unique in its combination of the central-medallion format with animal combat scenes in both the medallion and in the field. It incorporates a four-lobed medallion in the centre, with phoenixes fighting dragons. In the field, are lions, tigers, panthers, antelopes and bulls fighting on a floral background. The border, with a moss-green ground, has a balanced design featuring pheasants, alternated with palmettes and flowers.  \nThis carpet was probably produced during the reign of Shah Tahmasp I (1524‒1576) who was a great patron of the arts.  \n  \nClick [here](https://youtu.be/e73lWeTVSfI) to **watch a video presentation** of this artefact.","type":"Textile; carpet","holder":"Calouste Gulbenkian Museum","owner":"Calouste Gulbenkian Museum","dates":"16th century","location":"Lisbon","dimensions":"H: 230cm, W: 180cm","method_for_datation":"Stylistic analysis and documents","method_for_provenance":"Stylistic analysis and documents","provenance":"Persia, Kashan (?)","obtention":"Purchased by Calouste Gulbenkian through Hans Stiebel in 1936","bibliography":"Cohen, Steven, “Safavid and Mughal carpets at the Gulbenkian Museum”, *Hali*, 114 (January /February 2001): 75‒88, 99.  \nHallett, Jessica and Pereira, Teresa Pacheco, *The Oriental Carpet in Portugal: Carpets and paintings, 15th‒18th centuries*, Lisbon: MNAA, 2007.  \nPereira, João Castel-Branco and Silva, Nuno Vassallo e (eds), *Calouste Gulbenkian Museum*, Lisbon: Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation, 2011.","workshop":"Persia, Kashan (?)","author":"Clara Serra","translator":"Lily Chadwick","translation_copy_editor":"Mandi Gomez","keywords":["Persia","animal combat","floral decoration","Safawid dynasty","knotted carpet","Persian knot","pheasant","vegetal decoration","Kashan","animal decoration","lion","medallion","silk","tiger","panther","antelope","Phoenix","dragon","diplomatic gifts"],"materials":["Silk warp and weft","knotted (Persian knot","silk pile","open to the left)"]},"2ee1b7b6-9886-531d-8c6d-ea0bad0ac390":{"name":"Tekke","description":"Most of the Turkmen pile weavings in the Dresden carpet collection are the work of the Tekke, the largest Turkmen tribe in the 19th century. Among them are three almost entirely preserved so-called main carpets (*khaly*) as well as further *khaly* fragments. These large-format pile carpets by the Tekke were initially very popular in Victorian England and soon after also on the European continent. With their distinguished, restrained red tones, they decorated libraries and smoking rooms. They were known as \"Gentleman carpets\" and \"Bokhara carpets.\" This quite finely woven piece on a bright red ground shows a repetition of 4 x 10 Tekke main guls, both prominent and round, together with the Kurbage minor gul. The major border features the characteristic star-filled octagons, alternating with richly varied dividing panels. Parts of the main border and the minor outer border are missing. Flat-woven skirts (*elems*) at the top and bottom are not preserved. It is probably a work by the Achal-Tekke.","type":"Carpet","holder":"Museum für Völkerkunde Dresden (Ethnological Museum Dresden), Dresden State Art Collections","dates":"19th century, probably third quarter","location":"Dresden, Saxony","dimensions":"Length: 260cm, Width: 185cm","provenance":"Central Asian, probably Achal region","obtention":"Purchased from a Dresden private household in 1979, afore the carpet was purchased by the great-grandparents of the owner in St. Petersburg, Russia, around 1890. One of the first additions to the Dresden carpet collection by Dresden painter Wilhelm Müller (1928–99) between 1979 and 1986.","bibliography":"Azadi, S., *Turkoman Carpets and the Ethnographic Significance of Their Ornaments*, Fishguard: The Crosby Press, 1975: no.3.  \nDodds, D.R. and Eiland, Murray L. Jr. (ed). *Oriental Rugs from Atlantic Collections*, Philadelphia: ICOC VIII, Inc., 1996: no.182.  \nHerrmann, E., *Von Uschak bis Yarkand. Seltene Orientteppiche aus vier Jahrhunderten*, Munich: Eberhart Herrmann, 1979: no.84.  \nHoffmeister, P., *Turkoman Carpets in Franconia*, Edinburgh: The Crosby Press, 1980: plate 3.  \nWalker, D.S., *Oriental Rugs of the Hajji Babas*, New York: Asia Society, 1982: no.29.","author":"Simone Jansen","copy_editor":"Janice Medina","keywords":["Central Asia","Bokhara","Turkoman"],"materials":["pile weave","asymmetrical knot open right","wool"]},"2f8a5281-9aad-56b2-94ab-cc71340502a0":{"name":"Prayer rug","description":"Pirot kilims are woven very finely. Weave density can measure up to seven to nine grains per centimetre, like on the kilim with a *mihrab* and pots with flowers in the central field. At the top of the *mihrab* there is a lamp, and in the corners there are flower braches. Kilim has three borders and the one in the middle is narrower than the other two. Borders are decorated with vegetable ornaments, *almonds* (*bademčići*) and *octopuses* (*oktapod*). The colours used are: red, green, blue, yellow, brown and violet.","type":"Prayer rug","holder":"Museum of Applied Art","dates":"First half of the 19th century","location":"Belgrade","dimensions":"H: 150cm, W: 107cm","method_for_datation":"By stylistic analysis, material and technique","provenance":"Pirot","obtention":"Purchased in 1952","bibliography":"Cvetković, M., *Igra šarenih niti: Kolekcija pirotskih ćilima Etnografskog muzeja u Beogradu*, Belgrade: Etnografski muzej, 2008.  \nVitković-Žikić, M., *Pirotski ćilimi = Les Kilims de Pirot*, Belgrade: Muzej primenjene umetnosti, 2001.  \nPetković, M., and Vlatković, R., *Pirotski ćilim* \\[Abstract in English\\], Belgrade: Srpska akademija nauka i umetnosti, 1996.  \nStojanović, D., *Pirotski ćilimi* \\[Summary in English\\], Belgrade: Muzej primenjene umetnosti, 1987.","author":"Draginja Maskareli","keywords":["weave","wool","mihrab","Şarköy","prayer rug","Pirot","Kilim"],"materials":["weaving","wool"]},"30241187-e18e-5731-96d9-ec8bc8d23e75":{"name":"Tile picture of a Cuenca carpet","description":"An unusual “carpet,” this panel consists of 484 underglaze-painted tiles which together form the picture of a Cuenca carpet. The panel was probably intended as flooring, a kind of al fresco carpet which, when set into the ground, would add colour, pattern, and interest to an outdoor setting. Tiles would be decidedly more durable in inclement weather than a wool or silk carpet.  \nIn shades of blue, yellow, green and manganese on a white ground, the panel has a shield at centre bounded by the phrase \"Ave Maria Gracia Plena Dominus Tecun.\" The shield is surrounded by a series of borders: the deepest interior border has mirrored, inverted, and repeated foliate scrolls; the outer borders feature patterned triangle, diamond, and oval motifs in a continuous repeat.  \nMade about 1921, the tile panel’s design derives from a genuine Spanish carpet probably made in the 17th century. It is not known if the tile maker worked from the historic carpet itself or a photographic reproduction of it. An extant black and white image of the original carpet confirms the tile picture closely resembles the source. It is unclear, however, if the colours mimic it. A comparison between the two reveals that the tile maker opted to standardize colour usage across the tiles, whereas the carpet was woven with more variation.  \nThe tile picture was one of two that made its way to Florida, where it later came into the hands of Berberyan Galleries. Each shows a Cuenca carpet, although not the same carpet. Doris Duke purchased both panels for her home Shangri La, in Honolulu. Neither was used as flooring, but instead were wall mounted similar to hanging textiles. Later, Duke had one panel shipped to her home Rough Point in Newport, Rhode Island where it remains today. Ceramic may be an unusual vehicle for the display of the Cuenca aesthetic, but it was an aesthetic Duke adored. She purchased several Cuenca carpets for her collection, including a massive 17th century one for Shangri La’s Living Room.","type":"Tile panel","holder":"Shangri La, Doris Duke Foundation for Islamic Art","dates":"c. 1921","location":"Honolulu, Hawai'i","dimensions":"L: 300cm, W: 300cm","method_for_datation":"Archival documents","method_for_provenance":"Archival documents","provenance":"Spain","obtention":"Purchased by Doris Duke from Berberyan Galleries (Palm Beach), May 1937","author":"Sharon Tomlinson","keywords":["geometric decoration","Spanish carpet","tile","collector"],"materials":["Underglaze-painted earthenware"]},"304d8f8b-dcc9-564d-a46b-45beb66063ec":{"name":"Kilim, *wreaths of the nine domes*","description":"Inscriptions signifying different years, names or important occasions often appear on Pirot kilims. The kilim decorated with *wreaths of the nine domes* (*venci na devet kubeta*) motif bears an inscription woven in Cyrillic letters and reading: *ZA USPOMEN SNAJIDANICI 18 MAJA 86.g. D.P.* (A SOUVENIR FOR MY SISTER-IN-LAW DANICA 18 MAY '86. D. P.). The initials D. P. belong to Darinka Petković , sister of merchant Kosta Petković from Pirot, who ordered or wove this kilim as a gift for her sister-in-law Danica.","type":"Carpet","holder":"Museum of Applied Art","dates":"1886","location":"Belgrade","dimensions":"H: 190cm, W: 137cm","method_for_datation":"By stylistic analysis, material and technique; the year of making is woven on the item","provenance":"Pirot","obtention":"Purchased in 1991","bibliography":"Cvetković, M., *Igra šarenih niti: Kolekcija pirotskih ćilima Etnografskog muzeja u Beogradu*, Belgrade: Etnografski muzej, 2008.  \nVitković-Žikić, M., \"Odsek za tekstil i kostim\", in I. Zorić (ed.), *55 godina Muzeja primenjene umetnosti: 1950–2005*, Belgrade: Muzej primenjene umetnosti, 2005: 97–121.  \nVitković-Žikić, M., *Pirotski ćilimi = Les Kilims de Pirot*, Belgrade: Muzej primenjene umetnosti, 2001.  \nPetković, M., and Vlatković, R., *Pirotski ćilim* \\[Abstract in English\\], Belgrade: Srpska akademija nauka i umetnosti, 1996.  \nStojanović, D., *Pirotski ćilimi* \\[Summary in English\\], Belgrade: Muzej primenjene umetnosti, 1987.","author":"Draginja Maskareli","keywords":["weave","wool","Şarköy","Pirot","Kilim"],"materials":["weaving","wool"]},"3262ef55-4fbe-5fc0-9e94-2afa5079798b":{"name":"The Kevorkian Hyderabad Carpet","description":"This carpet is known as the “Kervorkian Hyderabad Carpet” due to the fact that it was owned by Kervorkian, who was a famous Islamic art dealer and collector. This wool and cotton pile-woven carpet is nearly sixteen metres long and might have been created for the palaces of the Deccani sultans who ruled in Hyderabad during the 17th century.  \nThis carpet, which symbolizes the tradition of paradisical iconography in Islamic art, features a garden composition that includes geometric lozenges with a variety of vegetal motifs arranged in a mirrored composition. At the centre, a polylobed shape represents an abstracted fish pond decorated with multi-coloured fish. The rug presents a reach palette of colours (yellow, brown, blue and green) with a majority of vivid red, characteristic of that production.  \nThe border, which recalls manuscripts illuminations of the same period, is also highly decorated with repeated polychromic arabesque cartouches and foliated motifs.  \nCarpet production in India during the Mughal period and the Deccan sultanate, especially during the 17th century, demonstrate the transfer of motifs and patterns from the cultural and commercial exchange with Iran, the Middle-East and Europe.","type":"Carpet","holder":"Museum of Islamic Art (MIA)","dates":"17th century","location":"Doha","dimensions":"H: 1596cm, W: 325cm","method_for_datation":"This carpet has been dated based on stylistic comparisons with other known Mughal and Deccani carpets from the same period","method_for_provenance":"This carpet has been stylistically attributed to Hyderabad, India based on comparisons with further examples","provenance":"India, Hyderabad","bibliography":"Dimand, Maurice, *The Kevorkian Foundation Collection of Rare and Magnificent Oriental Carpets: special loan exhibition, a guide and catalog*, New York: Kevorkian Foundation, 1966: 23.  \nWalker, Daniel, *Flowers Underfoot: Indian Carpets of the Mughal Era*, New-York: Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2013: 122–23, 171–72, figs. 119–120 and cat. 33.  \nKing, Donald, *The Eastern Carpet in the Western World from the 15th to the 17th Century*, London: Arts Council of Great Britain, 1983: 48, 101 and no. 81.  \nMichell, George (ed.), *Islamic Heritage of the Deccan*, vol. 37.3 (June 1986), Mumbai: Marg: 16, 120 and 126.","author":"Mounia Chekhab-Abudaya","keywords":["Deccan sultanates","floral motifs","Hyderabad"],"materials":["pile weave","wool","cotton"]},"32f9c7a9-b359-535c-adc8-ea6b3f80b836":{"name":"Baluch Tribal Grain Bag","description":"A 19th century Baluch grain bag with pile carpet weave on the front and plain flat weave on the back. Its design layout consists of a rectangular shape divided into a pale ivory coloured narrow centre field with wide dark blue borders. The centre field is dominated by a symmetrically designed tree, predominantly red with dark blue and brown, branching out to the left and right. Each of the tree’s stems bares a carnation-like flower motif. The dark border consists of rows of dark red and brown diamond-shaped patterns. The plain woven flat back is dark red. In total five colours have been used in this carpet: ivory, brown, dark blue, dark red and light red. Six black tassels are attached to the corners and the centres of the narrow sides of the bag; five of which are horse hair and the sixth is a wool replacement.  \n  \nCalled a “Balisht” (grain bag), this type of weaving is a female craft, carried out by the women and girls in Baluch tribes. This Balisht would have been suspended on the interior side of a Baluch tent. Baluch tribes live in several regions in eastern Iran, southwestern Afghanistan and southeast Pakistan. This particular grain bag is thought to have been made by Baluch tribes living in the Khurasan region of north-eastern Iran and western Afghanistan. Baluch tribes are nomadic, and those who produce this type of grain bag tend to wander between Herat in Afghanistan and Sistan in Iran.","type":"Grain bag","holder":"Glasgow Museums - The Burrell Collection","dates":"19th century","location":"Glasgow, Scotland","dimensions":"H: 900mm, W: 440mm","method_for_datation":"Manufacturing techniques and stylistic analysis","method_for_provenance":"Stylistic analysis","provenance":"Khurasan region, Iran / Afghanistan","obtention":"Gifted by Sir William and Lady Burrell to the City of Glasgow, 1944","workshop":"Baluch tribal work","author":"Noorah Al-Gailani","keywords":["bag","floral decoration","floral motif","carnation","grain bag"],"materials":["Wool warp","horse hair tassels","weft and pile"]},"339ae7ee-bffe-50db-8587-b97adc8dcef0":{"name":"Yomut Turkmen Tent Bag","description":"A 19th century Turkmen Yomut tent bag with one side woven in pile knots (the front side) and one flat in weave (the back of the bag). With a deep red background, the pile-carpet side is divided into a centre field framed by a border. Nine large geometric rosette motifs, known as guls (with white, light red, yellow, green and blue segments) are lined up in three rows. Interspersed between them are smaller diamond-shaped vegetal motifs, coloured in light red, dark blue, green and yellow. The frame of the design has a white background and is filled with a chain of alternating red, blue and green arrow-like heads. On the flat woven back of this bag there is a hand written inscription in Farsi, which seems to give a lot number that translates “1/42 Ruh”.  \n  \nThis shape and size of tent bag is called a “chuval”. It is a flat storage bag, the largest in a range of tent bags woven by tribal women of the Yomut Turkmen. Usually made in pairs and used as containers for cloths and other personal items, it would have been hung on the inside of the framework of a round tent.","type":"Tent bag","holder":"Glasgow Museums - The Burrell Collection","dates":"19th century","location":"Glasgow, Scotland","dimensions":"H: 762mm, W: 1473mm","method_for_datation":"Manufacturing techniques and stylistic analysis","method_for_provenance":"Stylistic analysis","provenance":"Turkmenistan","obtention":"Gifted by Sir William and Lady Burrell to the City of Glasgow, 1944","workshop":"Yomut tribal weaving","author":"Noorah Al-Gailani","keywords":["bag","geometric rabesque motif","chuval","tent bag","gul","inscription"],"materials":["Wool and camel hair in warp","wool weft and pile"]},"33d56671-7bf3-5042-8973-1e88842c1245":{"name":"Carpet","description":"Field: The field is of a reddish hue and depicts motifs of interwoven green ribbons that form elongated hexagons. Inside of these upright pineapples framed on serrated palms are housed.  \nBorder: The carpet consists of two borders: the interior consists of green and white motifs upon a dark background; The exterior features calligraphic elements and flowers upon a blue background.  \nNaturally coloured wool is used for the warp and weft. The wool knots utilise blue, green, red, yellow and white hues.  \nThe carpet is of a Gothic-Moorish type in which Gothic motifs predominate in the field, while Mudejar styles persist in the valances. The outer border resembles the pseudo-*kufic* inscriptions of the Admiral series, but much more schematic.  \nA similar carpet is reproduced in the painting 'The Annunciation' which is currently housed in the Prado museum and dated to around 1500 CE. The painting is composed by the unnamed artist 'Master of the Sisla'.  \nThe current dimensions do not reflect the original size of the carpet, since it is composed of numerous fragments due to several successive restorations. It is the first in a series that is inspired by contemporaneous fabrics.  \nThe carpet comes from the Weisberger Collection.","type":"Carpet","holder":"National Museum of Decorative Arts","dates":"1475-1525","location":"Madrid","dimensions":"Length: 2.23cm, Width: 1.31cm","method_for_datation":"Through the stylistic and technical analysis of the piece.","method_for_provenance":"Through the stylistic and technical analysis of the piece.","provenance":"Alcaraz (Old Kingdom of Murcia)","obtention":"Acquired in 1957","bibliography":"Bartolomé Arraiza, Alberto, Schoebel Orbea, Ana, Partearroyo, Cristina, *Carpets Españolas de Alcaraz y Cuenca*, siglos XV-XVI, 2002: 87; nº 20.  \nFerrandis Torres, José, *Exposición de Carpets antiguas españolas*, 1933: núm. 12, 108, lám. XI.; Madrid: s.n.  \n*Los Reyes Católicos y la Monarquía de Spain. Madrid*: Sociedad Estatal de Conmemoraciones Culturales, 2004: 584-585; il. 265.","workshop":"Alcaraz (Old Kingdom of Murcia)","author":"Mª Dolores Vila Tejero","translator":"Asad Islam","materials":["Warp: wool","Spanish knot [Density: 2500 knots/dm2 ]","Weft: Wool"]},"341215d6-e654-51ec-a66e-0dc193fca6c0":{"name":"Carpet","description":"Even though the manufacture of Arraiolos carpets has been documented since the late 16th century, the earliest surviving examples are from the first third of the 17th century. In essence, these early pieces reveal a marked similarity to oriental carpets, especially those from Iran, but also from Turkey. Although there are no Turkish carpets in Portuguese collections, other documentary and iconographic sources confirm the presence of them in Portugal, especially during the first half of the 16th century. Just as with paintings, where representations of carpets of Turkish and Iranian origin have been recognised, some Arraiolos carpets bear testimony to the consumption habits of old, attesting to their presence in, and influence upon Portuguese artistic production. Such is the case with this example, whose composition recalls those of the “small-pattern Holbein”-type carpets, made in Anatolia.  \nDespite that today it appears yellowish, the profusely decorated border was originally red and would have contrasted vividly with the blue field, where large palmettes form orthogonal lines, alternated with miniscule birds, which frame small rosettes.","type":"Textile; carpet","holder":"National Museum of Ancient Art","dates":"17th century","location":"Lisbon","dimensions":"H: 230cm, W: 128cm","method_for_datation":"Technical information provided by Teresa Pacheco Pereira","method_for_provenance":"Stylistic analysis and material dating","provenance":"Portugal, Arraiolos","obtention":"Transferred from the Convent of Santa Maria do Paraíso, Évora, Portugal, in 1897","bibliography":"Leite, Maria Fernanda Passos, “Tapetes de Arraiolos”, in *Artes decorativas portuguesas no Museu Nacional de Arte Antiga: Séculos XV‒XVIII*, Lisbon: MNAA, 1979.  \nMendonça, Maria José de, “Tapetes de Arraiolos”, in Barreira, João (ed.), *Arte Portuguesa – Artes Decorativas*, Lisbon: Excelsior, n.d.  \nPereira, Teresa Pacheco, *Tapetes de Arraiolos*, Lisbon: SILVIP, 1991.","workshop":"Arraiolos, Portugal","author":"Ana Kol","translator":"Lily Chadwick","translation_copy_editor":"Mandi Gomez","keywords":["17th century","Arraiolos stitch","ponto de Arraiolos","Slavic cross-stitch","embroidery","Portugal","Arraiolos","carpet"],"materials":["embroidered","oblique or Slavic cross-stitch (known as ponto de Arraiolos)","Linen and wool"]},"3481e842-be03-549a-be65-9ec6969a8ba5":{"name":"Marasali prayer rug","description":"A Caucasian Marasali prayer rug woven in 1253 Hijra (1838 AD) with the quintessentially Azeri flaming buta motif. The main, and very dark blue, field of this pile carpet is occupied by rows of multi-coloured pear-shaped leaf motifs with serrated edges.  These motifs are better known as flaming butas (also botehs or Paisley pattern motifs), and are here alternately coloured across the horizontal rows, creating uniformly coloured diagonal rows on the vertical axes from bottom right to top left. A geometrical arch is positioned at the top end of the centre filed creating the distinctive prayer-niche design of the prayer rug. To the left of the arch’s tip is discretely woven the date of manufacture using red knots. In Arabic letters and numbers it states “year 1253” in the Islamic calendar. The border shows a row of “bird motifs”, resembling bunches of red grapes, on an ivory background. These bird motifs are one of the key distinguishing features of Marasali carpets, and have evolved from clearly rendered abstracted birds bending to peck at the ground to the form you see on the border of this carpet, which looks more like a bunch of grapes with a leaf at its base.","type":"Prayer rug","holder":"Glasgow Museums - The Burrell Collection","dates":"Hegira 1253 / AD 1838","location":"Glasgow, Scotland","dimensions":"H: 1321mm, W: 1067mm","method_for_datation":"Manufacturing techniques and stylistic analysis","method_for_provenance":"Stylistic analysis","provenance":"Azerbaijan, Shirvan district, Maraza village","obtention":"Gifted by Sir William and Lady Burrell to the City of Glasgow, 1944","workshop":"Caucasian workshop","author":"Noorah Al-Gailani","keywords":["Paisley Pattern","buta","flaming buta","prayer niche","date","prayer rug","boteh","inscrption","bird"],"materials":["wool pile","Silk warp and weft"]},"34a076dd-a17c-5255-8e20-be760dc55f04":{"name":"Kilim (fragment)","description":"The fragment shown here is the upper right corner of a two-panel, large format Central Anatolian kilim, of which only this part of one panel has survived. Such pieces were produced for personal use and were part of the dowry. They served primarily as a representative cover for bedding and containers and were stacked directly opposite the tent entrance, clearly visible to any guest entering the tent. The fragment of this white-ground Konya kilim, with its massive hook motif, features individual scattered motifs in brocaded technique, which indicate the weaving direction of this slit tapestry. It shows the subdued coloration typical of the Konya region in the early 19th century.","type":"Cover/hanging","holder":"Museum für Völkerkunde Dresden (Ethnological Museum Dresden), Dresden State Art Collections","dates":"19th century, probably first half","location":"Dresden, Saxony","dimensions":"Length: 123cm, Width: 99cm","provenance":"Central Anatolian, Konya region","obtention":"Donated in 1979 by Dresden painter Wilhelm Müller (1928–99) from his private collection with intent to begin a museum collection. In the last decade before the Berlin Wall came down Müller collected oriental rugs, carpets and flat weaves for the Ethnographic Museum of Dresden in the Dresden-Leipzig-Berlin region to secure remaining rural and nomadic textiles from the 19th and beginning 20th century. Textiles were acquired from private households, private and state shops and even from demolition sites or waste containers.","bibliography":"Brüggemann, W. and Foitl, G., *Yayla: Form und Farbe in türkischer Textilkunst*, Frankfurt am Main: Museum für Kunsthandwerk, 1993: plate 60.  \nFrauenknecht, B., *Anatolische Kelims / Anatolian Kilims*, Nuremberg: Galerie Frauenknecht, 1982: no.17.  \nFrauenknecht, B. with Franses, M. and Mellart, J., *Early Turkish Tapestries / Frühe Türkische Tapisserien*, Nuremberg: Bertram Frauenknecht, 1984: plate 38.  \nPetsopoulos, Y. (ed) and Balpinar, B., *100 Kelims: Meisterwerke aus Anatolien*, Munich: Staatliches Museum für Völkerkunde, 1991: 76.","author":"Simone Jansen","copy_editor":"Janice Medina","keywords":["Konya","Fragment","Kilim"],"materials":["slit tapestry weave","wool","floating wefts"]},"3558a994-b678-5475-882b-7ed108686a25":{"name":"Polonaise carpet","alternate_name":"The ‘Shah Abbas’ carpet","description":"As of the 17th century, carpets in Iran were increasingly produced for export to Europe and Asia. Small-size Polonaise, respectively Shah Abbas carpets like these, were quite favoured in Europe; today there are still around 250 examples preserved in European and American collections, which tells of their earlier popularity. Unlike most of the carpets of this group, this piece features no metal brocading. Its pattern system is based on a vertically and horizontally mirrored quarter cartoon. This example has likewise lost much of its former colourfulness, which indicates the use of not overly high-quality dyes. The knot density of this carpet is nowhere near as high as that of the Vienna hunting carpet.","type":"Carpet","holder":"MAK – Austrian Museum of Applied Arts / Contemporary Art","dates":"First quarter of the 17th century","location":"Vienna","dimensions":"H: 211cm, W: 143cm; knot density 3,350/dm2","method_for_datation":"Research and documentary evidence","method_for_provenance":"Research and documentary evidence","provenance":"Central Iran, probably Kashan/Isfahan","obtention":"Obtained in 1922, formerly in the Imperial House of Habsburg","bibliography":"Völker, Angela, *Die orientalischen Knüpfteppiche das MAK*, Vienna: Böhlau, 2001: 204–5.","author":"Angela Völker","copy_editor":"Mandi Gomez","keywords":["Safawid","silk","textile","carpet","vegetal design"],"materials":["Cotton warp","cotton and silk weft","knotted","silk asymmetrical knot"]},"35acaf2f-4c57-5f70-8e92-0ba54bcab677":{"name":"Carpet","description":"Renaissance carpet from the Brocade series, which contains small decorative elements with Mudejar roots, particularly the use of bird motifs. The use of this style is something that takes time to disappear in carpet productions within the Alcaraz area. Judging by the preserved copies, as well as by the frequency with which they appear in the inventories, this series must have been very large. Such carpets would have relied on templates from carved velvets and brocades. In the documentation these were also known as 'guadamecí work', due to their resemblance to golden and polychrome leathers that utilised these same motifs.  \nField: On a pink background containing vegetal nets that form rhombuses with a central axis of symmetry and ascending arrangement as well as two half motifs equal to these on both sides. Open pineapples or artichokes are housed in the openings which are also in an ascending position. In free spaces are located similar decorative motifs with a diagonal arrangement. All these decorative motifs appear in two shades of blue and are outlined in the lightest shade.  \nBorder: The carpet is made up of three blue toned borders, two of which were narrow and a wider central border. The central border is made up of eses or interlinking scrollwork and contain a stylised flower bouquet with small birds. These motifs are outlined by the same colour, but in a lighter shade. The narrower borders, on the short sides, are formed by a broken profile line containing a small serrated leaf and similar motifs that run on the long sides.  \nThe background of the border is dark blue, while the background of the field is in pinkish tones.  \nIn some segments of the carpet's border, different shades of blue can be seen which may be due to it being made with different tints or to its restoration.  \nThe warp and the weft are made of naturally coloured wool. The knots are made of naturally coloured wool along with three shades of blue and pink.","type":"Carpet","holder":"National Museum of Decorative Arts","dates":"Second half of the 16th century (1550-1600)","location":"Madrid","dimensions":"Length: 310cm, Width: 170cm, Density: 9cm","method_for_datation":"Through the stylistic and technical analysis of the piece.","method_for_provenance":"Through the stylistic and technical analysis of the piece.","provenance":"Alcaraz (Old Kingdom of Murcia)","obtention":"Acquired in 1957","bibliography":"Ferrer, Sánchez, *Carpets antiguas de la provincia de Albacete*, Lámina LXXI: 423.","workshop":"Alcaraz (Old Kingdom of Murcia)","author":"Mª Dolores Vila Tejero","translator":"Asad Islam","keywords":["Alcaraz"],"materials":["three tones of blue","Weft: Wool/Spanish knot [Colours: natural colour","Warp: wool","strong pink. Density: 2600 knots/dm2]"]},"375624b2-b7da-5d9b-97be-c7702f618061":{"name":"Joshagan Diamond Design Carpet","description":"An 18th century Joshagan diamond-lozenge design pile carpet. It’s predominantly wine-red centre-field design is placed on an ivory coloured background, and its equally red border design is placed on a dark blue background. The centre-field is dominated by a large diamond-shaped medallion filled with a multi-coloured vegetal Arabesque pattern. The surrounding field is filled with rows of small square compartments set on the diagonal, with each compartment holding a geometric floral form laid out symmetrically. These multi-coloured floral forms are predominantly wine-red and pink in colour with blue, yellow and green details. The dark-blue border holds a chain of geometric arabesque pattern formed of eight-pointed-stars, with each star holding a floral motif.  \n  \nJoshagan carpets are distinguished in their lozenge designs, where rows of small square lozenges are laid out on the diagonal exemplified by this carpet.","type":"Carpet","holder":"Glasgow Museums - The Burrell Collection","dates":"18th century","location":"Glasgow, Scotland","dimensions":"H: 3912mm, W: 1829mm","method_for_datation":"Manufacturing techniques and stylistic analysis","method_for_provenance":"Stylistic analysis","provenance":"Iran, Joshagan","obtention":"Gifted by Sir William and Lady Burrell to the City of Glasgow, 1944","workshop":"Joshagan workshop","author":"Noorah Al-Gailani","keywords":["geometric arabesque","vegetal arabesque","medallion","floral motifs","diagonal grid"],"materials":["wool pile","Cotton warp and weft"]},"37ce1ee9-08e8-5287-adba-58e53c991fc0":{"name":"\"Admiral\" Hedonic Carpet","description":"Shortly after the Muslims of North Africa introduced the art of making twisted-pile carpets into Spain, the weaving of this armorial carpet was undertaken. It was probably made for the founder of the royal house of Castile, Fadrique Enríquez, who held the titles of Lord of Medina and Admiral of Castile and was the grandfather of King Ferdinand of Spain. His coat of arms—an upright lion beneath two triple-towered castles bordered by anchors and ropes—is repeated three times in the center field. A decorative pattern in the main border at each end, formed by designs that resemble Arabic script, indicates its Mudéjar workmanship. Related objects reside in both the Hispanic Society Museum & Library and the Vizcaya Museum.  \nThe Royal emblem on the Armorial Rug in The Hispanic Society Museum & Library is slightly different as it is attributed to Maria of Castile, wife of Alfonso V, the Magnanimous. The Admiral Carpet in The Vizcaya Museum is also attributed to Fadrique Enríquez and bears a simplified version of the emblem of the Philadelphia Museum of Art carpet along with two different emblems.","type":"Carpet","holder":"Philadelphia Museum of Art","dates":"c. 1429-1473","location":"Philadelphia, Pennsylvania","dimensions":"586.7 x 475cm (19 feet 3 inches x 15 feet 7 inches)","provenance":"Spain, Europe","obtention":"Donated by Mrs. Mary A. Williams (Mrs. Charles F. Williams)  \nCredit Line: The Joseph Lees Williams Memorial Collection, 1955","bibliography":"Noreika, Sarah, *Philadelphia Museum of Art: Handbook*, Philadelphia: Philadelphia Museum of Art, 2014: 94.","author":"Quintin Blumka","copy_editor":"Xena Wang","keywords":["rug","carpet"],"materials":["wool"]},"3816252d-1e7b-505e-aad8-6913c3069310":{"name":"Kilim (2)","description":"A pair of the Pirot kilims of the so-called *draper* type was used as a double-bed cover. The kilims were part of the dowry of Miroslava Živanović, the daughter of Dušan Živanović, a judge of the Court of Cassation in Pirot. In both kilims, the central field features a large medallion filled with the so called *devil’s knee* (*vraško koleno*) ornament, whereas the remaining space is filled with the ornament called *bibice*. The wide outer border (*ploča*), which frames the central field on three sides, is also filled with the *devil’s knee* ornament. The colours used are dark red, black and white. Although very old, the *devil’s knee* ornament has remained one of the favourite motifs in the Pirot kilim-making. Its name is derived from the folk round dance (*kolo*), in which dancers form a circle, due to which the ornament has an apotropaic function. It was believed that the more “circles” and “wreaths” there were in a home, the stronger the protection from all evil powers. The same ornament can also be found in Anatolian kilims woven in the provinces of Van, Aydın and Esme.","type":"Carpet","holder":"Museum of Applied Art","dates":"Around 1925","location":"Belgrade","dimensions":"H: 178cm, W: 73cm (each item)","method_for_datation":"By stylistic analysis, material and technique; by historical research (belonged to the third generation of a family)","provenance":"Pirot","obtention":"Purchased in 2015","bibliography":"Maskareli, D., “Kilim (2)”, *Journal*, Belgrade: Museum of Applied Art, n. s. 11 (2015): 110–111.  \nHull, A., and Luczyc-Wyhowska, J., *Kilim: The Complete Guide, History, Pattern, Technique, Identification*, London: Thames&Hudson, 2008.  \nVitković-Žikić, M., *Pirotski ćilimi = Les Kilims de Pirot*, Belgrade: Muzej primenjene umetnosti, 2001.  \nPetković, M., and Vlatković, R., *Pirotski ćilim* \\[Abstract in English\\], Belgrade: Srpska akademija nauka i umetnosti, 1996.  \nStojanović, D., *Pirotski ćilimi* \\[Summary in English\\], Belgrade: Muzej primenjene umetnosti, 1987.","author":"Draginja Maskareli","keywords":["weave","wool","Şarköy","Pirot","Kilim"],"materials":["weaving","wool"]},"38743f76-29ea-526a-ba0a-b802cc9a0d73":{"name":"Saddle cloth with polychrome foliate and floral scrolls","short_description":"Cloths like this were laid over the hindquarters of the richly adorned horse. Like many of the carpets, it was originally owned by the Austrian Imperial House. The centre of the saddle cloth forms a flower, surrounded by an oval band of interlacing. Around this centre there is a pattern of additional floral and scroll motifs. One floral scroll running across the entire width of the saddle cloth is surrounded by a further band of interlacing with red ground. The decoration structure is based on the bands of interlacing and seems to imitate the shape of a saddle.","type":"Ottoman equestrian textile, cotton, lamella","holder":"MAK – Museum of Applied Arts","dates":"Second half of the 16th century","location":"Vienna","dimensions":"H: 126.5cm, W: 135cm","provenance":"Ottoman Empire, Istanbul","obtention":"Assumption","catalogue_holding_link":"https://sammlung.mak.at/sammlung_online?id=collect-99257","author":"Martina Dax","keywords":["Ottoman textile","Saddle","geometric patterns","decoration","floral motifs"],"materials":["tapestry","silk","cotton","gold and silver lamella"]},"38bee4ad-cee4-5177-b8e7-dff8c1f903a8":{"name":"Inscribed reed floor mat","short_description":"A fine floor mat, woven on the loom, with sparse decoration, self-patterned borders with interlocking lozenge pattern and pairs of brown brocaded bands. The inscriptions, written in a *kufic* script, have benedictory content with details about the work's creation, as naming *Tabariya* the place of production. Such floor coverings were made for domestic and religious interiors and were possibly used during prayers.","type":"Floor mat, tabby weave","holder":"Benaki Museum","dates":"Hegira 4th century / AD 10th century","location":"Athens","dimensions":"223 cm X 115 cm","provenance":"Tiberias","keywords":["Prayers","Tabby weave","kufic","Floor mat"],"materials":["hemp and bast fibre","Tabby weave with brocaded decoration"]},"391155e6-8f22-5ca7-b93f-8756a927d4fd":{"name":"Khotan silk carpet","description":"A 19th century East Turkistan silk-pile carpet with a large light-brown field and a dark blue border. The centre field is divided by a square grid of strait, light blue coloured vine-stem structure bearing dark blue flowers positioned at the middle of each section of stem. In the compartments between the vine-stems are positioned light coloured floral motifs with leaves of various shades of brown/cream and blue/green. In the dark blue border is a scroll of curly brackets in light brown and blue colours. In the centre of each pair of brackets is a composition of six small flowers; and between each pair of brackets and the next is a larger rosette with pale brown and pale blue petals.  \n  \nThis silk carpet was made by Muslim Ughurs, a Turkic-speaking people indigenous to East Turkistan (today in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region of western China). The layout is inspired by Persian carpets, the border pattern is derived from Indian styles, and the centre field pattern is east Central Asian.","type":"Carpet","holder":"Glasgow Museums - The Burrell Collection","dates":"19th century","location":"Glasgow, Scotland","dimensions":"H: 2261mm, W: 1549mm","method_for_datation":"Manufacturing techniques and stylistic analysis","method_for_provenance":"Stylistic analysis","provenance":"Khotan, East Turkistan (Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region, China)","obtention":"Gifted by Sir William and Lady Burrell to the City of Glasgow, 1944","workshop":"Khotan workshop","author":"Noorah Al-Gailani","keywords":["floral decoration","floral motif","vegetal arabesque","silk"],"materials":["cotton weft","Silk warp","silk pile"]},"392875c0-7574-582d-b567-f145659f7e9b":{"name":"Prayer rug","description":"The oldest carpets preserved till today that were produced in Asia Minor date from the 13th century, from the time of the Seljuqs. Turkish carpets were exported to Europe from the 14th century onwards and that is when we start to find them in the paintings of the Italian masters, especially the Siena and Florentine schools. The best examples of the carpet art of Asia Minor, boasting exceptionally imaginative designs, can be found in the prayer rugs. In the centre of Kula prayer rug is a dark blue *mihrab* or prayer niche. In the middle of this field there is a stylised star-like floral design in the shape of a pillar. The inside edge of the *mihrab* has smaller flowers while the surrounding area is covered with large geometric, flower motifs. There are eight borders, of which three are missing at the narrow ends of the rug. One of the narrow borders is repeated several times, with the same geometric motif, but in contrasting colour combinations. The other borders have a floral motif. The colours used are blue, brown, red and green.","type":"Prayer rug","holder":"Museum of Applied Art","dates":"Late 18th – early 19th century","location":"Belgrade","dimensions":"H: 160cm, W: 124cm","method_for_datation":"Ref. Stojanović, D., *Orijentalni tepisi i ćilimi* \\[Summary in English\\], Belgrade: Muzej primenjene umetnosti, 1971.","provenance":"Kula","obtention":"Purchased in 1954","bibliography":"Vitković-Žikić, M., \"Odsek za tekstil i kostim\", in I. Zorić (ed.), *55 godina Muzeja primenjene umetnosti: 1950–2005*, Belgrade: Muzej primenjene umetnosti, 2005: 97–121.  \nStojanović, D., *Orijentalni tepisi i ćilimi* \\[Summary in English\\], Belgrade: Muzej primenjene umetnosti, 1971.","keywords":["wool","prayer rug","symmetrical knot","Kula"],"materials":["wool","symmetrical knots"]},"39cb9cff-d1fa-57f2-b037-4ff3cc366db5":{"name":"Wheel Rug","description":"This is the finest example in an American collection of the Turkish \"wheel rugs,\" so named in European inventories of the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries for their wheel-like pattern of octagons filled with interlaced geometric forms. This pattern can also be found in many Spanish rugs and European paintings of the period.","type":"Carpet","holder":"Philadelphia Museum of Art","dates":"15th-16th century","location":"Philadelphia, Pennsylvania","dimensions":"248.9 x 135.9cm (8 feet 2 inches x 4 feet 5 1/2 inches)","provenance":"Turkey, Asia (possibly made in Konya, Anatolia, Asia)","obtention":"The John D. McIlhenny Collection, 1943","author":"Quintin Blumka","copy_editor":"Xena Wang","keywords":["rug","carpet"],"materials":["Wool and possibly goat hair"]},"3aec02c1-1e7f-5fd5-9462-c560686fc934":{"name":"Fantastical Mughal animal carpet fragment","description":"A late 16th century fantastical Mughal Indian animal carpet fragment. It once formed part of an exceptionally large and predominantly deep red pile carpet. The piece shows wild animals from the Indian jungle pouncing out of each other’s mouths in a chain of fantastical compositions. The range of animals is extensive, including the heads of elephants, rhinoceros, camels, nilgai antelopes, blackbuck antelopes, tigers, lions, a leopard, black panthers, oxen, onagers, rabbits and hares, snakes, geese, black-necked storks, parrots, peacocks, fish, and crocodile-like beasts; whole figures of cheetahs, turtles, and hyena, dog and monkey-like quadrupeds; and two types of demonic masks – the only supernatural creatures on the carpet.  \n  \nThis carpet fragment belongs to an early genre of Mughal Indian carpets known as ‘grotesque’ carpets. Studies on this fragment – and six others that belong to the same carpet – reveal that the original complete carpet must have been about 4 meters wide and at least 20 meters long! It is thought to have been made in the Farrashkhana, the royal weaving workshop of the Mughal Emperor Akbar (r.1566 – 1605), in either of his capitals Fatehpur-Sikri or Lahore sometime in the 1580s or 90s.  \n  \nEmperor Akbar is credited with introducing the craft of pile-carpet weaving into India with the aid of Iranian master weavers brought over to establish the royal workshops and train Indian artisans in this art. An additional seven fragments scattered around museums in Europe and the USA indicate that this carpet had a pair. The animals and plants were all generally drawn in a style closely matched by animals and plants painted in Akbar-period miniature paintings. However, this particular fantastical design was inspired by a combination of Timurid Persian and Hindu Indian depictions of such animals in paintings and on textiles and architecture.","type":"Carpet","holder":"Glasgow Museums - The Burrell Collection","dates":"c. 1585-1601","location":"Glasgow, Scotland","dimensions":"H: 2692mm, W: 2667mm","method_for_datation":"Manufacturing techniques and stylistic analysis","method_for_provenance":"Stylistic analysis. Part of a large carpet with other known fragments in public collections","provenance":"Lahore, Pakistan","obtention":"Gifted by Sir William and Lady Burrell to the City of Glasgow, 1944","bibliography":"Cohen, Steven, “Beasts of the imagination”, *Hali*, 172 (summer 2012): 46-49.  \nCohen, Steven, “A Fearful Symmetry”, *Silk &Stone, The Art of Asia*, Hali Annual: 104-135.","workshop":"Royal palace workshop, Lahore (probably)","author":"Noorah Al-Gailani","keywords":["reptile","mammal","hunting","animal decoration","Fragment","birds","fish","imaginary animal"],"materials":["wool pile","Cotton warp and weft"]},"3b5489ed-d098-56e9-994e-74de894d359b":{"name":"Medallion *Uşak*","description":"The centred medallion structure of the *Uşak* carpets, which replaced the repetitive rapport pattern, is probably based on East Asian models and developed at about the same time in both the Ottoman and Timurid empires. The region around Uşak produced carpets not only for export, but also for the large Ottoman market. Textile production constituted a substantial part of the Ottoman economy. European merchants maintained numerous branches along the coasts of the Ottoman Empire. Frequent depictions in portraits and imitations by European manufactories documented the popularity of this production.","type":"Carpet","holder":"MAK – Austrian Museum of Applied Arts / Contemporary Art","dates":"16th century","location":"Vienna","dimensions":"H: 429cm, W: 272cm; knot density 1,200/dm2","method_for_datation":"Research and documentary evidence","method_for_provenance":"Research and documentary evidence","provenance":"Turkey, western Anatolia, Uşak","obtention":"Obtained in 1922, formerly in the Imperial House of Habsburg","bibliography":"Völker, Angela, *Die orientalischen Knüpfteppiche das MAK*, Vienna: Böhlau, 2001: 78–81.","author":"Angela Völker","copy_editor":"Mandi Gomez","keywords":["wool","Ottoman","textile","carpet","floral design","geometric design"],"materials":["Wool warp and weft","knotted","symmetrical knot"]},"3c2f75c0-8f03-55ba-9868-6dcd5d8d0617":{"name":"Cartouche carpet","description":"In addition to this Berlin carpet fragment, a second, somewhat larger one exists in the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. Both fragments are considered among the most outstanding examples of early Safavid carpet art. The two fragments together allow the design of a cartouche carpet to be clearly recognized. In staggered rows, tall rectangular cartouches alternate with slightly oval medallions. To even out the size difference of the two motifs, the medallions are adorned at top and bottom with shield-shaped additions. The two motifs touch at their vertical and horizontal central axis. Each of the areas between the two main motifs is filled with two semicircular lancet leaves. The special character of the carpet lies in the subtle drawing of its individual motifs, its variety of colour and its colour composition. Each colour area is separated from the next by a differently coloured outline. The carpet ground, which is normally in one colour, also changes its colour in each field. The interplay of twenty different colours and colour shades succeeds perfectly. The knotting technique and the very short pile allow the colour and the motif design to emerge precisely – some of the outlines are only one knot wide. There is frequent evidence of cartouche carpets in Timurid miniature painting, but no carpets from this period have been preserved. Because of the use of individual Jufti knots the province of Khorasan is presumed to be the area of production.","type":"Carpet fragment","holder":"Museum of Islamic Art at the Pergamon Museum","dates":"16th century","location":"Berlin","dimensions":"L: 193, W: 59","method_for_datation":"The carpet has been dated on stylistic analysis of its pattern, due to its colours and knot-technique","method_for_provenance":"The carpet has been located on stylistic analysis of its pattern, due to its colours and knot-technique","provenance":"Northern Iran, Khorasan","obtention":"Purchased 1898 by the Kunstgewerbemusem, Berlin from F.R. Martin; 1956 transferred through the Kunstgewerbemuseum, Berlin","bibliography":"Beselin, Anna, *Geknüpfte Kunst. Teppiche des Museums für Islamische Kunst*, Berlin: Minerva, 2011.  \nSpuhler, Friedrich, *Oriental Carpets in the Museum of Islamic Art*, Munich: Smithsonian, 1987.","author":"Anna Beselin","keywords":["F.R. Martin","Jufti knot","Metropolitain Museum","Fragment"],"materials":["silk","wool","cotton","Jufti knot","knotted pile carpet","asymmetrical knot"]},"3d802c09-002a-52b1-a0f5-eb87daa52e0b":{"name":"Arraiolos rug","description":"Arraiolos rugs are one of the most typical forms of manufacture and those with the oldest tradition in the art of embroidery within Portugal. With its beginnings in the end of the 16th century, production reached its apogee in the 18th century, with its decline commencing in the 19th century, when the designs began to become broader and the size of the stitches, began to increase. The quantity of surviving examples allows us to recognise the recourse to various sources of inspiration in the conception of designs, which would themselves evolve throughout time.  \nThis rug, a piece of oriental influence which is thought to date to the 17th century, was most probably inspired by the so-called “wheel” carpets, a type associated with the “small-pattern Holbein”-type of Turkish carpets. It has a yellow field decorated with stylised flowers and the border is filled with flowers and birds of popular tradition, embroidered in faded pink (originally red), green, blue and yellow. Both the module constituting the base unit of the carpet’s design, as well as the alternated and bi-directional – horizontal and vertical ‒ manner in which it is repeated, forming a veritable grid, allowed it to be transposed into tile form. This is one reason why this type of carpet is also known as the “tile-pattern carpet”. Such is the proximity between the component parts of these forms of artistic creation.","type":"Textile; carpet","holder":"Museum of Portuguese Decorative Arts – Ricardo do Espírito Santo Silva Foundation","dates":"17th century","location":"Lisbon","dimensions":"H: 224.3cm, W: 167cm","method_for_datation":"Stylistic analysis","method_for_provenance":"Stylistic analysis","provenance":"Portugal, Arraiolos","obtention":"Donated by Ricardo do Espírito Santo Silva in 1953","bibliography":"Leite, Fernanda Passos, *Museum of Portuguese Decorative Arts – Guide*, Lisbon: FRESS, 2004.  \nMendonça, Maria José de, “Tapetes de Arraiolos”, in João Barreira (ed.), *Arte Portuguesa ‒ As Artes Decorativas*, Lisbon: Excelsior, n.d.  \nOliveira, F., Baptista de, *História e Técnica dos Tapetes de Arraiolos*, Lisbon: Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation, 1973.  \nPereira, Teresa Pacheco, *Tapetes de Arraiolos*, Lisbon: SILVIP, 1991.","workshop":"Arraiolos, Portugal","author":"Maria João Ferreira","translator":"Lily Chadwick","translation_copy_editor":"Mandi Gomez","keywords":["17th century","Arraiolos stitch","ponto de Arraiolos","Portuguese carpet","embroidery"],"materials":["Canvas","wool embroidered on canvas","oblique or Slavic cross-stitch (known as ponto de Arraiolos)","wool"]},"3dd1f0fd-db2b-5a6a-ab0d-c44fbb0a337e":{"name":"Caucasian Dragon Rug","description":"One of the museum’s early carpet acquisitions is a late 17th-century Caucasian dragon rug bought in 1894 from Boris Sparber. On the crimson brick red field are three ivory palmettes alternating with three ivory field \"blazon\" palmettes. The space between the palmettes in the lower row, above leaves and vines is filled with a stylized flaming lion, and in the upper row it is filled with dragons. The palmettes face upward in the lower two rows and downward in the top row. The irregular central field has a more rigidly formed \"vine cup\" border on a yellow field. There is a late 17th or early 18th century Karabagh or Shirvan carpet fragment with a similar border and field but with a more regularly formed and narrower central field held by the Washington Textile Museum.","type":"Carpet","holder":"Museum of Applied Arts","dates":"Late 17th century","location":"Budapest","dimensions":"Height: 218cm, Width: 162cm, Knot density: 1,419/dm2","method_for_datation":"Stylistic analysis","method_for_provenance":"Stylistic analysis","provenance":"Caucasus, Karabagh","obtention":"Purchased from Boris Sparber (1864‒1928), co-proprietor of the Budapest carpet business *Sparber & Schwalbe* in 1894.","bibliography":"Csányi, Károly (ed), *Magyar szőnyegkedvelők egyesületének régi keleti szőnyegkiállítása az Orsz. Magyar Iparművészeti Múzeumban/Early Oriental Carpet Exhibition of the Hungarian Carpet Collectors' Association in the National Hungarian Museum of Applied Arts*, Budapest: Iparművészeti Múzeumban, 1924: 22, no. 96.  \nEllis, Charles Grant, *Early Caucasian Rugs*, Washington, DC.: The Textile Museum, 1975: 42, Pl. 6. \\[Inv. no. R. 36.1.5\\].  \nGombos, Károly, *Régi kaukázusi szőnyegek / Alte Kaukasishe Teppiche (Old Caucasian Rugs)*, Sárvár: Sárvár Nádasdy Ferenc Múzeum, 1983 (Vas megyei Múzeumok katalógusai (Catalogues of Museums in Vas County) 89 / Kataloge der Museen des Komitats Vas 89): no. 31.  \nGombos, Károly, *Régi örmény sárkányos szőnyegek, az Iparművészeti Múzeum Nagytétényi Kastélymúzeuma kiállítása (Old Armenian Dragon Carpets, Exhibition of the Museum of Applied Arts Castle Museum of Nagytétény Budapest)*, Budapest: Museum of Applied Arts, 1976: figure 2.  \nPásztor, Emese, Budapest's Best-Kept Secrets, *HALI*, 185 (Autumn 2015): 76-77 and 74, figure 6.","author":"Emese Pásztor","copy_editor":"Valerie Pulsifer","translator":"Alan Campbell","keywords":["wool","Caucasus","dragon"],"materials":["the sides are incomplete.","Pile: Ivory","Warp: Light brown wool","dark blue","Weft: Red wool (2 shoots)","Symmetrical (Turkish or Ghiordes) knot. The ends are missing","purple and brown wool","crimson brick red","yellow"]},"3e399b3c-2b94-5510-956a-2f7247172045":{"name":"Carpet","description":"Carpet from the Lotto series.  \nField: The field consists of a cruciform pattern separated into four columns, three rows and two halves.  \nBorder: The border is wider than usual than other carpets in this series and is of Renaissance era design. This is the only known specimen that contains this type of border and due to it being made up of several pieces there is some difficulty in interpreting the design. Diagonal brace motifs of scrollwork are linked with a plant stem. The blue used within the carpet is typical of Cuencan carpet productions of this period.  \nThe field and border are separated by a narrow blue line. The knots utilise wool of dark blue, turquoise blue, yellow and orange red.","type":"Carpet","holder":"National Museum of Decorative Arts","dates":"1575-1625","location":"Madrid","dimensions":"Length: 320cm, Width: 245cm","method_for_datation":"Through the stylistic and technical analysis of the piece.","method_for_provenance":"Through the stylistic and technical analysis of the piece.","provenance":"Cuenca","obtention":"Acquired in 2003","workshop":"Cuenca","author":"Mª Dolores Vila Tejero","translator":"Asad Islam","materials":["wool"]},"3e773882-ba87-529a-be5c-6d45adeb4e00":{"name":"Caucasian carpet","description":"In the Caucasus there is great variety of motifs due to artistic exchange among the ethnic groups. Different classifications of carpets are based on the weaver's ethnicity, geographic origin of the carpet or the carpet structure. No system of classification is based on design or motifs. Therefore, for this peculiar carpet, it is difficult to establish its origin.  \nIn the central field, on the dark blue background there are four medallions which resemble ovoid palmettes. Each medallion has a central polygonal motif surrounded with two white rectangular stripes decorated with stylized floral motifs. The white rectangular stripes and their decorations resemble the white stripes on Kasim Uşak. In the central axis there are three red secondary medallions. Numerous polygonal green, red, orange and blue motifs are field repeats. The central field is framed with three borders. The main border is the dragon border – double black and red S motifs alternating on the white background. The inner border is a variation of floral meandar border. The outer border is a crosshatch border. This type of border is used throughout the Caucasus and may be either a major or minor border.","type":"Carpet","holder":"Museum of Arts and Crafts","dates":"19th century","location":"Zagreb","dimensions":"W: 340cm, W: 166cm","method_for_datation":"By stylistic analysis","method_for_provenance":"By stylistic analysis","provenance":"Caucasus","obtention":"Unknown","author":"Andrea Klobučar","translator":"Petra Milovac","translation_copy_editor":"Daniel de la Vega","keywords":["Caucasus"],"materials":["knotted carpet","wool","symmetrical knots"]},"3ed39d69-ec98-5cf4-a1dd-bce572ba5e59":{"name":"Tekke '*ensi*' rug","short_description":"*Ensi* or *engsi* rugs are often treated by art historians as door hangings of a yurt, a traditional Turkmen nomadic tent. Covering the doorway of the tent *ensi* was supposedly destined to preserve the inside temperature from winter and summer extremes. There is also a different opinion that suggests treating *ensi* as a ritual rug used only for special social and cult occasions. *Ensi* is considered a complex kind of Turkmen rug in the aspects of design and iconography. Here in the middle of the carpet there is a cruciform composition of two broad stripes filled with small geometric elements. Small hooked motifs of various kinds also fill the four rectangular fields formed by the central \"cross\" and several stripes of border. Above the central field there is a stylized image of the tent or a *mihrab*. The design of the carpet is known as \"*hatchli*\" and is typical for Tekke, one of the major tribes of Turkmen. Ethnographic studies suggest the connection of a central cross-like pattern with the idea of rivers and canals, while a variety of smaller elements - with sheep and cattle, together with water make up the main resources of nomads' lives. The background of the carpet is dark ruby, other colours of the pattern include lighter shade of red, dark blue, brown and ivory white.","type":"Textile; Rug; Carpet","holder":"The Khanenko Museum","dates":"AD 18th–19th century","location":"Kyiv","dimensions":"Length: 154.5cm, Width: 122cm","method_for_datation":"Stylistic analysis by H. Rudyk (publication, 2005, date, origin).","method_for_provenance":"According to the entry in the Museum Inventory Register.","provenance":"Turkmenistan, Central Asia","obtention":"Purchased by the Khanenko Museum in 1965. Private collection of Mr. Katonin.","bibliography":"Bilenko, H. and Rudyck (Rudyk), H., *Oriental Collection*, guidebook, Kyiv: The Khanenko Museum, 2005.  \nDenny, W. B., *How to Read Islamic Carpets*, New Haven: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2014.  \nMoshkova, V., *Carpets of the people of Central Asia of the late XIX and XX centuries*, Tashkent: Fan, 1970.  \nTsareva, E. (ed), *Rugs and Carpets from Central Asia: the Russian Collections*, Leningrad: Aurora Art et al., 1984.","author":"Antonina Makarevych","copy_editor":"Janice Medina","keywords":["Central Asia","rug","ensi","textile","carpet","Turkmen"],"materials":["Wool (warp","weft and pile)","asymmetrically knotted pile"]},"3f0f0780-c98f-5db2-b815-f80d5e985f50":{"name":"Medallion carpet with hunting animals","description":"This beautiful medallion carpet was woven in Iran, probably in the first half of the sixteenth century, during the reign of the Safavid dynasty. While it does not have any inscriptions linking it with a specific patron, place or date, the design holds many parallels with the arts of the book in early Safavid Iran.  \n  \nDespite its large scale, the carpet has a fine and complex design that rewards very close inspection. In its general layout, there are two lobed black medallions down the central axis, with four diagonal radiating oval pendants each, all set against a dark red main field. These medallions are then repeated by quarter-medallions in the four corners of the field, and by two half-medallions on either side. Each medallion is filled with a very refined radial design of yellow strapwork and large flowers, while each oval pendant is occupied by fluttering birds and Chinese-style cloudbands. Below this medallion superstructure, the red main field is a rich and varied garden landscape of trees filled with wildlife. There are trees with white blossoms, and others filled with ripe pomegranates. There are also leafy spiralling stems, with large lotus flowers. Among this greenery, the carpet is filled with animals and birds: there are resting pairs of spotted goats, lions and treetop birds. Predominantly though, the main field is full of hunting scenes: leopards killing horned goats, hawks killing long-legged water birds and lions killing stags. Down the central axis of the design, there are ornate Chinese style vases, formed of dragons, lions and peacocks, and lobed ponds full of fish.  \nBeyond the main field, the main border features a reciprocal pattern, of an interlocking arcade in red versus black (or rather extremely dark blue indigo). On a slightly more condensed scale to the main field, this border also features hunting pairs: a snow leopard attacking a horned goat, and a lion pinning down a bull. A beautifully drawn pair of supernatural creatures confront each other in the dark blue arcading: a Chinese-style dragon opposite a long-tailed phoenix. Throughout the main and two minor borders, the design also features overlaid designs of leafy plant scrolls and Chinese cloudband motifs.  \n  \n[V&A online catalogue link](http://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O85144/the-chelsea-carpet-carpet-unknown/)","type":"Carpet","holder":"Victoria and Albert Museum","dates":"1500-1550","location":"London","dimensions":"Metric. L: 5.49m, W: 3.1m","method_for_datation":"This carpet’s design and structure connect it with other known examples of medallion and compartment carpets woven in wool on silk foundation, which have also been attributed to the sixteenth century. Nonetheless we can only hypothesize as to where exactly it was woven: Tabriz or possibly Qazvin, each of which served as the Safavid capital during the first half of the century.","method_for_provenance":"The carpet is attributed to Iran because of its design and technical structure, which fits with sixteenth-century production under the Safavids.","provenance":"Iran","obtention":"Purchased from Alfred Cohen (Kings’s Road, Chelsea, London) in 1890. The carpet is nicknamed “the Chelsea Carpet” as a result of this provenance.","bibliography":"Von Bode, Wilhelm, and Kuhnel,Ernst, *Antique Rugs from the Near East*, tr. Charles Grant Ellis, London: G.Bell, 1970: 124-127.  \nStanley, Tim, “The Chelsea Carpet”, in: Stanley, T. with M. Rosser-Owen and S. Vernoit, *Palace and Mosque*, London: V&A, 2004: 54-55.","author":"Moya Carey","keywords":["medallions","gardens","hunting","trees","birds","Iran","Safavids","animals","hunters"],"materials":["warp and weft. Wool pile on silk foundation","knotted pile","depressed warps","silk","wool","asymmetrical knots open to the left."]},"3fb86eda-1e8c-5fdf-9e0b-53b50204bf6c":{"name":"Seljuq Rug","description":"A “Konya Group” rug found in the Konya Aladdin Mosque and acquired by the museum in 1911. The condition of this rug is poor, nevertheless it is possible to perceive the general decoration. The rug is in three pieces, the remaining parts of a large carpet. The main border is wide and light red in colour. Stylized *kufic*letters in dark red are contoured with brown and placed side by side. The main border is separated from the basic ground by a yellow band framed with a narrow brown line. The dark blue ground is a diamond pattern with hooked ends. There are small heart shapes in their middle of these diamond shapes. Seljuq rugs were commonly woven in large sizes. They were decorated in plain geometric patterns, generally with a small number of colours in various shades contrasted with a wide *kufic* border.","type":"Rug","holder":"Museum of Turkish and Islamic Arts","dates":"13th century","location":"Istanbul","dimensions":"L: 123cm, W: 226cm","method_for_datation":"The analyses of the material and the technique used for weaving the rug and the motifs seen on main ground and borders.","provenance":"Middle Anatolia, Konya","obtention":"From the Konya Sultan Aladdin Mosque","bibliography":"Aslanapa, Oktay, *Türk Halı Sanatı’nın Bin Yılı,Istanbul: Eren Yayınları, 1987: 13‒22.  \nDenny, Walter, and Tekeli, Gönül, *Anadolu Dokuma Mirası*, Istanbul: C.2, 2007: 25, Kat. No: 3.  \nKollektif, *Türk El Dokuması Halılar*, Ankara: Kültür ve Turizm Bakanlığı Yayınları, Cilt 3, Katalog no: 303.  \nŞahin, Seracettin, *Türk ve İslam Eserleri Müzesi: Emevilerden Osmanlılara 13 Asırlık İhtişam*, Istanbul: Kaynak Yayınları, 2009: 135‒136.*","author":"Deniz Kanberoğlu","copy_editor":"Lisa Kelman","keywords":["Konya","Middle Anatolia","Seljuq Rug"],"materials":["Natural wool coloured with natural dyes","symmetrical knot","Gördes knot"]},"40618ecc-b658-5395-a1e3-3a6178bd928f":{"name":"Uşak Rug with bird","description":"Bird rugs are named for the S‒shaped stylised bird motifs arranged in vertical and horizontal rows in the centre field. This is a subgroup of rugs called white ground Ottoman rugs. The other types of white ground rugs are scorpion and *çintamani* rugs. The most popular ones are the bird rugs. Generally, the origin of this type is Uşak, however, research has found that many of these rugs were produced in Selendi in Manisa city. The rugs first appear in Western paintings in the 16th century and were probably not woven after the 18th century.","type":"Rug","holder":"Konya Mevlana Museum","dates":"16th century","location":"Konya","dimensions":"L: 192cm, W: 390cm","method_for_datation":"The analyses of the material and the technique used for weaving the rug and the motifs seen on main ground and borders.","provenance":"West Anatolia, Uşak","obtention":"From the Konya Mevlana Dergahı (dervish lodge)","bibliography":"Kollektif, *Türk El Dokuması Halılar*, Ankara: Kültür ve Turizm Bakanlığı Yayınları, Cilt 4, Katalog no: 327.","author":"Gülseren Kervan","copy_editor":"Lisa Kelman","keywords":["West Anatolia","Uşak rug with bird"],"materials":["Natural wool coloured with natural dyes","symmetrical knot","Gördes knot"]},"40bc55d4-fab4-578d-91a1-4762408dc1a2":{"name":"Animal combat carpet","description":"Herat, already an important centre of court art during the Timurid dynasty in the 15th century, is repeatedly mentioned as a major carpet production site. However, it has not been clarified whether the MAK Collection’s exemplars attributed to this actually originate from there; a more plausible place of production seems to be southern Iran. Stylistically, these high-quality pieces are closely oriented to the art of the Timurid period. The carpet seen here, the most famous of this production, has a counterpart located today in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York. The motifs of the immensely fine design are mirrored four times on a red ground around the horizontal and vertical axes; fantasy blossoms alternate with animal depictions and Chinese-inspired cloudbands. Moreover, the contrasting green-grounded border exhibits three delicate tendril systems laid on top of each other. In the accompanying border, a poem by the 12th-century poet Zahir Faryabi, written in *nasta \\`liq* script, praises love, nature and the king of the world, for whom the pair of carpets was made.","type":"Carpet","holder":"MAK – Austrian Museum of Applied Arts / Contemporary Art","dates":"Mid-16th century","location":"Vienna","dimensions":"H: 744cm, W: 350cm; knot density 5,200/dm2","method_for_datation":"Research and documentary evidence","method_for_provenance":"Research and documentary evidence","provenance":"Iran","obtention":"Obtained in 1922, formerly in the Imperial House of Habsburg","bibliography":"Völker, Angela, *Die orientalischen Knüpfteppiche das MAK*, Vienna: Böhlau, 2001: 224–9.","author":"Angela Völker","copy_editor":"Mandi Gomez","keywords":["wool","Safawid","silk","textile","carpet","floral design","animals"],"materials":["Silk warp and weft","wool","asymmetrical knot","knotted"]},"41b30023-ded2-5dd2-ae27-67f95b77df76":{"name":"Small-pattern Holbein carpet","description":"This fragment is the earliest example of a so-called small-pattern Holbein carpet in the Museum of Islamic Art in Berlin. Hans Holbein the Younger very frequently painted a number of examples of this type, thus giving his name to this distinctive group of carpets. The two motifs arranged in offset rows are characteristic. One is an octagon formed from a braided band, which is filled with white in this carpet. The second motif is a lozenge which is formed from several stylised leaf forms. The unusual variegation of the leafy vines and their over- and underlapping are signs of an early design. This is also indicated by the wide, heavily braided border. Its design is based on the script known as *kufic* and is referred to as pseudo-*kufic*. The leaf forms at the tips of the strokes, the endless knot and the over- and underlapping of the basic line are evidence of the highest complexity and craftsmanship. This early form of the border is already to be found in 15th-century paintings, for example those of Domenico Ghirlandaio (1449-1494).","type":"Carpet fragment","holder":"Museum of Islamic Art at the Pergamon Museum","dates":"AD 15th century","location":"Berlin","dimensions":"L: 160, W: 92","method_for_datation":"The carpet has been dated on comparison with carpets in paintings as well as on stylistic analysis of its pattern, due to its colours and knot-technique","provenance":"Western Anatolia","obtention":"1940 in exchange with the Museum for Applied Arts, Duesseldorf","bibliography":"Beselin, Anna, *Geknüpfte Kunst. Teppiche des Museums für Islamische Kunst*, Berlin: Minerva, 2011.","author":"Anna Beselin","keywords":["Hans Holbein","Pseudo-Kufic","Domenico Ghirlandaio","Rosette","painting","Fragment"],"materials":["wool","knotted pile carpet","symmetrical knot"]},"4205c7c4-c568-5ae6-a6bf-a01b9201a6e6":{"name":"Fragment of a Mughal Court Carpet with Design of Lattice and Blossom Pattern","short_description":"A rectangular fragment of a Mughal court carpet, with the claret-red field having a trellis framework of leaves forming lozenges. Floral scrolls are interlaced with the trellis and bear leaves, buds, and large composite palmettes filling the center of each lozenge.","type":"Textiles","holder":"Saint Louis Art Museum","dates":"Hegira Probably mid 11th century / AD probably mid 17th century","location":"Saint Louis","dimensions":"Length: 58.3cm x Width: 27.9cm","method_for_datation":"Scholarly review and/or comparison to similar objects from the period.","method_for_provenance":"The early Mughals brought Persian weavers to India where they created court factories at Lahore, Agra, and Fatehpur-Sikri. Initially, designs were freely borrowed from Persia, but by the 17th century Indian weavers were replacing the Persian naturalistic motifs with specifically Indian plants and flowers, animals, and human figures.","provenance":"Possibly Lahore, Pakistan, Asia","obtention":"Gift of James F. Ballard, 1929","bibliography":"Denny, Walter and Farnham, Thomas, *The Carpet and the Connoisseur: The James F. Ballard Collection of Oriental Rugs*, Saint Louis: The Saint Louis Art Museum, 2016.","keywords":["wool","Mughal","Indian","Pakistan","court","silk","textile","Fragment","carpet","Asia","Lahore","Cashmere"],"materials":["Cashmere wool","silk","approximately 68-69Vx95H per decimetre","asymmetrical knot open to the left"]},"43014a3e-3f06-5cd3-953a-6674419c07b7":{"name":"Hand carding tool","description":"Tool used to card wool. Carding is the technique of separating the shorn wool fleece into individual long fibres to prepare them for spinning.","type":"Carding tool","holder":"The Jordan Museum","owner":"The Circassian Charity Association","dates":"AD 1860","location":"Amman","dimensions":"L:25cm, W: 10cm-15cm","method_for_datation":"The great-grandparents of the owners of this object brought it with them to Jordan when they immigrated in 1860.","provenance":"Caucasus","obtention":"Loan","author":"Najd Sweidan","copy_editor":"Lisa Kelman","materials":["Wood and iron"]},"43a8c5d9-b3aa-529b-a3f9-5e64b5b32a48":{"name":"The Pearl Carpet","alternate_name":"Baroda","description":"The foundation of silk and fine deer hide is densely embroidered overall with a design worked in strings of natural ‘Basra’ pearls, measuring approximately 1-3 mm, and English coloured glass beads. There are on average 78 pearls and beads per vertical dm. (10 cm), and 68 per horizontal dm., equaling a density of c.4,990 pearls and beads per dm2. The total area of the carpet is c. 45,670 cm2. The 32 smaller rosettes cover an area of c. 400 cm2 with smaller gems, and the total area embroidered with pearls and is beads is approximately 44,500 cm2. Therefore, over 2.2 million pearls and beads have been used to decorate the field. In our estimation, the number of pearls employed in the design is therefor at least 1.2-1.5 million.","type":"Furniture","holder":"National Museum of Qatar","dates":"19th century","location":"Doha"},"43f2e562-6eda-5dde-81a4-a1b3639f9c94":{"name":"'Transylvanian' Double Niche Rug","description":"A characteristic type of Ottoman rugs is the 'Transylvanian' double niche rug. Several variants of the type fashionable for over two centuries are known. Its common feature is the hexagonal medallion filling the central field. This is created by mirroring the original *mihrab* (prayer niche) of the traditional prayer rug across the central axis. This rug of symmetrical design was particularly popular in Transylvania where it was used as table or bed cover and wall hanging. The name \"Transylvanian\" refers to the place of frequent occurrence and not to the place of origin.  \n  \nThis exquisite specimen is from the first double niche rug period and is characterized by arabesque tendrils (First Period \"Transylvanian\" Double Niche Rug). The dark blue field is filled with subtly designed tendrils, with flowers and leaves arranged symmetrically to both axes. This design is complemented by two mosque lamps hanging from the apexes of the *mihrabs* (prayer niches). Ochre fields above the niches with blue arabesque tendrils can be traced to Persian design prototypes. The main strip of the 'Transylvanian' border pattern contains elongated polygonal cartouches alternated with eight-pointed stars, a pattern typical of this carpet type. A similar design with an ochre central field is kept in the collection of the “Black Church” in Brassó (now Braşov, Romania).","type":"Carpet","holder":"Museum of Applied Arts","dates":"C. 1600","location":"Budapest","dimensions":"Height: 172cm, Width: 132cm, Knot density: 1540/dm2","method_for_datation":"Stylistic analysis","method_for_provenance":"Stylistic analysis","provenance":"West Anatolia, Turkey","obtention":"Acquisition unknown","bibliography":"Batári, Ferenc, *Ottoman Turkish Carpets: The Collection of the Museum of Applied Arts, Budapest I*, Budapest–Keszthely: Museum of Applied Arts, 1994: 56–57, no. 50 and 141, figure.  \nÖlçer, N., and Enderlein, V., and Batári, F., and Mills, J., *Turkish Carpets from the 13th–18th Centuries*, Istanbul: Ahmet Ertuğ, 1996: 218, plate 158 \\[Ferenc Batári\\].  \nPásztor, Emese (ed), *'Transylvanian ' Turkish Rugs: Tracing the Ottoman Rugs from the 1914 Exhibition in the Budapest Museum of Applied Arts*, Budapest: Museum of Applied Arts, 2020: 160, no. 74 and 161, figure \\[Emese Pásztor\\].  \nPásztor, Emese, *Ottoman Turkish Carpets in the Collection of the Budapest Museum of Applied Arts: In Memoriam Ferenc Batári*, Budapest: Museum of Applied Arts, 2007: 116–117, no. 25 and figure.  \nWaterhouse, Rupert (ed), *In Praise of God: Anatolian Rugs in Transylvanian Churches 1500–1750*, Istanbul: Sakıp Sabancı Museum, 2007: 78, figure 32 and 151, no. 19 and figure \\[Michael Franses\\].","author":"Emese Pásztor","copy_editor":"Valerie Pulsifer","translator":"Alan Campbell","keywords":["wool","Ottoman rug","Arabesque tendrils","Double Niche Rug"],"materials":["Symmetrical (Turkish or Ghiordes) knot","Pile: wool"]},"4477e256-7ea2-5cbe-bda1-f87ba36cdb04":{"name":"Prayer rug.","description":"This carpet demonstrates through its design that it belongs to the group of prayer rugs. The inner area is adorned with a red-coloured arch-shaped *mihrab* (prayer niche). Placed in front of the niche is a basin, seen from above, from which emerges a small tree with green leaves, rendered in a semi-abstract design with fine lines. A small yellow jug with a handle and short spout has been incorporated into the centre of the tree. This jug may relate to Sura 5 verse 8 of the Qur’an, which mentions obligation of ablutions to be undertaken before prayer. Green-coloured, eight-pointed plaited stars can be seen in the corners of the *mihrab* arch. Above the *mihrab* is a rectangular space filled with palms and cypresses. Two borders frame the inner area. The thinner border is filled by a decorative cloud-motif band. This cloud-motif band is a common feature of Ottoman art since the AH 9th and 10th / AD 15th and 16th century, and it originated in China. On this rug, the yellow cloud-motif bands are displayed over a red background, and are positioned very close to one another. The rug’s wider border consists of a continuous tendril-like interlacing band involving plant motifs, over a light-green background.  \nThe rug’s symbolism derives from the connection between the *mihrab* motif and that of the garden of Paradise, which is perhaps what is being illustrated on the rug through the pool of water and the tree. Paradise, described as a wonderful garden, is promised at different points throughout the Qur’an to those who believe in the Islamic faith. Followers of Islam will one day arrive and stay in this garden full of lovely streams, wonderful plants and beautiful young virgins (*Huri*s).  \nPrayer rugs from Cairo are frequently mentioned in the sources, but this particular rug is the only surviving Mamluk prayer rug. It is particularly noteworthy for its incorporation of Mamluk motifs with those derived from Ottoman art, hence the reason for dating it to around AH 900 / AD 1500 or a little later.  \nMamluk rugs can be seen in Italian paintings from the 15th and 16th century and moreover are mentioned in a great number of sources. During this period there was also a flourishing trade between Mamluk Cairo and Italy.","short_description":"This is the only prayer rug to have survived from the Mamluk period. It was probably made in Cairo around 1500. Its design shows a mixture of Mamluk and Ottoman features. Carpet manufacture flourished in Egypt under the Mamluk sultans and rugs were also exported to Europe.","type":"Rug, prayer, wool","holder":"Museum of Islamic Art at the Pergamon Museum","owner":"Museum of Arts and Crafts, Berlin.","dates":"Around hegira 900 / AD 1500.","location":"Berlin","dimensions":"Length 162 cm, width 120 cm.","method_for_datation":"The carpet exhibits both Mamluk and Ottoman elements in its style, and thus could be from around 900 / 1500 as manufacturers in Cairo were just in the process of adopting Ottoman elements into their repertoire. However, as all that remains is this single Mamluk prayer carpet, it is difficult to give an exact date.","method_for_provenance":"The whole host of its unique motifs, colours and characteristic asymmetric or Persian knots all collude to suggest that this carpet was made in Cairo in a Mamluk carpet workshop.","provenance":"Egypt.","obtention":"Purchased in 1888 by Wilhelm von Bode for the Museum of Arts and Crafts, Berlin. Transferred from the Museum of Arts and Crafts on a long-term loan.","bibliography":"Enderlein, V., *Wilhelm von Bode und die Berliner Teppichsammlung*, Berlin, 1995, p.25, plate 16.  \nEnderlein, V., “Zwei ägyptische Gebetsteppiche im Islamischen Museum”, *Forschungen und Berichte* 13, 1971, pp.7–15, plates 1 and 2.  \nMack, Rosamond E., *Bazar to Piazza: Islamic Trade and Italian Art, 1300–1600*,Los Angeles; London, 2002, pp.73–94, notes 54, 201.  \n*The Eastern Carpet in the Western World*, Exhibition catalogue, London, 1983, pp.60–1, cat. no. 19.  \nZick, J., “Eine Gruppe von Gebetsteppichen und ihre Datierung”, *Berliner Museen*, 11, 1961, pp.6–14, ill. 1.","linkcatalogs":"IAM_EG_EN_001","author":"Annette Hagedorn","translator":"Maria Vlotides","translation_copy_editor":"Monica Allen","keywords":["Paradise","knotted carpet","Mamluk","vegetal decoration","prayer rug"],"materials":["dye in various shades and colours.","Knotted wool"]},"44e70b80-28df-5f9b-8d20-02c6d7b7b1db":{"name":"Carpet","description":"Small-pattern Holbein carpets take their name from a carpet depicted in Hans Holbein the Younger's 1532 portrait of the Hanseatic merchant Georg Gisze of Danzig. This style of carpets was woven in large numbers in the Ottoman Empire from the late 14th century to the early 17th century and was enormously popular in Europe. Their actual production locale in western Anatolia, and what they were called locally, remains uncertain. But their powerful influence in the development of rug patterns elsewhere is quite evident. Based on its fine and delicate drawing and rich colours, this carpet is possibly an older example of this type, and probably dates to early 16th century. The design of the carpet is based on geometric interlaced strapwork elements, often termed girih. The interlaced strapwork creates the medallions that infinitely repeat on the dark blue surface of the carpet. Alternating red and white ground of the medallions gives movement to an otherwise repetitive design. The secondary motif is a quatrefoil, defined by eight split-leaf forms that constitute its outer contours.","type":"Carpet","holder":"The George Washington University Museum and The Textile Museum","owner":"The Textile Museum","dates":"16th century","location":"Washington, D. C.","dimensions":"L: 209cm, W: 140cm","method_for_datation":"This style of carpets appears in European paintings and dated in approximation with the dates of these paintings.","method_for_provenance":"Design analyses and comparison with carpets sharing similar design and structural characteristics.","provenance":"Turkey, western Anatolia","obtention":"Purchased by The Textile Museum founder George Hewitt Myers in 1928 and donated to the Museum in 1931.","bibliography":"Denny, W. B., *The Classical Traditions in Anatolian Carpets*, with contributions by Sumru Belger Krody, Washington, DC, and London: The Textile Museum and Scala Publishers Ltd., 2002.  \nBier, C., “Approaches to Understanding Oriental Carpets,” *Arts of Asia*, 26.1 (January/February, 1996): 66-81.  \nMackie, L. W., *The Splendor of Turkish Weaving*, Washington, DC: The Textile Museum, 1973.  \nEllis, C. G., “Ellis in Holbeinland”, *Oriental Carpet & Textile Studies*, vol. I, London: Hali Publications, 1985: 55-75.  \nAtil, E. (ed.), *Turkish Art*, Washington, DC: Smithsonian Institution Press, 1980.  \nDenny, W. B., *Oriental Rugs*, New York: Cooper-Hewitt Museum, The Smithsonian Institution, 1979.","workshop":"Anonymous","author":"Sumru Belger Krody","keywords":["wool","geometric patterns","Ottoman carpet","Turkish influence"],"materials":["Wool (warp","weft","knotted pile carpet","and pile)","symmetrical knot"]},"44ff5030-1782-52cb-a816-7b58f2d32a22":{"name":"The *Mass of Saint Gregory*","description":"References in Portuguese inventories to the carpets of “Castile” and the “Levant” became progressively more frequent in the first half of the 16th century and coincided with the period when representation of knotted carpets, in the form of Iberian and Turkish carpets, reached its peak in Portuguese painting.  \nThis fact is owed to the Muslim presence in the Iberian Peninsula. Pre-existing contact with Arab culture, as well as the production of knotted carpets, preceded the arrival of oriental counterparts and restricted their demand in the market. Facing an already-established network of Iberian, Turkish and North African manufacturers, carpet manufactories had to respond to the demands of a society well used to the consumption of exotic luxury goods.  \nThe *Mass of Saint Gregory* originally constituted one of the panels from the *predella* of an altarpiece in the church of the Convent of São Francisco. The *predella* comprised 16 paintings depicting scenes from the Eucharist. The painting seen here represents a story made popular in the Golden Legend of the moment when Christ reveals himself on the altar to Pope Gregory; Christ responds to Pope Gregory’s prayer for a sign to convince a deacon, who had earlier confronted him with doubts about the doctrine of transubstantiation. In the painting, St. Gregory kneels before the altar on a carpet of Spanish origin. The carpet’s field is filled with octagonal medallions in which stars and quatrefoils are alternately inserted; the border is filled with a pseudo-*kufic* design interwoven with stylised floral motifs.","type":"Painting","holder":"National Museum of Ancient Art","dates":"c. 1508‒1511","location":"Lisbon","dimensions":"H: 121.5cm, W: 88cm","method_for_datation":"Technical information provided by José Alberto Seabra de Carvalho","method_for_provenance":"Stylistic analysis and material dating","provenance":"Portugal, unknown location","obtention":"Transferred, from the high altarpiece of the main chapel in the church of São Francisco, Évora, Portugal","bibliography":"Hallett, Jessica and Pereira, Teresa Pacheco, *The Oriental Carpet in Portugal: Carpets and paintings, 15th‒18th centuries*, Lisbon: MNAA, 2007.  \nHallett, Jessica, “Queen Leonor’s Carpets”, in Alexadra Curvelo (ed.), *Casa Perfeitíssima 1509‒2009: Celebrating 500 years of the Foundation of the Convent of Madre de Deus, 1509‒2009*, Lisbon Ministério da Cultura/IMC/Museu Nacional do Azulejo, 2009: 378‒81.","workshop":"Unknown","author":"Ana Kol","translator":"Lily Chadwick","translation_copy_editor":"Mandi Gomez","keywords":["Francisco Henriques","painting","Portugal","carpet","Saint Gregory"],"materials":["Oil on oak panel"]},"451583b8-a3a8-528a-b5bb-8db3d1096e78":{"name":"Ladik Prayer Carpet (*seccade*) on Red Ground","short_description":"A prayer carpet in which the lower part of the field has an arched prayer niche in red. Small trefoils project into the field from each side of the niche. The blue spandrels are decorated with lanceolate leaves, rosettes, triangles, ewers, and hooks in various colors. The panel above the spandrel is separated from the latter by a band with a wavy floral scroll. The panel in red encloses the characteristic Ladik pattern of five lily stalks and *vandykes* with triangles and hook motifs. The field is framed by a narrow blue stripe containing S-motifs. The border has a repeat pattern of lilies and rosettes separated by varicolored narrow bands on a blue ground. The guard bands in yellow or orange contain wavy floral scrolls. Small S-motifs form the design of the guard stripes.","type":"Textiles","holder":"Saint Louis Art Museum","dates":"Hegira c. 1214 / AD c. 1800","location":"Saint Louis","dimensions":"Length: 201.9cm x Width: 128.3cm","method_for_datation":"Scholarly review and/or comparison to similar objects from the period.","method_for_provenance":"The panel in red encloses the characteristic Ladik pattern of five lily stalks and vandykes with triangles and hook motifs.","provenance":"Konya province, central Anatolia, Turkey, Asia","obtention":"Gift of James F. Ballard, 1929","bibliography":"Denny, Walter and Farnham, Thomas, *The Carpet and the Connoisseur: The James F. Ballard Collection of Oriental Rugs*, Saint Louis: The Saint Louis Art Museum, 2016.","keywords":["Ladik","wool","Anatolia","red","Central","Turkey","prayer","Konya","Ottoman","Seccade","textile","carpet","Asia","Ground"],"materials":["approximately 58Vx28H per decimetre","sharply pulled to the left (raising the right warp of each knot pair)","wool","symmetrical knot"]},"45181682-9ce4-506e-a0dd-e86b8fb972d9":{"name":"Coupled-Column Prayer Rug","description":"A version of 17th century Ottoman Turkish prayer rugs very popular in Hungary was the \"column\" rug, in which the *mihrab* (prayer niche) is divided into three fields by three, four or eight columns. The most common is the six-column version, considered by many to have the most beautiful design of 17th century Turkish rugs. Their general characteristic is a *mihrab* (prayer niche) whose background colour is red or ochre (rarely ivory or blue), divided into three parts by slender columns in a 1+2+2+1 distribution. The rug’s ochre *mihrab* (prayer niche) is supported by six narrow columns, dividing it into three fields. The spandrels have a blue and red arabesque decoration on an ochre field, and the crenellated frieze above has straight-stem flowers growing out of it. The design of the peak field and the frieze are not sharply delineated. Rounded cartouches of alternating colour run along the border; the outer border has a row of leaves of alternating orientation and the inner border is decorated by leaves and flowers strung along an undulating stem. In May H. Beattie’s classification, the rug is an early, type I Coupled-Column Prayer Rug.","type":"Carpet","holder":"Museum of Applied Arts","dates":"First half or middle (?) of 17th century","location":"Budapest","dimensions":"Height: 191cm (+2cm x 27cm fringe), Width: 119cm, Knot density: 1,482/dm2","method_for_datation":"Stylistic analysis","method_for_provenance":"Stylistic analysis","provenance":"West Anatolia, Turkey","obtention":"The rug previously belonged to Arnold Ipolyi (1823-1886), Bishop of Nagyvárad, who collected it in Transylvania. It was exhibited in the 1914 'Transylvanian' Turkish Exhibition in the Budapest Museum of Applied Arts by the Bihar County Museum of Nagyvárad (Oradea, Romania). The rug entered into the inventory of the Budapest Museum of Applied Arts in 1962 as 'Item in store, of unknown origin'.","bibliography":"Batári, Ferenc, *Ottoman Turkish Carpets: The Collection of the Museum of Applied Arts, Budapest I*, Budapest–Keszthely: Museum of Applied Arts, 1994: 63, no. 76 and 165, figure.  \nBeattie, May H., Coupled-Column Prayer Rugs, *Oriental Art*, 14 (1968), 244.  \nÖlçer, N., and Enderlein, V., and Batári, F., and Mills, J., *Turkish Carpets from the 13th–18th Centuries*, Istanbul: Ahmet Ertuğ, 1996: 222, plate 162 \\[Ferenc Batári\\].  \nPásztor, Emese (ed), *'Transylvanian ' Turkish Rugs: Tracing the Ottoman Rugs from the 1914 Exhibition in the Budapest Museum of Applied Arts*, Budapest: Museum of Applied Arts, 2020: 280–281, no. 288 and figure \\[Emese Pásztor\\].  \nPásztor, Emese, *Ottoman Turkish Carpets in the Collection of the Budapest Museum of Applied Arts: In Memoriam Ferenc Batári*, Budapest: Museum of Applied Arts, 2007: 148–149, no. 40.  \nWaterhouse, Rupert (ed), *In Praise of God: Anatolian Rugs in Transylvanian Churches 1500–1750*, Istanbul: Sakıp Sabancı Museum, 2007: 147, no. 16 \\[Michael Franses\\].","author":"Emese Pásztor","copy_editor":"Valerie Pulsifer","translator":"Alan Campbell","keywords":["wool","mihrab","Ottoman rug","prayer rug"],"materials":["Symmetrical (Turkish or Ghiordes) knot","Pile: wool"]},"45ee6a65-f56e-5a10-958f-eb5e8f23eac7":{"name":"Carpet","description":"By the middle of the sixteenth century, Iran was an important producer of luxury textiles that gained renown abroad for their beauty and craftsmanship. Safavid carpets first came to the attention of Europeans in the early seventeenth century, and from the beginning were valued more highly than Turkish carpets. These classical carpets, produced in commercial workshops for high-end clients, are defined by the shared main feature of their design: a central, deeply indented star medallion with pendant cartouches and finials overlaid on top of finely-drawn leaf and floral scrolls.  \n  \nIn spite of its unusually small size, this carpet is considered one of the best examples of classical Persian carpets with the open lotus blossom medallion design. Many Oriental carpets, including most Persian carpets, share a design format that contains a rectangular central field surrounded by borders. In the central field of this carpet, there are several patterns which seem to overlay one another. The underlying pattern is a scrolling vine repeated with vertical and horizontal reflection. Utilizing the same symmetries is a stylized leafy arabesque. The combination of high-quality and well-drawn design and careful juxtaposition of colour on this carpet suggest the possibility of court-inspired production.","type":"Carpet","holder":"The George Washington University Museum and The Textile Museum","owner":"The Textile Museum","dates":"First half 17th century","location":"Washington, D. C.","dimensions":"L: 212cm, W: 133.5cm","method_for_datation":"Stylistic analyses, comparative materials, and historical documentary evidence.","method_for_provenance":"Design analyses and comparison with carpets sharing similar design and structural characteristics.","provenance":"Northwest Iran, Tabriz (?)","obtention":"Purchased by The Textile Museum founder George Hewitt Myers in 1924 and donated to the Museum in 1928.","bibliography":"Ellis, C. G., “The Strengths of The Textile Museum's Oriental Carpet Collection”, *The Textile Museum Journal* , 24 (1985), Washington, DC: The Textile Museum, 1986: 60-73.  \nBier, C. “Elements of Plane Symmetry in Oriental Carpets”, *The Textile Museum Journal*, 31, Washington, DC: The Textile Museum, 1992: 53-70.  \nBier, C., “Symmetry & Pattern: Art of Oriental, Carpets” (online publication: ). A Collaborative Project of The Math Forum at Swarthmore College and The Textile Museum, 1997.","workshop":"Anonymous","author":"Sumru Belger Krody","keywords":["Persia","wool","lotus","Safawid","Safavid"],"materials":["knotted pile","asymmetrical knot","Cotton (warp and weft)","open left","wool (pile)"]},"46a42ac6-bb32-5dfe-9c49-34ee32742fe1":{"name":"Coronation Carpet","short_description":"LACMA’s Coronation carpet received its name because it was used at the 1902 coronation of the United Kingdom’s Edward VII, son of Queen Victoria. Set before the king’s throne in Westminster Abbey, the carpet was also prominently featured in Edwin Austin Abbey’s painting of the event. The carpet was selected for the coronation ceremonies by the Duveen brothers, art dealers who were commissioned to provide tapestries and rugs for the event, which they borrowed from prominent collections. Shortly after the coronation, the carpet was acquired by American collector and self-made millionaire Marsden J. Perry. It subsequently belonged to two other American tycoons: Clarence Mackay, followed by J. Paul Getty, who donated it to LACMA in 1949.  \nAs is typical of the design structure of such sixteenth-century Persian carpets, each quarter repeats exactly. The carpet is generically classified as a medallion carpet with flora and fauna, although its decoration more specifically suggests a paradisiacal garden with an abundance of trees and animals. Flowing water is indicated by the smaller blue medallions, which are reminiscent of linked pools. What clearly makes this an unearthly setting are the dragons, phoenixes, and qilins (creatures borrowed from Chinese mythology), and especially the winged celestial beings, or houris, in each of the quarter medallions.  \nLike the Ardabil Carpet, the Coronation carpet was given to LACMA by Getty. It also shares other features with that more famous carpet: although it is undated, it was likely made in the second quarter of the sixteenth century, and it too had a mate, of which a small fragment survives in the Museum of Islamic Art in Berlin.","type":"Textiles","holder":"Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA)","dates":"Hegira c. 926-936/ AD c. 1520-1530","location":"Los Angeles","dimensions":"701 x 365.8cm","method_for_datation":"There is no firm basis for dating such early Safavid carpets, especially since very few survive. The dating of this carpet is based on comparison with other early Safavid art.","method_for_provenance":"The high quality of the carpet suggests it may have been produced in Tabriz, the seat of the Safavid court until 1555.","provenance":"Possibly Tabriz, Iran","obtention":"At the coronation of the Edward VII (1841–1910), until 1902 (sold to). Collection of Marsden J. Perry (1850–1935). Collection of Clarence Mackay (1874-1938), until 1935 (1939, sold to). Collection of J. Paul Getty (1892–1976), until 1949 (gifted to); LACMA (at the time, the Los Angeles Museum of History, Science and Art).","bibliography":"Komaroff, Linda. 2009. \"The Coronation carpet.\" *Hali: carpet, textile and Islamic art*, 162: 46-49.  \nPal, Pratapaditya, Lentz, Thomas W., Canby, Sheila R., Binney, Edwin, 3rd, Denny, Walter B. and Markel, Stephen “Arts from Islamic Cultures: Los Angeles County Museum of Art,” *Arts of Asia*, 17 : 6 (November/December 1987): 74, fig. 2.  \n*The Textile Museum Journal*, vol. 32/33, Washington D.C.: The Textile Museum, 1993-1994: 3, fig. 7.","author":"LACMA Staff","keywords":["wool","animal motifs","tree motifs","medallion","floral motifs","Phoenix","Persian","dragon","Safavid","Iran","Tabriz","mythology"],"materials":["Knotted pile in wool on a cotton foundation","asymmetrical knot"]},"46cbec75-25a9-5fc1-8bab-1ae4fe10c861":{"name":"Panel of *azulejos* with a carpet composition","description":"Like many other examples, these *azulejos* testify to the affinity between textiles and *azulejos* in Portugal during the 17th century. Such was the case with the embroidered Arraiolos rugs made in the Alentejo region where the same sort of patterns and even palette can be recognised.  \nThis pattern was relatively common in the *azulejos* used in Portugal during the first half of the 17th century. Because this is a 2 x 2 composition, four *azulejos* are required to make a pattern that can be repeated to infinity. Use of this sort of *azulejos* was mainly in the lower areas of architecture to allow viewers to approach the decoration more directly. In it, we can perceive a cross-like composition that is achieved by a much-intertwined element with a dense blue background, at the centre of which is an acanthus leaf motif. This rope-like cross composition is placed against a yellow background; here, a distinctive eight-point motif, which has its origins in leather- or metalwork, can be traced by the presence of nail marks left in all four of its extremities. The beautiful frame that can be seen in one of its borders is known in Portuguese as *rendas* or lacework, inspired by actual works.  \nSome studies have shown that prints of these lace motifs could be made by the immersion of real lace in the pigments, which were then juxtaposed in the *azulejos*, or that these were painted using similar gestures as those used to make the real lace. This has not been the case for the motifs that decorate these *azulejos*, but nevertheless the elegance of this decoration gives a new and more regal understanding to this pattern type.","type":"Tile; *azulejo*","holder":"National Tile Museum","dates":"1630‒1650","location":"Lisbon","dimensions":"H: 75cm, L: 70cm, W: 1.4cm","method_for_datation":"Stylistic analysis: 17th-century production of *azulejos* in Lisbon can easily be identified by the intense blue and yellow of the palette.","method_for_provenance":"The National Tile Museum holds a large number of *azulejos* of unknown origin, many gathered during the period of the destruction of the convents and palaces in the late 19th century, in the aftermath of the abolition of the religious orders in 1834.","provenance":"Portugal, unknown location","obtention":"Probably salvaged during demolition of an unknown building where they had once been applied","bibliography":"Matos, Maria Antónia Pinto (ed.), *Um gosto português, O uso do azulejo no século XVII*, exhib. cat., Lisbon: Museu Nacional do Azulejo/Athena, 2012.  \nMeco, José, *O Azulejo em Portugal*, Lisbon: Publicações Alfa, 1989.  \nSimões, João Miguel dos Santos, *Azulejaria em Portugal no século XVII*, 2 vols, Lisbon: Fundação Calouste Gulbenkian, 1971.","workshop":"Lisbon, Portugal","author":"Alexandre Pais","copy_editor":"Mandi Gomez","keywords":["17th century","Faience","azulejos","pattern"],"materials":["Ceramic: faience"]},"46e3e6fd-d34a-5dd6-b24a-24b19a30320a":{"name":"Qajar Double-sided Carpet","short_description":"Persian carpets have long stood out by including socio-political elements from local history within the thread as a story-telling motif woven into their fabric. This distinctive trait has become the Iranian carpet-making “cultural birth-certificate” still enduring today.  \n  \nWhile the style of this pictorial carpet characterizes the Qajar dynasty, this unique example was manufactured using a rare technique mastered in the town of Kerman, Iran. Like the flip sides of a coin, the carpet portrays two opposing scenarios: paradise and the universe, using floral and geometric patterns, Qur’anic verses, and poetry in Persian and Arabic. While one side depicts a lush garden with floral motifs, doves and peacocks, the other illustrates a central medallion with peonies, lilies and lotus flowers.","type":"Carpet; Rug","holder":"FBQ Museum","owner":"Sheikh Faisal Bin Qassim Al Thani","dates":"1905 AD / 1322-1323 Hegira","location":"Shahaniya","dimensions":"Length: 297cm, Width: 209cm","method_for_datation":"The date and commissioner are reflected on the carpet.","method_for_provenance":"The date and commissioner are reflected on the carpet.","provenance":"Iran, Kerman","obtention":"Purchase","bibliography":"Mirzaee, A., and Rahmani, F., \"Reflection of the Social Dimensions of Constitutional Revolution on Qajar Pictorial Carpets\", *Jelve-y Honar/Glory of Art, Alzahra Scientific Quarterly Journal*, 13 : 1 (2021).  \nRouhina, M., and Ahmad Panah, S. A., \"The Motif of Cedar Tree in Qajar and Safavid Rugs\",*Peykareh*, 7 : 13 (2018): 17-35.  \nVandshoari, A., and Ebrahimi, A. N., \"Epic and Myth in Pictorial Carpets of Qaja Era in Iran\", *Art-Sanat*, 5 (2016): 103-118.","author":"Sarah Schroeder","copy_editor":"Valerie Pulsifer","keywords":["Kerman","Double-sided Carpet","Qajar","Iran"],"materials":["wool","Senneh knot"]},"472961a4-b441-5a30-8117-15f1a9623203":{"name":"Ardabil Carpet","short_description":"This spectacular carpet was made as one of a matched pair, and its mate survives in the Victoria and Albert Museum, London. According to their identical signatures, the carpets were the work of Maqsud of Kashan, probably the one who prepared the designs and oversaw the project. They were royal carpets, perhaps commissioned for Shah Tahmasp (r. 1524–76), presumably for his ancestral shrine at Ardabil. Inscribed just above the dated signature of each carpet is a Persian couplet by the renowned fourteenth-century poet Hafiz: \"I have no refuge in this world other than thy threshold / My head has no resting place other than this doorway.\"","type":"Textiles","holder":"Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA)","dates":"Hegira 946 / AD 1539-40","location":"Los Angeles","dimensions":"718.8 x 400cm","method_for_datation":"An inscription on the carpet dates it to Hegira 946 / AD 1539-40.","method_for_provenance":"The inscription that dates the carpet indicates it was made early in the reign of Shah Tahmasp (1514-1576). The carpet and its mate were likely a royal commission, given the quality and size of the carpets, and the inscription’s reference to Maqsud of Kashan as a servant of the court. They therefore might have been made at a royal workshop in Tabriz, which was the seat of the Safavid court until 1555.","provenance":"Possibly Tabriz, Iran","obtention":"Possibly in Ardabil until 1888 (sold to). Ziegler and Co., Manchester, until 1893 (sold to). Collection of Charles Tyson Yerkes (1837-1905), until unknown date (gifted to). Collection of Joseph Rafael de Lamar (1843-1918), until unknown date. Collection of Joseph Duveen (1869-1939), until unknown date. Collection of J. Paul Getty (1892-1976), until 1953 (gifted to); LACMA, gift of J. Paul Getty.","bibliography":"Blair, Sheila, *Text and Image in Medieval Persian Art*, Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press, 2014: 228-234, 270, figs. 6.2 and 6.4.  \nKomaroff, Linda, *Lo Terrenal y lo divino: Arte islámico siglos VII al XIX Colección del Museo de Arte del Condado de Los Angeles*, Santiago, Chile: Centro Cultural La Moneda, 2015: 196, 213.  \nKomaroff, Linda, *Gift Tradition in Islamic Art*, Los Angeles: Los Angeles County Museum of Art, 2012: 70-71.  \nKomaroff, Linda, *Gifts of the Sultan: the Arts of Giving at the Islamic Courts*, Los Angeles: Los Angeles County Museum of Art, 2011: 56-57 248, fig. 48  \nKomaroff, Linda, *Islamic Art at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art*, Rev. ed., Los Angeles: Museum Associates, 2005: 58, fig. 53.  \nPal, Pratapaditya, Lentz, Thomas W., Canby, Sheila R., Binney, Edwin, 3rd, Denny, Walter B. and Markel, Stephen “Arts from Islamic Cultures: Los Angeles County Museum of Art,” *Arts of Asia*, 17 : 6 (1987): 74, fig. 1.","author":"LACMA Staff","keywords":["wool","Persian","inscription","Safavid","Iran","Ardabil","Tabriz"],"materials":["Wool knotted pile on silk plain weave foundation","asymmetrical knot"]},"473c085f-9830-5584-affd-3362c3aff805":{"name":"Coupled-column Prayer Rug","short_description":"A prayer rug where the creamy-white field is decorated with a triple arch on double columns in yellow, red, blue, and green. Between each pair of columns is a row of lozenges in yellow and red. The spandrel is decorated with a diaper of geometrical scrolls in white, reserving in the ground double arrow motifs in yellow and red. Across the top of the field is a panel with stalks of lilies alternating with other plants (probably tulips) in yellow, red, light and dark blue, and green on a creamy-yellow ground. The arches or so-called *vandykes* along the bottom of the panel are in blue and yellow and enclose arabesques in white, red, blue, and green. In the border is a row of compartments in blue, yellow, or green with floral devices in yellow, red, blue, and green. The guard bands contain a repeat pattern of a flower and leaf motif in white and red on a yellow ground (inner guard band) or in yellow (or green) and red on a white ground (outer guard band).","type":"Textiles","holder":"Saint Louis Art Museum","dates":"Hegira Early 12th to early 13th century / AD 18th century","location":"Saint Louis","dimensions":"Length: 182.9cm x Width: 121.9cm","method_for_datation":"Scholarly review and/or comparison to similar objects from the period.","method_for_provenance":"Scholarly review and/or comparison to similar objects from the period.","provenance":"Kula district, probably western Anatolia, Turkey, Asia","obtention":"Gift of James F. Ballard, 1929","bibliography":"Denny, Walter and Farnham, Thomas, *The Carpet and the Connoisseur: The James F. Ballard Collection of Oriental Rugs*, Saint Louis: The Saint Louis Art Museum, 2016.","keywords":["wool","rug","Anatolia","Turkey","prayer","Ottoman","Western","textile","Kula","column","Coupled"],"materials":["wool","pulled to left","approximately 34-35Vx38-40H per decimetre","symmetrical knot"]},"47ac58d0-5993-5a08-9fd3-789f0c8a452b":{"name":"Confronted animal rug","short_description":"When this rug was discovered, its unusual design of confronted animals with smaller animals within was otherwise known only in a rug depicted in a Sienese painting of about 1410, *The Marriage of the Virgin*, in the collection of the National Gallery, London. The pattern of the rug in the painting, partially obscured by standing figures, was not comprehensible without this example. The purchase, hailed in carpet-collecting circles, brought one of the best preserved, earliest Turkish carpets in the world to the Museum. The field design probably derives from medieval textiles patterned with single or paired animals in compartments.","type":"Textile","holder":"The Metropolitan Museum of Art","dates":"Hegira 7th century / AD 14th century","location":"New York","dimensions":"Rug: L: 165.1cm, W: 138.4cm; Tube: L: 157.5cm, Diameter: 15.2cm","provenance":"Turkey","obtention":"Purchase, Harris Brisbane Dick Fund, Joseph Pulitzer Bequest, Louis V. Bell Fund and Fletcher, Pfeiffer and Rogers Funds, 1990  \nVendor: Lisbet Holmes Textiles, London  \nFormer owner: Fred Cagan, Nepal  \nFormer owner \\[dealer\\]: \\[Lisbet Holmes Textiles, London, by 1989–90; sold to MMA\\]","bibliography":"Berinstain, Valerie, *Great Carpets of the World*, New York: Vendome Press, 1996: 63, ill. pl. 37 (colour).  \nCampbell, Thomas P. (ed), *The Metropolitan Museum of Art Guide*, New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2012: 131, ill. (colour).  \nDenny, Walter B., *How to Read Islamic Carpets*, New Haven/London: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2014: 57, ill. fig. 43 (colour).  \nEkhtiar, Maryam, Canby, Shelia R., Haidar, Navina and Soucek, Priscilla P. (eds), *Masterpieces from the Department of Islamic Art in The Metropolitan Museum of Art*, New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2011: 8, 328–30, no. 234, ill. 329 (colour).  \nRoxburgh, David J. (ed), *Turks. A Journey of a Thousand Years, 600–1600*, London/New York: Royal Academy of Arts, 2005: 142–43, 402–3, no. 98, ill. pl. 98 (colour).  \nWalker, Daniel, \"Islamic Art\", *Metropolitan Museum of Art Bulletin*, 48/2 (1989–1990): 12–13, ill. 13 (colour).","copyright":"The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Purchase, Harris Brisbane Dick Fund, Joseph Pulitzer Bequest, Louis V. Bell Fund and Fletcher, Pfeiffer and Rogers Funds, 1990","keywords":["European influence","wool","domestic furnishings","Anatolia","Animal Carpet","geometric decoration","Turkey","Ottoman","animal decoration","textile","figurative decoration","Ottoman carpet"],"materials":["symmetrically knotted pile","Wool (warp","weft","and pile)"]},"47fe8af0-32fe-5514-b757-89268ef87eee":{"name":"Lattice design carpet fragment","description":"A 17th century Safavid Kirman pile carpet fragment. Uncommonly long and narrow, it is decorated with a single-plane lattice design on a dark blue background. The carpet's lattice structure is made up of long red serrated leaves linked together by round yellow-coloured flowers. The lattice’s compartments each holds a one of a variety of flowering plants, including irises, carnations, narcissi, lotuses and roses; all of which are organised in a directional fashion, giving the carpet design a top and a bottom.  \n  \nEven though this carpet is a fragment, upon close technical examination of its foundation’s structure, its width was found to be complete, indicating that the carpet was purposefully woven with no left and right borders. However, its top and bottom ends are now missing. The shape of this carpet fragment, especially its narrowness, suggests that it may have been made to cover a specific floor space that required it not to have any conventional borders.","type":"Carpet","holder":"Glasgow Museums - The Burrell Collection","dates":"17th century","location":"Glasgow, Scotland","dimensions":"H: 3988mm, W: 1016mm","method_for_datation":"Manufacturing techniques and stylistic analysis","method_for_provenance":"Stylistic analysis","provenance":"Iran, Kirman","obtention":"Gifted by Sir William and Lady Burrell to the City of Glasgow, 1944","bibliography":"Beattie, May H., *Carpets of Central Persia*, London: World of Islam Festival Publishing Company Ltd., 1976: 60.","workshop":"Kirman workshop","author":"Noorah Al-Gailani","keywords":["carnation","Kerman","lotus","leaf lattice","floral motifs","Fragment","narcissus","iris"],"materials":["Cotton warp","wool pile","wool and cotton weft"]},"48887762-a62c-5b30-b2db-6af8b91042a2":{"name":"Sahah rug","description":"Bedouin rug used to divide the men's section from the women's section of the tent.","type":"Bedouin rug","holder":"Department of Antiquities","owner":"Department of Antiquities","dates":"Early 20th century","location":"Amman","dimensions":"L: 8, W: 10m","method_for_datation":"Early 20th century treadle loom weavers from Syria and Palestine settled in Jordan. They produced rugs, saddle bags and more.","provenance":"Amman","obtention":"Purchased","bibliography":"Rashid, Abdallah, *Traditional life in Amman from 1878-1948*, Amman: Ministry of Culture and Youth, 1983.","author":"Samia Khouri","copy_editor":"Lisa Kelman","materials":["Goat hair / detail of ground loom rug","warp patterned weave"]},"48a971b4-cbfc-56cb-a20b-430077a3b1cf":{"name":"Carpet","description":"Carpet with a continuous field decoration, Lotto series.  \nField: It has two complete rectangular motifs and two unequal fragments due to the displacement of the symmetrical axis of the central motifs.  \nBorder: It is composed of three borders with predominantly geometric patterns and separated by fine lines. The two narrowest are composed of a zigzag that combines schematic floral elements, which contain a wider one composed of a sinuous line, where opposing plant elements are presented.  \nThe warp is of a plain linen in its colour and weft is comprised of orange and white wool. The knots consist of blue, green, yellow and white wool. The decoration of this carpet is typical of Near Eastern carpets from the period. It has a decoration similar to No. 51, sheet. XXXVI, Exp. Count of Welcreck and the valance belongs to the type of No. 47, sheet. XXXVIII, owned by the Marquise de Bermejillo del Rey, both from the mid-17th century. It comes from the Monastery of the Barefoot Carmelites located in Segovia, Spain.","type":"Carpet","holder":"National Museum of Decorative Arts","dates":"1625-1675","location":"Madrid","dimensions":"Length: 172cm, Width: 245cm","method_for_datation":"Through the stylistic and technical analysis of the piece.","method_for_provenance":"Through the stylistic and technical analysis of the piece.","provenance":"Cuenca (Spain)","obtention":"Acquired in 1945","bibliography":"Ferrandis Torres, José,*Exposición de Carpets antiguas españolas*, 1933: 114-115; Madrid: s.n.  \n*Vlaanderen en Castilla y León op de drempel van europa: Flandes y Castilla y León en el umbral de Europa*, catálogo de la exposición celebrada en Amberes, 1995: 510-511.","workshop":"Cuenca (Spain)","author":"Mª Dolores Vila Tejero","translator":"Asad Islam","keywords":["Cuenca"],"materials":["Spanish knot","Warp: Linen","Weft: Wool"]},"48af1635-ab16-56ac-b150-046ce304c2cc":{"name":"Mamluk Rug","description":"Mamluk carpets are characterized by a central, dominant octagonal medallion surrounded by a great variety of smaller, geometric motifs. They take their name from the Mamluk dynasties that ruled Egypt from 1250 through 1517. Carpets of this design were produced in Cairo, largely for the southern European luxury trade.","type":"Carpet","holder":"Philadelphia Museum of Art","dates":"1500-1550","location":"Philadelphia, Pennsylvania","dimensions":"195.6 × 134.6cm (6 feet 5 inches × 53 inches)","provenance":"Cairo, Egypt, Africa","obtention":"The John D. McIlhenny Collection, 1943","bibliography":"Ellis, Charles Grant, *Oriental Carpets in the Philadelphia Museum of Art*, Philadelphia: Philadelphia Museum of Art, 1988: cat. 39.","author":"Quintin Blumka","copy_editor":"Xena Wang","keywords":["rug","carpet"],"materials":["wool"]},"491b4b4e-6024-574f-8938-d8c2d64f3343":{"name":"\"Bird\" Rug","description":"Small Bird Rugs such as this one have been found frequently in Protestant churches in Transylvania. The background of this piece is completely ivory white, with very limited coloring. It lacks any blue or green and relies on brown red and yellow ornamentation. The carpet features large clouds motifs spanning its fame, while its field is decorated with red and yellow, abstracted bird motifs. The corners of this carpet are cropped. This could be for architectural reasons or because of wear and tear.","type":"Carpet; Floor coverings","holder":"Philadelphia Museum of Art","dates":"17th century","location":"Philadelphia, Pennsylvania","dimensions":"172.7 x 127cm (5 feet 8 inches x 4 feet 2 inches)","provenance":"Anatolia, Turkey, Asia","obtention":"The Joseph Lees Williams Memorial Collection, 1955","bibliography":"Ellis, Charles Grant, *Oriental Carpets in the Philadelphia Museum of Art*, Philadelphia: Philadelphia Museum of Art, 1988: cat. 18.","author":"Quintin Blumka","copy_editor":"Xena Wang","keywords":["rug","carpet"],"materials":["wool"]},"49544dd7-3631-5322-bd3a-4eeabe7bf31a":{"name":"Garden carpet / ‘Figdor’ carpet","description":"Although small in format, this garden carpet is among the most famous and earliest preserved of its type. Owing to its technical peculiarities, it is the only carpet of the Kirman group that features gold and silver brocade, making it one of a kind. The field depicts a garden, consisting of six parts, carried into the plain, an extended *chahār-bāgh*\\-style garden form of the time is present: water channels and basins, once brocaded in silver, structure the field. Fish and ducks scrimmage in the watercourses; the individual compartments are vegetated and populated with animals. An exemplar closely related in terms of the motif is located today in the collection of the Maharajah of Jaipur.","type":"Carpet","holder":"MAK – Austrian Museum of Applied Arts / Contemporary Art","dates":"First half of the 17th century","location":"Vienna","dimensions":"H: 191cm, W: 156cm; knot density 3,500/dm2","method_for_datation":"Research and documentary evidence","method_for_provenance":"Research and documentary evidence","provenance":"Southern Iran, probably Kirman","obtention":"Obtained in 1930, purchased at the Albert Figdor auction","bibliography":"Völker, Angela, *Die orientalischen Knüpfteppiche das MAK*, Vienna: Böhlau, 2001: 264–7.","author":"Angela Völker","copy_editor":"Mandi Gomez","keywords":["wool","Kerman","Safawid","textile","cotton","carpet","floral design","animals"],"materials":["Cotton warp","cotton and wool weft","asymmetrical knot. Silver thread brocade","around silk core","part gilded","knotted"]},"496c91ec-0db6-55e6-a0ec-27b0d984738e":{"name":"Carpet","description":"Field: Rectangular carpet, with a central field formed by three rectangles with floral motifs linked to designs of the era of Carlos IV (r.1788-1808)  \nBorder: The border that frames the field is composed of alternating squares and rectangles which are arranged so as to suit the size and field of carpet. These contain smaller rectangles with vegetal motifs and squares with simplified flowers.  \nThe carpet also has an external border that occupies its entire perimeter and consists of a faux marble and jasper design.  \nThis carpet was made in 1822 by Stuyck at the Royal Tapestry Factory in Madrid, a provenance which is attested to by the inscription on the outer border. These decorations, which have survived the test of time, are still being made today in the Royal Factory and derive from neoclassical templates (associated with art under King Carlos IV), due to the great acceptance of this typology in bourgeois society. Unsurprisingly, other manufactures have also imitated such neoclassical carpet designs, albeit with an inferior quality.","type":"Carpet","holder":"National Museum of Decorative Arts","dates":"1822","location":"Madrid","dimensions":"Length: 625cm, Width: 350cm","method_for_datation":"Through the inscription","method_for_provenance":"Through the inscription","provenance":"Royal Tapestry Factory of Santa Barbara (Madrid)","workshop":"Royal Tapestry Factory of Santa Barbara (Madrid)","author":"Mª Dolores Vila Tejero","translator":"Asad Islam","keywords":["19th Century"],"materials":["Wool/ Turkish knot"]},"49fa1289-b7d6-5488-83f0-3b0deda86df9":{"name":"\"Lotto\" Carpet with Open Kufesque Border","short_description":"The red field of this so-called \"Lotto\" carpet has an allover pattern of arabesques in yellow with touches of white and blue forming various devices. The green border has a design of a stylized pseudo-*Kufic* inscription in white, red, and blue. The guard bands enclose a ribbon design on a blue or red ground.","type":"Textiles","holder":"Saint Louis Art Museum","dates":"Hegira Mid 9th to early 10th century / AD late 15th–early 16th century","location":"Saint Louis","dimensions":"Length: 170.2cm x Width: 109.2cm","method_for_datation":"Scholarly review and/or comparison to similar objects from the period.","method_for_provenance":"Scholarly review and/or comparison to similar objects from the period.","provenance":"Central Anatolia, Turkey, Asia","obtention":"Gift of James F. Ballard, 1929","bibliography":"Carboni, Stefano, *Venezia e l'Islam 828-1797*, Venice: Marsilio, 2007.  \nCarboni, Stefano, Raby, Julian, Arcangeli, Catarina Schmidt and Curatola, Giovanni, *Venice and the Islamic World 828-1797*, Paris: Gallimard, 2006.  \nClemente-Ruiz, Aurélie, *Du Bazar à la Piazza*, Paris: Institut du monde arabe, 2006.  \nDenny, Walter and Farnham, Thomas, *The Carpet and the Connoisseur: The James F. Ballard Collection of Oriental Rugs*, Saint Louis: The Saint Louis Art Museum, 2016.  \nPerkins, Zoe Annis, Brako, Jeanne, and Mann, Robert, “Woven Traditions: The Integration of Conservation and Restoration Techniques in the Treatment of Oriental Rugs”, *The Textile Museum Journal*, Washington D.C.: The Textile Museum, 1991.","keywords":["wool","Anatolia","Central","Turkey","Ottoman","Lotto","textile","Open Border","carpet","Asia","Kufesque"],"materials":["approximately 37Vx30H per decimetre","wool","slightly pulled to the left","symmetrical knot"]},"4a4a3490-2975-5ac7-9ff7-8346fbdc5189":{"name":"Prayer rug.","description":"In the AH 12th and 13th /AD 18th and 19th centuries, the small town of Milas in the southwest of Turkey was a centre for the manufacture of prayer rugs. A characteristic feature of later Milas prayer rugs is the dark red angular prayer niche. The inner side of the niche is edged all around with small flower-like ornaments. In the lower part of the niche is an octagon connected with four rosettes. The ornamentation within the arch is badly worn. Four green and red peonies with a rhomb between on a white background fill the area of the spandrels. The central rectangular field containing the prayer niche is framed several times by stripes of different geometrical patterns. The next border shows on a yellow background a design consisting of red octagons, alternating with large stylised blossoms in red, white and dark and light blue. From each of these blossoms emerge four heavily stylised carnations. The outer band shows a row of multicoloured small octagons on a white background.","short_description":"Prayer rug from Melas. Its characteristic feature is the dark red angular prayer niche surrounded by several stripes of geometrical pattern. Different kinds of flowers are spread over the whole area of the rug.","type":"Wool, knotted, carpet","holder":"Museum of Mediterranean and Near Eastern Antiquities (Medelhavsmuseet).","owner":"National Museum of Fine Arts, Stockholm. In order to reorganise the expanding collections, the main part of the Islamic collection has been on permanent loan to the Museum of Mediterranean and Near Eastern Antiquities since 1982.","dates":"Hegira 13th century / AD 19th century.","location":"Stockholm","dimensions":"Height 148.5 cm, width 113 cm.","method_for_datation":"Milas was a centre for the manufacture of prayer rugs in the 12th–13th / 18th–19th centuries. Prayer rugs from Milas showing angular niches are ascribed to the 13th / 19th century; a Milas prayer rug showing a very similar pattern is dated to the first half of the 13th / 19th century.","method_for_provenance":"Rugs with similar designs and colour schemes are usually ascribed to the Milas group of rugs.","provenance":"Anatolia (Milas district), Turkey.","obtention":"Gift from the estate of Axel and Nora Lundgren, registered 29 September 1977.","bibliography":"Dimand, M. S., *Oriental Rugs in the Metropolitan Museum of Art*, Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, 1973.  \nZipper, K. and Fritzsche, C., *Anatolische Teppiche: Battenberg Antiquitäten-Kataloge Orientteppiche* 3, Munich, 1989, cat. no. 67.","linkcatalogs":"IAM_TR_EN_001","author":"Friederike Voigt","copy_editor":"Monica Allen","keywords":["prayer rug","Religion","Purity","geometrical decoration"],"materials":["wool","knotted."]},"4c2e97c3-1f65-5c4f-bee4-cfe59209a4b4":{"name":"*Palaz*","description":"A diamond chain and other geometric elements are connected to each other in stripes of various width. A rich pattern develops on a red background with blue ornaments, between two consecutive three-wide stripes.","type":"Carpet","holder":"Azerbaijan National Museum of Art","owner":"Azerbaijan National Museum of Art","dates":"Date unknown, purchased by the Museum in the 19th century","location":"Baku","dimensions":"H: 250cm, W: 159cm","method_for_datation":"The date is not certain, but research and documentary evidence suggests a maker in Garabagh","method_for_provenance":"Information offered by the seller has been further researched and corroborated by experts at the Museum","provenance":"Garabagh, Azerbaijan","obtention":"Purchased in the 19th century","bibliography":"Rasim Efendiyev, *Azărbai̐jan khalg sănăti / Folk Art of Azerbaijan*, Azerbaijan, Baku: Ishyg, 1984 (text in Azerbaijani, English and Russian).","author":"Emin Suleymanov","copy_editor":"Mandi Gomez","keywords":["geometric motifs","Azerbaijan","carpet","rhythmic pattern","Palaz"],"materials":["Wool warp and weft","plain weave"]},"4c4757fd-8356-5ee9-841b-cb1cab47f528":{"name":"Pair of shaped carpets","short_description":"A pair of shaped carpets, each of arched trapezoidal form, lie together to form a large, rectangular carpet with a hexagon cut-out at centre. The carpets terminate in mirrored tips such that a narrow opening is formed when the carpets are paired. The purpose of the opening and the function of the carpets generally has been the subject of debate. Could they have been tent or palace furnishings? Might they have surrounded a throne or a fountain? Or was there some other purpose?  \nEach carpet’s deep red field is replete with discrete floral sprays arranged in rows and oriented to the left, upper, and right edges. The polychrome floral sprays are rendered with enough detail to enable identification of chrysanthemums, poppies, tulips, and irises among other flowers. Works of art produced during the reign of the Mughal dynasty are famous for their delicate floral motifs. During the first half of the 17th century in particular, the Mughal emperors showed great interest in carefully observed forms found in nature, which court artists translated into a variety of materials, the best known of which is the stone inlay on the Taj Mahal. Intricately woven flower carpets are known to have been made for the Mughal court of pashmina wool and silk, at least one of which has a staggering 1,085 knots per square inch.  \nThese shaped carpets are more modest in production. With a cotton warp and weft and a pile of sheep’s wool, they show a weave of approximately 156 knots per square inch. They are part of a well-known group associated with the Jaipur royal house of India. They may once have been furnishings at Amber Palace, but were later moved to Jaipur where most of the group is still sealed in storage at the City Palace. Many of those carpets still have their original inventory labels which indicate the group was purchased around 1650 in Lahore (Pakistan). However, it is not certain if they were woven there, or in Kashmir, or perhaps elsewhere in Northern India.","type":"Islamic, Indian & Southeast Asian works of art; Mughal Indian carpet; carpet","holder":"Shangri La, Doris Duke Foundation for Islamic Art","dates":"c. 1650","location":"Honolulu, Hawai'i","dimensions":"Each carpet approximately: L: 455cm, W: 275cm. Overall: 467.4 x 556.2cm","method_for_datation":"Stylistic analysis; historic documents; technical analysis","method_for_provenance":"Sales receipt and auction catalogue","provenance":"Lahore, Pakistan or Northern India or Kashmir","obtention":"Purchased by Doris Duke at auction from the collection of the J. Paul Getty Museum, Sotheby's New York, December 8, 1990, lot 8","bibliography":"Dimand, M.S., *The Kevorkian Foundation Collection of Rare and Magnificent Oriental Carpets*, New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 1966.  \nWalker, Daniel S., *Flowers Underfoot, Indian Carpets of the Mughal Era*, New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 1997.  \nDenny, Walter B., and Farnham, Thomas J., *The Carpet and the Connoisseur: The James F Ballard Collection of Oriental Rugs*, London: Hali Publications, 2016.  \nThompson, Jon, “Shaped Carpets Found in the Jaipur Treasury”, in K. Riboud (ed.), *In Quest of Themes and Skills: Asian Textile*, Bombay: Marg, 1989: 48–51.  \nKamada, Yumiko, “Doris’s Choice: Indian Carpets and Textiles at Shangri La”, *Shangri La Working Papers in Islamic Art*, no. 6 (March 2014): 1–28, www.shangrilahawaii.org \\[2016\\].","author":"Sharon Tomlinson","keywords":["floral decoration","wool","Mughal","Shah Jahan","India","garden","cotton","carpet","trapezoidal","collector"],"materials":["wool","cotton"]},"4cff674a-5737-5495-a700-496faacc7750":{"name":"Prayer rug with multiple prayer niches (fragment).","description":"This carpet fragment is the preserved part of a considerably larger prayer rug featuring multiple prayer niches. The carpet features a row of six red niches of various widths that are closed at the top by dark-blue arches. The sixth niche on the left-hand side is only a half-niche as the carpet was cut at this point and the border repaired. The niches are separated using fine green lines that run down to the bottom and which could be interpreted as substitute columns. The carpet’s narrow border consists of a double-edged, reciprocal pattern of alternating light-blue and yellow crenellations. The wider, less complete, border has a single row of crenellations, yellow alternating with blue.  \nThe particular clarity of the carpet’s design and its use of colour demonstrate the Ottoman understanding of the decorative arts and their practice. Unlike most of the other known multiple prayer-niche carpets, this one is very simple, in that nowhere is it overly decorated; however even in its simplicity, it still follows a systematic composition of ordered patterns covering the surface, as can be seen repeatedly within Ottoman art from as early as the AH 9th / AD 15th century. Its simplicity, vibrant colours and the combined overall impact it creates would definitely have appealed to middle European tastes. Followers of the Islamic faith would have prayed on multiple prayer-niche carpets placed parallel to the *qibla* wall in the mosque. Admittedly, the rows of niches on this carpet merely refer to its function or use, because, essentially, each clean surface acts as a pad on which to pray. The narrowness of each niche on the carpet hints that a believer would have required more space in which to pray than that afforded by the narrow niches on the carpet.","short_description":"This carpet with its pattern of multiple niches is part of a once much larger rug. It was probably made for use in a mosque. It is unique because the design does not include the usual complicated patterns but instead makes a strong impact through its plain vibrant colours.","type":"Ottoman textile, carpet","holder":"Museum of Islamic Art at the Pergamon Museum","initial_owner":"O. Bernheimer Collection, Munich","dates":"Hegira 11th century / AD 17th century.","location":"Berlin","dimensions":"Length 128 cm, width 329 cm.","method_for_datation":"The carpet has been dated on the grounds of its pattern, colours and knot-technique to be from the 11th / 17th century.","method_for_provenance":"The carpet belongs to a group of Ottoman carpets that are referred to as the Ushak Group.","provenance":"Ushak region, western Turkey.","obtention":"Obtained in 1961 from the O. Bernheimer Collection, Munich.","bibliography":"Arseven, C. E., *Les Arts Décoratifs Turcs*, Istanbul, 1952.  \nErdmann, K., *Siebenhundert Jahre Orientteppich*, Herford, 1966, p.108, plate 9.  \n*Museum für Islamische Kunst Berlin*, Catalogue, Berlin, 1979, no. 4.  \nSpuhler, F., *Die Orientteppiche im Museum für Islamische Kunst Berlin*,Berlin, 1987, no. 18, plate 18.  \n*Weltkulturen und Moderne Kunst*, Catalogue,München, 1972, pp.99–100, no. 291.","linkcatalogs":"IAM_TR_EN_001","author":"Annette Hagedorn","translator":"Maria Vlotides","translation_copy_editor":"Monica Allen","keywords":["knot carpet","Ottoman","prayer rug"],"materials":["maroon and white","wool","knotted."]},"4eb58eb4-04ef-58af-ab87-11a2314bc748":{"name":"Mamluk Rug","description":"Woven in Cairo, Egypt in the late fifteenth century, this Mamluk rug is an exceptional model of its kind. Predominantly red, with traditional accent colors of light green and blue, the rug also introduces a light touch of yellow. The center of the rug showcases two interwoven octagons, each of which is in-turn comprised of miniature triangles, squares, and stars. Above and below the octagons are panels of fleur-de-lis. The cross panels contain figures such as blue cypress trees and green plants. The blue borders are off-set with green and red octofoils and cartouches containing lotus flowers. This Mamluk rug, while in many ways representative of its type with its use of colors and imagery, is distinguishable in its usage of mandala-like roundels in the center motif. The roundels are reminiscent of similar motifs in east Asian art and the prominence of the lotus blossoms cements this association. Additionally, the compression of the center motif makes this carpet unique in a style which focuses on elongated centerpieces. Similar rugs can be found at the St. Louis Art Museum and the Brooklyn Museum.","type":"Carpet; Floor coverings","holder":"Philadelphia Museum of Art","dates":"Late 15th century","location":"Philadelphia, Pennsylvania","dimensions":"198.1 x 139.7cm (6 feet 6 inches x 4 feet 7 inches)","provenance":"Cairo, Egypt, Africa","obtention":"The Joseph Lees Williams Memorial Collection, 1955","bibliography":"Ellis, Charles Grant, *Oriental Carpets in the Philadelphia Museum of Art*, Philadelphia: Philadelphia Museum of Art, 1988: cat. 38.  \nValentiner, Wilhelm R., *Catalogue of a Loan Exhibition of Early Oriental Rugs*, New York: MET, 1910: Syrian (Damascus) (Egyptian ?), c. 1500.","author":"Quintin Blumka","copy_editor":"Xena Wang","keywords":["rug","carpet"],"materials":["wool"]},"4ee7fe82-e416-5820-a768-7626a3306e3b":{"name":"Daghestan prayer rug","description":"With a few notable exceptions, Daghestan rug motifs are field repeats. Many of the field repeats are used under *mihrab*s in prayer rugs. White-field prayer rugs of this same design were woven with little obvious change for over a century.  \nIn the prayer niche, as the field repeat motif, there are “floral lattice” motifs on the white background. The bird-like figures are palmettes. In the *mihrab* arch there are small florets, half of the stepped medallion and two small square motifs. The arch is a field with a red meander on a light green background. The central field is framed with three borders. The main floral border is decorated with polychrome floral motifs. Minor borders are “floral meander” on light blue ground in the inner border and floral meander on a dark blue background in the outer border. Floral meander is a very common major and minor border in Caucasian rugs.","type":"Carpet","holder":"Museum of Arts and Crafts","dates":"Second half 19th century","location":"Zagreb","dimensions":"H: 161cm, W: 89cm","method_for_datation":"By stylistic analysis","method_for_provenance":"By stylistic analysis","provenance":"Caucasus","obtention":"Unknown","author":"Andrea Klobučar","translator":"Petra Milovac","translation_copy_editor":"Daniel de la Vega","keywords":["prayer rug","Caucasus"],"materials":["knotted carpet","wool","symmetrical knots"]},"4f9d11b2-a662-5fcc-ad96-aa981c116e77":{"name":"*Chalabi*","description":"Decorated with stylised geometric ornaments; against the background of the central red field are arranged medallions in contrasting colours of green and yellow. In the remaining area cross-shaped elements  develop. The border consists of three stripes; the wide central border has a white background bordered with red, green and dark red.","type":"Carpet","holder":"Azerbaijan National Museum of Art","owner":"Azerbaijan National Museum of Art","dates":"Date unknown, purchased by the Museum in the 19th century","location":"Baku","dimensions":"H: 200cm, W: 112cm","method_for_datation":"The date is not certain, but research and documentary evidence suggests a maker in Garabagh","method_for_provenance":"Information offered by the seller has been further researched and corroborated by experts at the Museum","provenance":"Garabagh, Azerbaijan","obtention":"Purchased in the 19th century","bibliography":"Rasim Efendiyev, *Azărbai̐jan khalg sănăti / Folk Art of Azerbaijan*, Azerbaijan, Baku: Ishyg, 1984 (text in Azerbaijani, English and Russian).","author":"Emin Suleymanov","copy_editor":"Mandi Gomez","keywords":["Azerbaijan","medallion","carpet","Chalabi"],"materials":["Wool warp and weft","symmetrical knot"]},"505bdab1-a532-5c33-a25d-9582f4309467":{"name":"Carpet","description":"Initially, the production of Arraiolos carpets was characterised by a rigid and faithful adoption of Eastern carpet patterns, with their palmettes, lotus flowers, “vine scrolls”, arabesque motifs and other elements. This faithfulness to characteristic design elements allows recognition of the main sources of inspiration in this production, such as carpets from the Iberian Peninsula, Persia and Turkey, the “Holbein” and “Lotto” versions among them.  \nThis carpet is of great interest, since it is a rare extant example of an Arraiolos carpet based on the standard “Lotto” pattern, the influence of which in carpets currently extant in Portugal is residual. “Lotto”-design carpets were popular in Europe during the 16th century, as evidenced by interiors represented in many contemporary paintings of the period, such as in *Presentation of the Head of Saint John the Baptist*, attributed to Gregório Lopes (c. 1539‒1541).  \nThe carpet’s field features the characteristic geometric design of palmettes and stylised arabesques. In a contrasting colour, rosettes with angular forms fill the border. Originally, the background colour of the field was red; and traces of the pigment can still be seen in between the wool embroidery.","type":"Textile; carpet","holder":"National Museum of Ancient Art","dates":"End of 17th century","location":"Lisbon","dimensions":"H: 232cm, W: 150cm","method_for_datation":"Technical information provided by Teresa Pacheco Pereira","method_for_provenance":"Stylistic analysis and material dating","provenance":"Portugal, Arraiolos","obtention":"Transferred from the Convent of Santa Maria do Paraíso, Évora, Portugal, in 1889","bibliography":"Leite, Maria Fernanda Passos, “Tapetes de Arraiolos”, in *Artes decorativas portuguesas no Museu Nacional de Arte Antiga: Séculos XV‒XVIII*, Lisbon: MNAA, 1979: 145‒65.  \nMendonça, Maria José de, “Tapetes de Arraiolos”, in Barreira, João (ed.), *Arte Portuguesa – Artes Decorativas*, Lisbon: Excelsior, n.d.  \nPereira, Teresa Pacheco, *Tapetes de Arraiolos*, Lisbon: SILVIP, 1991.","workshop":"Arraiolos, Portugal","author":"Ana Kol","translator":"Lily Chadwick","translation_copy_editor":"Mandi Gomez","keywords":["17th century","Arraiolos stitch","ponto de Arraiolos","Slavic cross-stitch","embroidery","Portugal","Arraiolos","carpet"],"materials":["embroidered","oblique or Slavic cross-stitch (known as ponto de Arraiolos)","Linen and wool"]},"50b6f8e1-16d0-5432-9b45-cc0512192157":{"name":"Double niche ‘Transylvanian’ carpet","description":"The term “Transylvanian” rug refers to 17th- and 18th-century rugs preserved in large numbers in Transylvanian Saxon churches, and once considered to have been made in Transylvania, whereas in fact they were produced in western Anatolia. Certain Transylvanian rugs have a *mihrab* design, typical of prayer rugs; others, such as the present one, feature two opposing arches. The shape of this double niche and its undecorated beige ground are characteristic of later “Transylvanian” rugs, while the border of alternating polygonal cartouches and octagons can also be found in earlier examples. Several technical imperfections such as the inaccurate rendering of space, which accounts for the incomplete motifs in the main border, and the lack of left–right symmetry though indicative of a modest workshop, retain a certain appealing charm.","type":"Carpet","holder":"The National Museum of Art of Romania","dates":"Late 17th–early 18th century","location":"Bucharest","dimensions":"H: 180cm, W: 125cm; knot density ver. 33/dm; hor. 29/dm; 957/dm2","method_for_datation":"Stylistic analysis","provenance":"Western Anatolia","obtention":"Purchased from the owner","bibliography":"Dunca, Mircea, *De la mihrab la grădina paradisului*, Bucharest: Muzeul Național de Artă al României, 2006: cat. 11.","author":"Mircea Dunca","translator":"Victoria Gheorghita","translation_copy_editor":"Mandi Gomez","keywords":["Transylvanian rug"],"materials":["wool","knotted","symmetrical knot"]},"51d86b78-1536-574b-bf4e-c0258d547857":{"name":"Carpet","description":"Field: The field is divided into four columns and four rows in which rectangular spaces house elongated octagons that contain a classic cruciform design. Other smaller cruciform elements appear between the columns. Upon the green triangular leaves, three small birds are housed. The field is framed by geometric floral schemes.  \nBorder: The border is composed of two smaller zigzagging borders that are separated by yellow lines and which enclose a larger border which is contrastingly decorated with facing esses linked by clamps. This motif is inspired by Chinese oriental carpets and their depiction of cloud designs.  \nThe warp is made of wool and the weft of naturally coloured linen. The woollen knots rely on several shades of blue, orange, yellow and green.  \nThe carpets knot density allows it to be classified as one of a low-medium quality in regards to its fineness.  \nThe design inspired by Ushak carpets, an Anatolian Turkish carpet design that was abundant since the first half of the 16th century. However, the design schemes used in the production centres of Cuenca differ from that of Anatolia, especially in regards to its colour.  \nThe Spanish variant, such as this one, consists of borders with Chinese clouds and opposing S or zigzag patterns. There are two examples of such a variant within the Museum.  \nThis carpet can be provenanced from the Monastery of the Barefoot Carmelites located in present day Segovia.","type":"Carpet","holder":"National Museum of Decorative Arts","dates":"1550-1650","location":"Madrid","dimensions":"Length: 528cm, Width: 350cm","method_for_datation":"Through the stylistic and technical analysis of the piece.","method_for_provenance":"Through the stylistic and technical analysis of the piece.","provenance":"Cuenca (Spain)","bibliography":"Bartolomé Arraiza, Alberto, Schoebel Orbea, Ana, Partearroyo, Cristina, *Carpets Españolas de Alcaraz y Cuenca, siglos XV-XVI, 2002*, Madrid: Secretaría General Técnica: Subdirección General de Información y Publicaciones.  \nSánchez Ferrer, José, *Carpets de Alcaraz y Liétor. Instituto de estudios albacetenses “Don Juan Manuel”*, Excma, Diputación de Albacete, Albacete, 2013: 405.","workshop":"Workshops of Cuenca (Spain)","author":"Mª Dolores Vila Tejero","translator":"Asad Islam","keywords":["Cuenca"],"materials":["Weft: Linen","Warp: wool","Spanish knot [600 knots per square decimetre]"]},"529e4353-d9fb-5895-a243-1a19e6cb982c":{"name":"Kula prayer rug","description":"The rug-weaving areas of Anatolia are conventionally divided into western, central and eastern regions. Western Anatolian centres such as Uşak, Ghiordes, Kula and their vicinity have a long tradition of carpet and rug production. Carpets from these centres were very popular in Europe. The town of Kula lies southeast of Ghiordes. The most notable of its varied weaves is a type of prayer rug formerly considered as among the most successful Anatolian town and village weaves. Characteristic of Kula rugs are mellow and subdued colours of yellow and brown, and more solemn shades of red, blue and green. The cross panel is usually found only above the arch.  \nIn the central field there is a *mihrab* (prayer niche) with field repeat motifs organized in three rows. An interesting fact is that all motifs are faced in the opposite direction from the *mihrab* arch. Motifs in the central row resemble motifs on the so-called cemetery carpets. This motif has its origin in pictorial landscapes of the Turkish Baroque period beginning in the second half of the 18th century. The other two rows have vase with stylized flower motifs. Such a large repeating hanging floral ornaments are typical for mid-nineteenth century Kula carpets. Above the spandrel there is oblong field with a dragon and phoenix motif. The central field is framed with six rows of *sobokli* border and two minor borders with a dragon motif. The *sobokli* border is common in prayer rugs. It is made up of narrow stripes, usually seven, which symbolize seven steps of paradise.","type":"Carpet","holder":"Museum of Arts and Crafts","dates":"Second half 19th century","location":"Zagreb","dimensions":"H: 188cm, W: 124cm","method_for_datation":"By stylistic analysis","method_for_provenance":"By stylistic analysis","provenance":"Western Anatolia","obtention":"Unknown","author":"Andrea Klobučar","translator":"Petra Milovac","translation_copy_editor":"Daniel de la Vega","keywords":["Anatolia","Ghiordes","prayer rug","Kula"],"materials":["knotted carpet","wool","symmetrical knots"]},"530ca1c3-4a81-5d51-9ca6-66560c02aee0":{"name":"Batári-Crivelli Carpet Fragment","alternate_name":"The Budapest Crivelli Star Rug","description":"Dating from the first half of the 14th century a new type of carpet with Anatolian animal figures appeared in European, mostly Italian paintings. These floor rugs utilized squares or octagons, each shape containing animal or bird figures. This design was popular until the last third of the 15th century and was subsequently replaced by carpets of only geometric design. Literature classifies the early 15th–16th century Ottoman Turkish rugs by the name of the European painters who depicted them. The dating of these carpets relies on the dates of the paintings as clues. In two paintings by the Venetian artist Carlo Crivelli (c. 1435–c. 1495), the right wing of the *Annunciation Triptych* (1482, Frankfurt am Main, Städel Museum and the altarpiece *The Annunciation with St Emidius of 1486* (London, National Gallery), an as-yet unknown carpet type appears. Two star-shaped medallions filled with birds and geometric forms appear in a yellow background. This design element, the only known specimen of the carpet type in Crivelli’s picture with naturalistic bird representations, became a part of the collection of the Museum of Applied Arts in 1917, likely acquired from Transylvania. Its world fame owes to Ferenc Batári (1934–2005), a prominent expert of Ottoman Turkish carpets who published this design under the name “Crivelli Rug” in his study of 1984. The Museum re-named it “Batári–Crivelli Rug Fragment” in honour of Ferenc Batári on the second anniversary of his death.","type":"Carpet","holder":"Museum of Applied Arts","dates":"15th century","location":"Budapest","dimensions":"Height: 164cm, Width: 61cm, Knot density: 844/dm2","method_for_datation":"Stylistic analysis; comparison with similar carpets depicted by Carlo Crivelli","method_for_provenance":"Stylistic and technical analysis","provenance":"Anatolia, Turkey","obtention":"Purchased in Budapest, c. 1917","bibliography":"Batári, Ferenc, *Ottoman Turkish Carpets: The Collection of the Museum of Applied Arts, Budapest I*, Budapest–Keszthely: Museum of Applied Arts, 1994: 37, no. 1 and 95, figure 1.  \nBatári, Ferenc, Der Crivelli Teppich (The Crivelli Carpet), *Ars Decorativa*, 8 (1991): 5-13.  \nÖlçer, N., and Enderlein, V., and Batári, F., and Mills, J., *Turkish Carpets from the 13th–18th Centuries*, Istanbul: Ahmet Ertuğ, 1996: 30, plate 18 \\[Ferenc Batári\\].  \nPásztor, Emese, *Ottoman Turkish Carpets in the Collection of the Budapest Museum of Applied Arts: In Memoriam Ferenc Batári*, Budapest: Museum of Applied Arts, 2007: 48, no. 2 and 49, figure.  \nTabibnia, Moshe and The Museum of Antique Textile Arts of Milan (MATAM) (eds), *Crivelli e l’arte tessile: i tappeti e i tessuti di Carlo Crivelli(Crivelli and Textile Art: The Carpet and Fabrics of Carlo Crivelli)*, Milano: Electa, 2010: 72—73 and figure \\[Tiziana Marchesi\\], 166—170 and figures 116—118 \\[Gianluca Poldi\\].","author":"Emese Pásztor","copy_editor":"Valerie Pulsifer","translator":"Alan Campbell","keywords":["wool","Ottoman rug","Fragment","bird"],"materials":["Symmetrical (Turkish or Ghiordes) knot","wool"]},"53a8079b-66d0-5e3d-b237-95276f9697b6":{"name":"Small Pattern Holbein Rug","description":"Early Ottoman Carpets with endless geometric designs of the kind found on paintings by the German painter Hans Holbein Jr. (1497/8–1543) are called \"Holbein Rugs\". The small pattern version of the Holbein Rug is more common.  Belonging to the group having the more traditional blue-green field, it has a lower knot density and higher pile than the Museum's other small pattern Holbein Rug (MAA inv. nr. 8546), and its broad kilim weave tapering towards the ends puts it into to the less refined group of Holbein Rugs. The execution of the rug – the colouring of the Holbein guls and arabesque crosses, the irregularly alternating red-ivory and red-ochre colour pairs, the departure from tradition in the border and other characteristics already mentioned – is suggestive of village carpets. What makes this rug so valuable is that at the kilim-woven top edge, an approximately 40 cm section of the end finish, has remained in its original condition. The edge was folded over and stitched down a width of 2–3cm.","type":"Carpet","holder":"Museum of Applied Arts","dates":"Mid-16th century","location":"Budapest","dimensions":"Height: 220cm, Width: 154cm, Knot density: 940/dm2","method_for_datation":"Stylistic analysis","method_for_provenance":"Sylistic and technical analysis","provenance":"West Anatolia, Turkey","obtention":"Purchased from Benő Grünblatt, an art dealer of Nagyszeben (now Sibiu, Romania), 1908","bibliography":"Batári, Ferenc, *Ottoman Turkish Carpets: The Collection of the Museum of Applied Arts, Budapest I*, Budapest–Keszthely: Museum of Applied Arts, 1994: 47, no. 6 and 100, figure.  \nÖlçer, N., and Enderlein, V., and Batári, F., and Mills, J., *Turkish Carpets from the 13th–18th Centuries*, Istanbul: Ahmet Ertuğ, 1996: 77, plate 53 \\[Ferenc Batári\\].  \nPásztor, Emese, *Ottoman Turkish Carpets in the Collection of the Budapest Museum of Applied Arts: In Memoriam Ferenc Batári*, Budapest: Museum of Applied Arts, 2007: 60–61, no. 5.  \nWaterhouse, Rupert (ed), *In Praise of God: Anatolian Rugs in Transylvanian Churches 1500–1750*, Istanbul: Sakıp Sabancı Museum, 2007: 135, no. 5 and figure \\[Michael Franses\\].","author":"Emese Pásztor","copy_editor":"Valerie Pulsifer","translator":"Alan Campbell","keywords":["wool","Geometric pattern","Holbein-gül","Holbein-göl","Ottoman rug"],"materials":["Symmetrical (Turkish or Ghiordes) knot","wool"]},"53fb542e-7715-5b8d-b6ac-6fba66ddeae6":{"name":"Pictorial carpet with landscape and a pair of birds","short_description":"Lahore, one of the new capitals of the Mughal Empire after the Emperor Akbar had abandoned the imperial complex of Fatehpur Sikri, was a major centre of carpet production on the Indian subcontinent. Stylistically, the carpet’s design fits very well into the late Akbar / early Jahangir period respectively. The idealised garden scene with identifiable pairs of birds (peacocks, cranes, fowls, etc.) and plants is designed naturalistically and delicately so that one can assume its model originated from the court studio. Its alignment suggests that it was likely used as a wall hanging. In the border, the carpet features grotesque masks typical of Mughal India, as well as a *ton sur ton* colour scheme and the omission of sharp contouring. For a carpet with wool flora, it has a very high knot density, which underscores its extraordinary quality.","type":"Carpet","holder":"MAK – Museum of Applied Arts","dates":"c. 1600","location":"Vienna","dimensions":"H: 233cm, W: 158cm; knot density 7,600/dm2","provenance":"North India, Lahore","obtention":"Assumption","bibliography":"Völker, Angela, *Die orientalischen Knüpfteppiche das MAK*, Vienna: Böhlau, 2001: 316–20.","catalogue_holding_link":"https://sammlung.mak.at/sammlung_online?id=collect-121265","author":"Martina Dax","copy_editor":"Mandi Gomez","keywords":["Mughal","animal decoration","silk","textile","Weft and Warp","birds","carpet","floral design","Akbar"],"materials":["wool","Cotton warp and weft","asymmetrical knot","knotted"]},"559aa521-7185-5807-b191-e79fc16098c9":{"name":"Tree of Life Carpet","short_description":"Vegetal and animal motifs decorate this Iranian carpet with the central Tree of Life motif. Originating from Kerman in the Qajar dynasty, the pile is only cut once the knotting process is complete and the textile is taken off its loom.  \n  \nPeople of different faiths and geographic contexts have embraced the tree of life as a symbol of the essence and interconnectedness of all living things. As such, the motif becomes a thread binding people in their shared ideas of the evergreen tree from Bhutan to Germany, the Mayan Empire and the Iroquois People.  \n  \nQajar depictions of the tree of life stem from pre-Islamic Zoroastrianism, considered to be the ancestor of all humans, animals and plants. In Islam, the life tree is called *sidra* or *tuba* and grows in paradise. The fruits known as *haoma* (also *homa*) feed those who enter heaven after death. The carpet displays fruits including grapes, pears, figs and pomegranate. The woven peacock, phoenix and eagle are protectors of the tree according to Persian mythology.  \n  \nA poem by Sufi poet Saadi frames the carpet within its border. The poetry mirrors the garden imagery, as one of Saadi's central themes and symbols of Persian cultural continuity.","type":"Carpets and rugs","holder":"FBQ Museum","owner":"Sheikh Faisal Bin Qassim Al Thani","dates":"19th century","location":"Shahaniya","dimensions":"Length: 200cm, Width: 140cm","place_of_production":"Iran, Kerman","method_for_datation":"Date and origin were derived from material, colour, pattern and knot examination.","method_for_provenance":"Date and origin were derived from material, colour, pattern and knot examination.","provenance":"Iran","obtention":"Purchase","bibliography":"Abed-doust, H. and Kazempour, Z., \"Various forms of 'life tree' on Persian carpets\" *Journal Scientific Goljaam*, 5 : 12 (2009): 123–139.  \nAckles, S. F., *Symbols and their meanings in the carpets and prayer rugs of the Turkish, Armenian and Persian traditions,* Doctoral dissertation, Colorado: Colorado State University Libraries, 1998.  \nGans-Ruedin, E., *Iranian Carpets: Art, Craft, and History,* London: Thames and Hudson, 1978.  \nFarzin, A. A. and Hashemi Zadegan, A., \"Interpretation of Garden Position in Saadi Poems\", *Journal of Art and Civilization of the Orient*, 4 : 13 (2016): 3–12.  \nLechler, G., \"The Tree of Life in Indo-European and Islamic Cultures,\" *Ars Islamica*, 4 (1937): 369–419.  \nNikandish, B., Askari, S., Chitsazian, A. \"Symbology of Bird Motifs in Persian and Indian Carpets\", *Peykareh*, 7 : 14 (2019): 33–51.  \nSharbatian, Y. and Bagheri, R., \"Anthropological Study of Kerman Carpet Symbols, Shapes, and Designs\" *American International Journal of Social Science Research*, 7 : 1 (2021): 15–29.  \nSoltis, D. E. and Soltis, P. S. \"Tree of Life in Ancient Human Culture and Art\", *The Great Tree of Life*, (2019): 1–19.","author":"Sarah Schroeder","copy_editor":"Janice Medina","keywords":["Rugs","Kerman","Qajar","Iran","Carpets","tree of life"],"materials":["wool","Senneh knot"]},"5606ef72-d7ce-5f38-b3cf-6741f5dab43a":{"name":"Uşak Lotto","description":"Anatolian rug-weaving areas are conventionally divided into western, central and eastern regions. Western Anatolian centres such as Ushak, Gördes, Kula and their vicinity have a long tradition of carpet and rug production. Carpets from these centres were very popular in Europe. Ushak has been a centre of carpet manufacturing since the 15th century and possibly long before. Larger carpets woven in the vicinity of Ushak were probably reaching European markets by the 15th century and many western Anatolian rug designs appear in Italian Renaissance paintings.  \nThe co-called “Lotto” carpet was named after the Venetian painter Lorenzo Lotto (1480–1556) who depicted it at least twice, in *The Alms of Saint Anthony* (1542, Ss Giovanni e Paolo, Venice) and *Family Group* (1547, National Gallery, London). These carpets are characterized by a repeating pattern of arabesques in different tones of yellow, usually on a red background.  \nIn the central field, on the red background, there is a yellow symmetrical arabesque pattern – two parallel rows of octagons and quatrefoils with numerous tendrils and hooks. The main border has a cartouche pattern with medallions in alternating colours – yellow and light blue medallions on dark blue background. The secondary border is decorated with red and blue meander motif on a white background. On its narrow sides the carpet has kilim finishes.","type":"Carpet","holder":"Museum of Arts and Crafts","dates":"2nd half 17th century","location":"Zagreb","dimensions":"H: 150cm, W: 115cm","method_for_datation":"By stylistic analysis","method_for_provenance":"By stylistic analysis","provenance":"Western Anatolia","obtention":"Unknown","bibliography":"Ivoš, Jelena, “Zbirka tekstila”, u Anđelka Galić *et al*. (eds), *Skriveno blago Muzeja za umjetnost i obrt, Zagreb*, Zagreb: Muzej za umjetnost i obrt, 2005: 208-233.  \nIvoš, Jelena, “The Textiles Collection”, u Anđelka Galić *et al*. (eds), *Hidden Treasure of the Museum of Arts and Craft, Zagreb*, Zagreb: Muzej za umjetnost i obrt, 2005: 208-233.","author":"Andrea Klobučar","translator":"Petra Milovac","translation_copy_editor":"Daniel de la Vega","keywords":["Ghiordes","Ushak","Lotto carpet","Western Anatolia"],"materials":["knotted carpet","wool","symmetrical knots"]},"5628ecb6-07a3-5d56-a952-4ec168b169ea":{"name":"Spindle","description":"Spindle, made of stone or bone that has been shaped into a rounded rod tapered on each end. This tool was used in hand spinning to twist threads into fibres drawn from the distaff.","type":"Spindle","holder":"Department of Antiquities","owner":"Department of Antiquities","dates":"3500-3000 BC","location":"Amman","dimensions":"Dia: 2-5cm","method_for_datation":"Excavation team in Jericho","provenance":"Jericho","obtention":"Excavation/Jericho","bibliography":"Ibrahim, Moawiyah, *et al.*, *Museum of Jordanian Heritage*, Amman-Jordan: Yarmouk University, 1988.","author":"Samia Khouri","copy_editor":"Lisa Kelman","materials":["Stone / bone"]},"568aa288-3d05-5bf2-9461-11f5d3c78666":{"name":"*Portrait of Charles of Bourbon*","description":"The Portrait of Charles of Bourbon (Charles III of Spain), one of a pair together with a portrait depicting Queen Maria Amalia of Saxony, now lost, is one of the first creations of the Royal Tapestry Factory in Naples.  \nFounded by the young King in 1737, soon after his arrival in Naples, the tapestry factory, together with a factory for the carving of semiprecious stones, was one of the first established by order of Charles of Bourbon. This decision must have been influenced by the young Charles’ interest in the Medici factories that were still operating in Florence. This interest developed when the future King stayed in the city in 1732, as the future successor to Gian Gastone de’ Medici.  \nIn fact, a small group of Florentine weavers and carvers of precious stones was responsible for giving life to the first two royal Bourbon factories in Naples, located near the church of San Carlo alle Mortelle. The factory, which was also composed of a local workforce, with the aim of promoting the development of new artistic techniques in the Kingdom of Naples, was under the direction of the Florentine Domenico del Rosso. And it was to the Florentine weaver that Charles entrusted his portrait and that of his consort; as with other items produced during the initial phase of the factories, these works were intended to celebrate the King and their patron. Production of the tapestry was completed in 1741, as indicated by the presence of the signature and date on the bottom right-hand edge of the tapestry: “DOM.CO D. L. ROSSO 1741”. The artist who provided the preparatory study for the tapestry is unknown; however, there is speculation that it may have been Giovan Battista delle Piane, who was a court portrait painter during these years; or Francesco Solimena, based on the tapestry’s extraordinary expressiveness and the intensity of the light and the colours in its original state.","type":"Bourbon manufacturing","holder":"Museum of Capodimonte","owner":"Museum of Capodimonte","dates":"1739–1741","location":"Naples","dimensions":"H: 237cm, W: 174cm","method_for_datation":"Signed and dated: “DOM.CO D. L. ROSSO 1741”","method_for_provenance":"Inventories","provenance":"Naples","obtention":"Bequest of Alfonso d’Avalos to the National Museum of Naples (the Italian State) in 1862","bibliography":"Giusti, Paola, *1737‒1759: Le Manifatture Reali al tempo di Carlo di Borbone*, in *Carlo di Borbone. Un sovrano illuminato per Napoli*, Naples: arte’m, 2016: 39.  \nMartino, Linda, *Museo di Capodimonte*, Milan: Touring Club Italiano, 2002: 221 (illustrated).  \nSiniscalco, Margherita, *Civiltà del '700 a Napoli. 1734‒1799*, vol. 2, Florence: Centro Di, Firenze, 1980: 97 (illustrated).  \nSpinosa, Nicola, *L’Arazzeria napoletana*, Naples: Libreria Scientifica Editrice, 1971.","workshop":"Royal Tapestry Factory in Naples (1737–1806)","author":"Maria Rosaria Sansone","translator":"Judith Forshaw","translation_copy_editor":"Mandi Gomez","keywords":["Charles of Bourbon","Don Carlos","Domenico Rosso","Francesco Solimena","Giovan Battista delle Piane","Royal Tapestry Factory in Naples","Neapolitan Church of San Carlo delle Mortelle","Portrait","Charles III of Spain","Tapestry","Florentine weavers"],"materials":["Wool and silk"]},"56bb796e-7473-5c75-af83-c44e76fe7578":{"name":"Prayer carpet '*sajada*'","short_description":"A highlight of the Khanenko Museum's Islamic collection is an Ottoman carpet dating to AD late 17th–first half of the 18th century. The carpet belongs to the traditional type of \"*sajada*\", or prayer, carpets, with composition based on a stylized picture of *mihrab* - a prayer niche in a mosque indicating the direction where Muslims turn during the prayer. The composition and motifs of the carpet, particularly the central niche coloured in plain dark blue and crowned with arch of an acute stepped shape as well as a peculiar geometrized carnation pattern above and below the niche, suggest that the item was manufactured in workshops of Giordes or Kula, two leading centres of Turkish carpet-making in the 17th–18th centuries. Numerous narrow ornamental borders that fringe the central arch add a specific elegance to the piece of art.","type":"Applied arts; Carpet","holder":"The Khanenko Museum","dates":"AD late 17th–first half of 18th century","location":"Kyiv","dimensions":"Lenght: 190cm, Width: 130cm","method_for_datation":"Stylistic analysis by Yu Miller (examination, 1961,  date, origin), Hanna Rudyk and Antonina Makarevych (examination based on B. Biedronska-Slotowa publication, 2019, date and origin specified).","method_for_provenance":"According to the entry in the old Museum Inventory Register (1925-1946).","provenance":"Turkey, Giordes or Kula","obtention":"Purchased by Bohdan and Varvara Khanenko. Donated by Varvara Khanenko in 1918, nationalized by Bolshevik regime in 1919.","bibliography":"Biedrońska-Słotowa, B., *Kobierce Wschodnie T.III.: Kobierce Tureckie 1*, Kraków: Muzeum Narodowe w Krakowie, 1983.  \nBilenko, H. and Rudyck (Rudyk), H., *Oriental Collection*, guidebook, Kyiv: The Khanenko Museum, 2005.  \nDimand, M.S., *Oriental Rugs in the Metropolitan Museum of Art*, New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 1973.  \nRudyk, H., \"Islamic art in the Khanenko Museum collection\", *Islamic art in the museums of Ukraine*, Proceedings of the Vyazmitina Research Seminar, (2017): 39-45.  \nRudyk, H., \"Ottoman Collection in The Khanenko Museum\", *Chronicles-2000*, 1: 95 (2013): 479-495.","author":"Antonina Makarevych","copy_editor":"Janice Medina","keywords":["Turkey","Ottoman","carpet","prayer rug"],"materials":["Wool (warp","weft and pile)","'ghiordes' knots"]},"5759d9cd-8272-5ef6-8d47-591a7af392bc":{"name":"*Allegory of Autumn*","alternate_name":"Part of the *Four Seasons* series","description":"The figures for Autumn are in an open landscape in the foreground grouped together off the central axis. The allegory of Autumn is characterised by the seated woman in the middle flanked by winged female genii symbolising the two months of September and October, which hold the Zodiac symbols of Libra and Scorpio. November balances the group, shown as a winged female genius riding on a Centaur holding the sign of Sagittarius. On the ground in front of the figures area still-life groups composed of autumn fruits. To one side, in the background, is an open porch within which people are busy harvesting grapes; on the other side, in an open landscape partly closed by hills and mountains, four other figures are busy in autumnal labours.  \n*The* *Allegory of Autumn* tapestry belongs within the *Four Seasons* series, of which the Museum also owns *Winter*; of the *Four Elements* series, the Museum holds *Air and Water*. It is likely the tapestries' designs are after cartoons by Ludwig van Schoor and are representative of Brussels tapestry production of the period showing a strong Rubens tradition and French influence, especially the painter Le Brun. Weaving took place in Pieter den Hecke's workshop in Brussels. He inherited cartoons from the workshop of his father, Jan Frans, using them repeatedly in tapestry series that were popular on the European market between 1690 and 1720.  \nThe original border on the Museum's tapestry *Autumn* was cut-off lengthwise and the signature – usually found on the border –probably removed as a result.  \n*The Allegory of Autumn* belongs to a series of tapestries depicting Seasons and Elements made after van Schoor's cartoons, kept in the Royal Museum of Arts and History in Brussels, in Würzburg Palace and in a private collection.  \n*Allegory of Autumn* and two other tapestries acquired at the end of the 19th century were probably part of the refurbishment of Pribislavac Manor carried out by the heirs of Count Festetić.","short_description":"*Allegory of Autumn* belongs to the tapestry series *The Four Seasons* made in Pieter van der Hecke's workshop probably after cartoons by Ludwig van Schoor. Pieter van der Hecke took over the workshop of his father, Jan Frans, repeatedly using cartoons he had inherited from his father's workshop in a series of tapestries. Today, other tapestries in the series are in the Royal Museum of Arts and History in Brussels, Würzburg Palace and a private collection.  \n*Allegory of Autumn* and two other tapestries acquired at the end of the 19th century were probably part of the refurbishment of Pribislavac Manor carried out by the heirs of Count Festetić.","type":"Tapestry","holder":"Museum of Arts and Crafts","initial_owner":"Count Festetić, Priblislavec Manor near Čakovec","dates":"About 1700","location":"Zagreb, North-West Croatia","dimensions":"H: 324 cm; w: 548 cm","place_of_production":"Brussels","method_for_datation":"The research of Zdenka Munk, director of the Museum of Arts and Crafts in Zagreb (1953–1978).","obtention":"The tapestry, from Pribislavec Manor near Čakovec originally owned by the Zrinski family, was moved to the Museum of Arts and Crafts in 1919. In 1791, the manor came into the possession of Count Festetić. At the end of the 19th century, a member of the same family refurbished the old manor house turning it into a fine Neo-Gothic mansion. This tapestry along with two others owned by the museum since 1919, were probably acquired as part of this refurbishment.","bibliography":"Munk, Z., “Tri briselske tapiserije u Muzeju za umjetnost i obrt” (Three Brussels Tapestries in the Museum of Arts and Crafts), *Tkalčićev zbornik II*, Zagreb, 1958.  \n*Od svagdana do blagdana. Barok u Hrvatskoj. Katalog izložbe* (From Everyday to Holidays: Baroque in Croatia), exhibition catalogue, Zagreb, 1993.","workshop":"Pieter van der Hecke","author":"Nela Tarbuk","translator":"Nikolina Jovanović","translation_copy_editor":"Mandi Gomez","keywords":["zodiac","Allegory","textile","embroidery","carpet","Four Elements","Four Seasons","Tapestry"],"materials":["Warp: wool","weft: wool and silk"]},"576b29fe-1757-5d8f-b8d8-aa0a86493db6":{"name":"Carpet","description":"Carpet of rectangular format with a continuous field decoration.  \nField: On a dark blue background, two zigzagging white parallel ribbons, depicting alternating spaces, which contain stars separated by rhombuses. The different colours of these elements show diagonal bands, producing a false transverse decoration effect.  \nBorder: Composed of multiple borders. The long sides alternate four narrow and wide borders with motifs similar to the field as well as the decoration of other carpets of this same series. The short sides contain a very wide border, with pseudo-*kufic* writing of a purely aesthetic nature, including similar motifs. The perimeter is topped by a single border with a double zigzag motif in the same colours as the field.  \nThe knots consist of wool in navy blue, yellow, red, white and brown.  \nThe border is composed of multiple borders, something characteristic of a series identified as \"carpets of a honeycomb field and multiple borders\", as Sánchez Ferrer calls them. This series is named by some scholars as a heraldic series or \"of the Admirals\", since in some of the preserved specimens there are heraldic motifs of various aristocratic families inserted in the field.  \nThe decoration of this carpet is in the Mudejar style.  \nWhilst the carpet does not retain its original size, decoratively speaking, it has been very well reconstructed.","type":"Carpet","holder":"National Museum of Decorative Arts","dates":"c. 1440","location":"Madrid","dimensions":"Length: 227.5cm, Width: 165.5cm","method_for_datation":"Through the stylistic and technical analysis of the piece.","method_for_provenance":"Through the stylistic and technical analysis of the piece.","provenance":"Alcaraz (Old Kingdom of Murcia)","obtention":"Acquired in 1999","bibliography":"Ferrandis, J, *Catálogo de Carpets antiguas españolas*, Madrid, 1933: 34, 105, 106, nº 3.  \nSánchez Ferrer, J., *Carpets antiguas de la provincia de Albacete*, 1986: 201, 316, lam. XVIII.","workshop":"Workshops of Alcaraz (Albacete)","author":"Mª Dolores Vila Tejero","translator":"Asad Islam","materials":["Weft: two ends twisted in Z","red","white and brown.","Spanish knot","Warp: wool","Weft: Wool","Warp: of two ends with torsion in S> Z","Colours: navy blue","yellow","Density: 1750 knots / dm2"]},"57fdd991-8257-544b-a045-69da20f95d9c":{"name":"Arabesque carpet with medallion","description":"A 17th century Safavid Persian pile carpet with an Arabesque design dominating its large yellow centre-field, which is adorned with a pink medallion. The centre-field is framed with quarter medallions in its four corners, and surrounded by a narrow dark blue border.  \n  \nThe Arabesque design consists of two intertwined networks of meandering vegetal stems and tendrils with foliates and rosettes. One stem network is in dark blue and pink leaf scrolls, and the other is a lighter blue network of large leaf scrolls and coloured flowers. Multi-coloured palmettes are positioned at the junctions where the two networks overlap or criss-cross. The superimposed pink medallion in the centre of the field is decorated with an arabesque motif too. Dark blue foliates on lighter blue vegetal stems form the medallion’s pattern. The four quarter medallions in the four corners of the filed are formed of arabesque motifs of salmon-pink coloured stems and foliates adorned with dark blue palmettes on an ivory background. The carpet’s border pattern consists of two networks of foliate scrolls that intertwine, one in blue and one in light brown / ochre colour.  \n  \nThe best of its type, this early carpet’s quintessentially Islamic Arabesque design shows how effectively such patterns can be employed to create a visually pleasing floor covering.","type":"Carpet","holder":"Glasgow Museums - The Burrell Collection","dates":"17th century","location":"Glasgow, Scotland","dimensions":"H: 3479mm, W: 2845mm","method_for_datation":"Manufacturing techniques and stylistic analysis","method_for_provenance":"Stylistic analysis","provenance":"Iran, Kirman","obtention":"Gifted by Sir William and Lady Burrell to the City of Glasgow, 1944","bibliography":"Beattie, May H., *Carpets of Central Persia*, London: World of Islam Festival Publishing Company Ltd., 1976: 60.","workshop":"Kirman workshop","author":"Noorah Al-Gailani","keywords":["floral decoration","vegetal arabesque","Kerman","medallion","floral motifs","palmette"],"materials":["Cotton warp","wool pile","wool and cotton weft"]},"58571b94-fb2a-50e6-8245-cbdd1f785d50":{"name":"Floor Spread (*sofra*) with Design of Tulips and Pomegranates","short_description":"A circular floor spread (*sofra*) with design of tulips and pomegranates. Around the outer edge is a narrow border of floral motifs. Within this comes a wide ring containing large tulips and artichoke or pomegranate motifs which have tulips within them set alternately. In the center is a double circle containing floral motifs like those in the border. The textile is mounted on a red velvet background. The design features red, blue, green, white, and yellow embroidered elements on a natural plain cloth background. There are slight repairs and many stains. The textile is pieced down the middle.","type":"Textiles and Clothing","holder":"Saint Louis Art Museum","dates":"Hegira 11th century to early 12th century / AD 17th century","location":"Saint Louis","dimensions":"Diameter: 106.7cm","method_for_datation":"Scholarly review and/or comparison to similar objects from the period.","method_for_provenance":"This circular shaped *sofra* is filled with tulip motifs characteristic of Ottoman embroidery. Tulips were originally a wild flower growing in Central Asia, and by the late seventeenth century Ottoman artists had perfected representations of the tulip form.","provenance":"Istanbul, Turkey, Asia","obtention":"Gift of Mrs. Frank H. Cook, 1952","bibliography":"Denny, Walter and Krody, Sumru Belger, *The Sultan’s Garden: The Blossoming of Ottoman Art*, Washington D.C.: The Textile Museum, 2012.","keywords":["Spread","Turkey","Floor","Ottoman","linen","silk","textile","embroidery","Asia","Istanbul","Sofra"],"materials":["Linen with silk embroidery"]},"58b1ae5a-7777-5820-8e17-f973952a1ddd":{"name":"*Shadda*","description":"The upper section of this carpet has no border. The bead width is divided into two parts: the top half adorned with eight camels on a red background, woven in two rows. Along the bottom on a black background is another row of camels.","type":"Carpet","holder":"Azerbaijan National Museum of Art","owner":"Azerbaijan National Museum of Art","dates":"Date unknown, purchased by the Museum in the 19th century","location":"Baku","dimensions":"H: 95cm, W: 245cm","method_for_datation":"The date is not certain, but research and documentary evidence suggests a maker in Garabagh","method_for_provenance":"Information offered by the seller has been further researched and corroborated by experts at the Museum","provenance":"Garabagh, Lambaran, Azerbaijan","obtention":"Purchased in the 19th century","bibliography":"Rasim Efendiyev, *Azărbai̐jan khalg sănăti / Folk Art of Azerbaijan*, Azerbaijan, Baku: Ishyg, 1984 (text in Azerbaijani, English and Russian).","author":"Emin Suleymanov","copy_editor":"Mandi Gomez","keywords":["Shadda","Azerbaijan","carpet","camel caravan","Lambaran"],"materials":["Wool warp and weft","plain weave"]},"58fd0ec7-5172-5bbf-bac4-88e40da41359":{"name":"Alpujarra Rug or Bedcover","description":"The Alpujarra rugs (or bedcovers) with pile in loops were produced in the Alpujarra region south of Granada between the 15th-16th and the 19th centuries. Alpujarra rugs or covers are classified as European folk art and were influenced by Eastern rugs.  \nThe cover was woven in three parts on a narrow beam loom, then stitched together. The weaver used only three colours of mercerized cotton (ivory, abrashed saffron yellow and light green) and metal thread. The yellow ground field is adorned with a diagonal lattice with green and ivory rosettes in the rhombuses. A two-headed eagle with a crown is in the centre. On the lower edge of the field in the inscription “DOÑA ROSALIA BTAVO” (BRAVO?). The border is green and has a crowned lion in each of the four corners. Between the lions is an alternating pattern of rosettes and pairs of doves atop bowls. The outer border contains stylised lilies alternating with star rosettes.  \nAlfréd Hoffman, owner of *Eggenberger*, one of the oldest book companies in Pest (founded in 1768), donated the bedcover in 1894 to the Museum of Applied Arts in accordance with the will of friend, János Kovachich-Molnár (1838-1894), who had been his business partner since 1863.","type":"Bedcover","holder":"Museum of Applied Arts","dates":"Late 18th century (?)","location":"Budapest","dimensions":"Height: 237cm, Width: 159cm, Knot density: 1,610/dm2","method_for_datation":"Stylistic and technical analysis","method_for_provenance":"Stylistic analysis","provenance":"Alpujarra, Province of Granada, Spain","obtention":"Donated by Alfréd Hoffmann, from the bequest of János Kovachich-Molnár, 1894","bibliography":"Batári, Ferenc, *Csomózott indiai, kelet turkesztáni, kínai, tibeti és európai szőnyegek: Kiállítás a Miskolci Galériában a Budapesti Iparművészeti Múzeum gyűjteményéből / Knotted Rugs from India, Eastern-Turkestan, China, Tibet and Europe: Exhibition in the Miskolc Gallery from the Collection of the Budapest Museum of Applied Arts*, Miskolc: Miskolci Galéria, 1980: no. 19 and figure.  \nRadocsay, Dénes, and Farkas, Zsuzsanna (eds), *Az európai iparművészet remekei: Száz éves az Iparművészeti Múzeum*, Budapest: Iparművészeti Múzeum, 1972: no. 86 \\[Ferenc Batári\\].","author":"Emese Pásztor","copy_editor":"Alan Campbell","translator":"Lara Strong","keywords":["European peasant rug","Mercerized cotton","Alpujarra rug","Spanish rug: U-loop technique"],"materials":["Loops: Mercerized cotton","U-loop technique.","(copper?) filament wound in an \"S\" shape around a light green cotton core","Warp and weft: Mercerized cotton"]},"5aa506b1-93f0-55a2-b0d0-1e2930bfd9d8":{"name":"‘Rustam and Zohrab’","description":"A carpet depicting the story of “Rustam and Zohrab”, who are depicted fighting at the centre on a blue background. In each of the four corners around the two characters are flower ornaments. In the lower section are a dog and a rabbit directly below a tree bearing fruit on which a bird sits. The four-stripe border is adorned with floral ornaments.","type":"Carpet","holder":"Azerbaijan National Museum of Art","owner":"Azerbaijan National Museum of Art","dates":"Date unknown, purchased by the Museum in 1911","location":"Baku","dimensions":"H: 289cm, W: 135cm","method_for_datation":"The date is not certain, but research and documentary evidence suggests a maker in Garabagh","method_for_provenance":"Information offered by the seller has been further researched and corroborated by experts at the Museum","provenance":"Garabagh, Azerbaijan","obtention":"Purchased in 1911","bibliography":"Rasim Efendiyev, *Azărbai̐jan khalg sănăti / Folk Art of Azerbaijan*, Azerbaijan, Baku: Ishyg, 1984 (text in Azerbaijani, English and Russian).","author":"Emin Suleymanov","copy_editor":"Mandi Gomez","keywords":["Persia","‘Rustam and Zohrab’","narrative","carpet","Shahnameh"],"materials":["Wool warp and weft","symmetrical knot"]},"5ae10050-97a5-5615-99f1-15adf017d907":{"name":"Carpet","short_description":"This carpet is remarkable both for its beauty and age, with the distinction of being the oldest silk-pile carpet still extant. Dated to the early AH 9th century / AD 15th century, it has been attributed to either Central Asia or Iran, or to the Deccan region of India, areas that were linked by political and commercial ties. This carpet stands out for its bright colours and the unique motif of a gaming board. The chess board was found only on carpets of the AH 9th and 10th centuries / AD 15th century.","type":"Rug","holder":"Museum of Islamic Art","dates":"Hegira 9th century / AD 15th century","location":"Doha","dimensions":"Height: 371 cm, width: 163 cm","provenance":"Central India, possibly Bidar","obtention":"Jeremy Pine and Tashi Tsering, acquired in Kathmandu, Nepal, in 1988; Christie’s London, Private Sale, 1997; sold to Qatar Museums","bibliography":"Al Khemir, Sabiha, *From Cordoba To Samarqand, Masterpieces from the Museum of Islamic Art in Doha*, Milan: Musée du Louvre Editions, 2006.  \n  \nChekhab-Abudaya, Mounia and Tugwell, Julia, *Imperial Threads: Motifs and Artisans from Turkey, Iran and India*, Milan: Silvana Editoriale, 2017.  \n  \nGonnella, Julia, et al. *Museum of Islamic Art: The Collection. *London: Thames & Hudson, 2022.  \n  \nGreenwood, William J. and Chagari, Salam, *Kings & Pawns: Board Games from India to Spain*, Doha: Akkadia Press, 2014.**","author":"Simone Struth","keywords":["Bahmanid","India","silk","cotton","Chess"],"materials":["cotton","silk pile"]},"5b14fcda-5a67-5716-a58e-6c03e43b9e8f":{"name":"Ushak carpet","description":"Woven for the wealthy Ottoman home market, Uşak carpets were also used as diplomatic gifts and appeared in European paintings during the 16th century by artists such as Velasquez, Zurbaran and Vermeer. The principal design of this Uşak carpet consists of elaborately complex pattern which was believed to be influenced by stylistic developments in illuminated manuscripts during the rule of Mehmet II Fatih (1432-1481). The most magnificent early examples of these carpets shared border features with each other, and also an elegance of drawing of the main field, which make it clear why the design was so prevalent.","type":"Textile","holder":"Islamic Arts Museum Malaysia","dates":"Hegira 10 / AD 16","location":"Kuala Lumpur","dimensions":"Length: 319cm x Width: 212cm","provenance":"West Anatolia, Turkey","bibliography":"King, Donald and Sylvester, David, *The Eastern Carpet in the Western World from the 15th to the 17th Century*, London: Arts Council of Great Britain, 1983: 73.  \nSuriano, Carlo Maria, \"Oak leaves and Arabesques\", *Hali*, 116, 2001: 106-115.  \nThompson, Jon, *Milestones in the History of Carpets*, Milan: Moshe Tabibnia, 2006: 90-101.","materials":["weaving","stitches on wool and linen cloth","tapestry"]},"5b20368a-3b46-5473-bfd6-eef5207b3b2f":{"name":"Kashan carpet","description":"At the end of the 15th century, Kashan was considered (along with Tabriz, Isfahan, Mashhad and Kerman) to be among the finest weaving centres in the East. Its reputation lasted throughout the 17th century, not only due to the quantity, but also to the technical and aesthetic superiority of its products. Kashan carpets are among the most beautiful, expensive and finest of all Persian carpets, thanks to the extremely high silk knot-count (approx. 10,000 knots per square decimetre), which allows for highly detailed and minute decoration. Currently there is knowledge of 16 small carpets (1.65-metre loom) of which this carpet is one. It has a rectangular field with a red background filled in with fine branches, small flowers and a wide, quadrilobed, green central medallion. It is framed by a yellow, sinuous, phytomorphic band, with two palmettes suspended at its upper and lower edges. The corners of the field, with blue quarter-medallions, contain arabesques in tones of yellow and beige.  \nWith a dark-green background, the main border is ornamented with delicate red tendrils, which alternate together with flowers, palmettes and Chinese cloud scrolls (*tchi*) of different sizes.","type":"Textile; carpet","holder":"National Museum Machado de Castro","dates":"Second half of the16th century (1550‒1600)","location":"Coimbra","dimensions":"H: 277.5cm, W: 175.5cm; knot density warp Z2S, 190‒220/dm; weft 1‒2U, x 3, 90‒100/dm; knots: silk, 1U; c. 9,500/dm2","method_for_datation":"Bibliographic references","method_for_provenance":"Not  documented","provenance":"Persia, Kashan","obtention":"Transfer not documented","bibliography":"*Feitorias, L’art au Portugal au temps des Gandes Découvertes: fin du XIVe siécle jusqu'á 1548*, Europalia, 1991, Antwerp: Fondation Europalia International, 1991, pp. 148-9, cat no. 64.  \nHallett, Jessica and Pereira, Teresa Pacheco, *The Oriental Carpet in Portugal: Carpets and paintings, 15th‒18th centuries*, Lisbon: MNAA, 2007, p. 119, cat. no. 48; T53, p. 178.  \nHallett, Jessica and Pereira, Teresa Pacheco, “The Queen’s List”, *Hali*, 152 (2007): 72‒77.  \n*Roteiro do Museu Nacional de Machado de Castro*, Coimbra: Instituto Português de Museus ‒ Museu Nacional de Machado de Castro, 2005, p. 150, cat. no. 11.  \nVassallo e Silva, Nuno and Trnek, Helmut (eds), *Exótica, Os Descobrimentos Portugueses e as Câmaras de Maravilhas do Renascimento*, Lisbon: Fundação Calouste Gulbenkian, 2002, pp. 109‒10, cat. no. 17.","workshop":"Kashan, Iran","author":"Pedro Miguel Ferrão","translator":"Lily Chadwick","translation_copy_editor":"Mandi Gomez","keywords":["Persia","palmettes","clouds","Kashan","medallion","silk","carpet","flowers"],"materials":["White silk weft","knotted. Chromatic composition of 10 colours","pale yellow silk warp"]},"5c46dc00-745f-5333-a2a8-b677f0639b27":{"name":"Camel flank decoration *asmalyk*","description":"Turkmen weavers produced special pentagonal rugs (*asmalyk*) to decorate the camel that carried the bride during the wedding ceremony. The rugs were fastened together with bands of braids, and a tent for the bride, made of embroidered textiles, was placed between them on the camel’s hump. When weaving such a rug, the task of making the point of the pentagon, using a combination of plain and pile weaving, required special skill and experience on the part of the weaver. This *asmalyk* is remarkably even in its shape and perfect in its weaving; unfortunately, it is missing a fringe, an important part of the embellishment of traditional Turkmen animal decorations.","type":"Camel decoration","holder":"Textile Museum of Canada (TMC)","owner":"TMC","dates":"1800-1900","location":"Toronto, Ontario","dimensions":"L: 74cm, W: 119cm","method_for_datation":"By stylistic analysis","method_for_provenance":"By stylistic analysis","provenance":"Turkmenistan, the Youmud Turkmen","obtention":"Gift of Lloyd Solish","bibliography":"Mashkora, V.G., *Carpets of the People of Central Asia*, Tucson, AZ: George W. O’Bannon, 1996.","author":"Natalia Nekrassova","keywords":["Central Asia","wool"],"materials":["knotted pile","wool"]},"5c8ba1d5-36db-53e5-9a66-80b59acef816":{"name":"Medallion and Çintamani Ottoman Rug","alternate_name":"Cairene-Ottoman rug","description":"New styles incorporating chiefly Iranian, but also Mamluk elements, appeared in Turkish Court art as the Ottoman Empire expanded after the capture of Tabriz (1514) and Cairo (1517). The court style developed by the artists, painters, illuminators and calligraphers working in the Court, which started with manuscripts and miniatures, came to dominate every branch of art – jewellery, tiles, fabrics and carpets. The term \"court carpets\" designates those rugs produced to a very high standard with patterns designed by the court artists. Some of these are products of the court luxury manufactories in Istanbul and others come from workshops supervised by the court (Cairo, Uşak). In the Mamluk carpet weaving manufactory in Cairo, which came under Turkish control in 1517, the hitherto dominant geometric pattern gave way to the court floral style favoured by the Ottomans. It was only the pattern which changed on the Cairene Ottoman carpets; the technical features, asymmetric knots and the use of silk warp and weft threads, stayed the same.  \n  \nThe carpet’s red background is occupied by a central ragged-leaf mandorla with arabesque or *rumi* (arabesque, based on floral, foliate or biomorphic design) lilies framed by *saz* (reed, bullrush) leaves and lotus flowers in the centre. The four corners of the background are cut off by quarter-star medallions of intricate design and *rumi* decorations. The remaining area is occupied by small *çintamani* (Ottoman court motifs of triangular arrangement of three balls above two cloud bands of waves, or a cloud band with one ball) arranged in horizontal rows, offset row by row. The main border is the typical 16th century floral Court style adornment, Chinese lotus flowers and rosettes arranged along an undulating stem, and the outer and inner borders contain alternating red and yellow rosettes strung along an undulating stem. This kind of rug is regarded as a “mass produced” item which the Court workshops made for sale, this evidenced by four known nearly identical rugs (London:Victoria and Albert Museum; Berlin: Museum für Islamische Kunst; Paris: Musée Jacquemart-André; New York: Metropolitan Museum). According to Atıl Esin, four of the five rugs – all except the New York piece – come from the Palazzo Corsi in Florence.","type":"Carpet","holder":"Museum of Applied Arts","dates":"Second half of 16th century","location":"Budapest","dimensions":"Height: 220cm, Width: 138cm, Knot density: 2,350/dm2","method_for_datation":"Stylistic analysis","method_for_provenance":"Stylistic and technical analysis","provenance":"Cairo, Egypt","obtention":"Purchased from antique dealer Adolf Pick, 1908; formerly in the Budapest collection of Kálmán Giergl","bibliography":"Atıl, Esin, *The Age of Sultan Süleyman*, Washington D.C.: National Gallery of Art, 1987: 225.  \nBatári, Ferenc, *Ottoman Turkish Carpets: The Collection of the Museum of Applied Arts, Budapest I*, Budapest–Keszthely: Museum of Applied Arts, 1994: 50, no. 20 and 115, figure.  \nÖlçer, N., and Enderlein, V., and Batári, F., and Mills, J., *Turkish Carpets from the 13th–18th Centuries*, Istanbul: Ahmet Ertuğ, 1996: 122–123, plate 87 and detail \\[Ferenc Batári\\].  \nPásztor, Emese, *Ottoman Turkish Carpets in the Collection of the Budapest Museum of Applied Arts: In Memoriam Ferenc Batári*, Budapest: Museum of Applied Arts, 2007: 80–81, no. 13.  \nWaterhouse, Rupert (ed), *In Praise of God: Anatolian Rugs in Transylvanian Churches 1500–1750*, Istanbul: Sakıp Sabancı Museum, 2007: 164–165, no. E4 and figure \\[Michael Franses\\].","workshop":"Ottoman Court manufactory, Cairo","author":"Emese Pásztor","copy_editor":"Valerie Pulsifer","translator":"Alan Campbell","keywords":["wool","silk","Çintamani motifs","Cairene-Ottoman Court rug"],"materials":["Warp and Weft: silk","asymmetrical (Persian or Senneh) knot","pile","wool"]},"5c9448f2-2078-5ba5-bdf7-7a4281eb8172":{"name":"Çanakkale Rug","description":"The rugs of the Çanakkale region are famous for their wool. Pure wool, obtained from sheep owned by the weaver, was used to weave the rugs. All of the steps required for the production of the wool yarn was done within the weavers family. This included shearing the sheep and colouring the fleece with natural dyes. This is a rare and important example of the geometric design typical of Çanakkale rugs. A distinctive pattern of eight arm stars is woven with geometrical border decorations. The field is called a “box” or *sandik* motif. It is a traditional rectangle shape resembling a box containing the bride's trousseau, likely a reference to marriage. The ground of the rug is decorated with flower motifs locally called “apple blossoms”, *elma çiçeği*. The border is decorated with palm tree leaves.","type":"Rug fragment","holder":"Museum of Turkish and Islamic Arts","dates":"18th century","location":"Istanbul","dimensions":"L: 157cm, W: 162cm","method_for_datation":"The analyses of the material and the technique used for weaving the rug and the motifs seen on main ground and borders.","provenance":"West Anatolia, Çanakkale","obtention":"From the Manisa province","bibliography":"Kollektif, *Türk El Dokuması Halılar*, Ankara: Kültür ve Turizm Bakanlığı Yayınları, Cilt 1, Katalog no: 54.","author":"Deniz Kanberoğlu","copy_editor":"Lisa Kelman","keywords":["Çanakkale rug"],"materials":["Natural wool coloured with natural dyes","symmetrical knot","Gördes knot"]},"5ce189d9-6756-515c-a640-1fb05875a7b5":{"name":"Carpet","description":"The style of this carpet ties it to Mughal court arts; in particular, the red ground floral carpets associated with the palace at Jaipur in northern India. The dark red field is covered with a diaper lattice composed of stylized leaves; inside of each cell is a different spray of flowers. The flowers all grow in the same direction, giving the carpet design a directional orientation; there is only one way to view it so that the flowers are right-side up.  \n  \nCharacteristic of the Mughal floral style is the greater use of botanical details and more complex compositions than in the arts of the neighboring Islamic empires to the West. This is largely because of European herbals, which were major source of inspiration for the Mughal artists. On the other hand, the Mughal artists brought the floral representations to a more idealized state. Mughal flowers are more symmetrically composed and a greater degree of orderliness in the individual details of the plant can be seen compared to their European originals, which arises from naturalistic representations through direct observations.  \n  \nThe way flowers are represented in art depends upon the artist’s medium. Carpet weaving has technical constraints and challenges, and each carpet weaver must confront them by altering and adjusting as they weave. This is especially true for floral designs. It is the pile that carries the designs in carpets. Thus, a carpet design is created knot by knot, row by row. Only a highly skilled weaver can transfer sophisticated curvilinear floral designs such as the ones seen on this carpet to this medium. The materials used for the weaving also need to be very fine so that the weaver can pack as many knots as possible into each square inch to create the curvilinear lines of flowers in a medium which favors 90° angles. In summary, the thickness of yarns used for warp, weft, and pile, the type of knot, the construction of the loom, the skill of the weaver, the complexity of design, and the weaving tradition are all factors that affect the final carpet design.","type":"Carpet","holder":"The George Washington University Museum and The Textile Museum","owner":"The Textile Museum","dates":"17th century","location":"Washington, D. C.","dimensions":"L:  383.50cm, W: 203.20cm","method_for_datation":"Stylistic analyses, comparative materials, and historical documentary evidence.","method_for_provenance":"Design analyses and comparison with carpets sharing similar design and structural characteristics.","provenance":"India, Lahore","obtention":"Donated to The Textile Museum collections by James D. Burns in 1994.","bibliography":"Bier, C., “Approaches to Understanding Oriental Carpets”, *Arts of Asia*, 26.1 (January/February 1996): 66-81.  \nBier, C., “Symmetry and Pattern: Art of the Oriental Carpet”, *Arts & The Islamic World*, 29 (Autumn 1996), London: 37-40.  \nBier, C., “Symmetry & Pattern: The Art of Oriental Carpets”(online publication: ). A Collaborative Project of The Math Forum at Drexel University and The Textile Museum, 1997.","workshop":"Anonymous","author":"Sumru Belger Krody","keywords":["wool","Mughal","silk","floral motifs"],"materials":["silk (weft)","knotted pile carpet","Cotton (warp)","asymmetrical knot","open left","wool (pile)"]},"5d4e9859-0856-5412-b38f-7901f60473ea":{"name":"*Afshari* carpet","description":"Little is known about the rural rugs of Kirman so authors often describe them as *afshari* only for convenience and not as a precise label. The Afshari appear to be a minority population, although they may be the most important. They are a Turkic tribe with groups in the Caucasus, Turkey and Iran south of Kirman.  \nAfshari products are seldom larger than about 170 x 200cm and they tend to be slightly more square-shaped. Some pieces have a striped kilim band at the ends. There are great variations in design, and many motifs found elsewhere are given a fresh approach, such as *boteh*, lozenge-shaped panels, medallion designs with flowers and a stylized vase.  \nThe central field is divided into nine fields in a form of rhombus. Each field has a horizontal vase motif surrounded with *boteh* and floret motifs. *Boteh* is a universal oriental rug design element. *Boteh* is Persian for “bush” and *buta* is Hindi for “flower”. It is thought to have originated in Kashmir in its curvilinear form. The form and content of botehs are often distinctive for particular areas and may be valuable clues to the origin of a weaving. The central field is framed with four borders. The main border has floral hexagons on narrow sides and on wider sides there is the Y motif between floral hexagons. Two minor borders have zig-zag motifs. On its narrow sides the carpet has kilim finishes.","type":"Carpet","holder":"Museum of Arts and Crafts","dates":"19th century","location":"Zagreb","dimensions":"H: 152cm, W: 129cm","method_for_datation":"By stylistic analysis","method_for_provenance":"By stylistic analysis","provenance":"South Iran","obtention":"Unknown","author":"Andrea Klobučar","translator":"Petra Milovac","translation_copy_editor":"Daniel de la Vega","keywords":["Persia","Kerman","Afshari"],"materials":["knotted carpet","wool","symmetrical knots"]},"5d615bba-7bb8-5344-bdfe-e5a68d229f03":{"name":"South Persian carpet, Khamseh (?)","description":"The province of Fars lies south of Isfahan and west of Kirman, bordering the Persian Gulf to the south. At one time, Fars was the centre of the Persian Empire. It is an area inhabited by people of diverse origins. There are two major tribal divisions in Fars: Qashqa’i and the Khamseh Federation. It is difficult to define the areas inhabited by each group but basically the Qashqa’i occupy the area west of Shiraz and the Khamseh area to the east of Shiraz.  \nThe Khamseh Federation arose as a political entity during the 19th century as a counterpoint to the Qashqa’i. It consists of five tribes: Ainalu, Baharlu, Baseri, Nafar and Arab. *Khamseh* is Arabic for “group of five”. The Arab tribe is the largest and most important. They were for decades the most prolific rug weavers in Fars. Many of the 19th-century Arab rug designs show stylized bird figures, often with a series of a small, lozenge-shaped medallions along the vertical axis. Khamseh bird rugs appear in a dozen of different formats, and they are obviously made by an assortment of tribal groups.  \nSoutheast Persian carpets from the province of Fars can possibly be attributed to one of the tribes from Khamseh confederacy. In the central field on the red background there are two inscribed double hexagonal medallions. As a field repeat motif the herati pattern can be observed – curving leaves and a lattice. The central field is framed with five borders. The central border is decorated with florets and *kochak* (ram's horns) motifs on a dark blue background. Inner borders are variations of a floral meander. The outer border is decorated with diagonal white, blue and red stripes.","type":"Carpet","holder":"Museum of Arts and Crafts","dates":"19th century","location":"Zagreb","dimensions":"H: 192cm, W: 140cm","method_for_datation":"By stylistic analysis","method_for_provenance":"By stylistic analysis","provenance":"South Iran","obtention":"Unknown","author":"Andrea Klobučar","translator":"Petra Milovac","translation_copy_editor":"Daniel de la Vega","keywords":["Persia","Khamseh","medallion carpet"],"materials":["knotted carpet","wool","symmetrical knots"]},"5dfe61da-e979-574a-b7b8-1d7d4aaa5094":{"name":"Safavid *Herat* Spiral Vine and Palmette Rug","description":"The 16th/17th century *Herat* Safavid carpet belonged to the museum’s first director, Dr György Ráth (1828–1905). A lawyer and art collector, Ráth furnished his villa at 2 Városligeti Avenue, in Budapest, with more than 1,000 art works, including some oriental carpets. Archive photographs show that the carpet was hung on the wall of the ‘Gems Room’ in the villa. We have no information on the provenance of Ráth’s carpets, but he probably acquired them via art dealers. The scarlet field of the *Herat* carpet has a pattern of scrolling vines with palmettes and blossoms and an unusual border of cartouches of different colours and shapes on a dark blue field, a design type that is more often attributed to 17th-century central Persia. Despite its fragmentary condition, the design gives the impression of being complete.","type":"Carpet","holder":"Museum of Applied Arts","dates":"16th-17th century","location":"Budapest","dimensions":"Height: 278cm, Width: 218cm, Knot density: 2,150/dm2","method_for_datation":"Stylistic analysis","method_for_provenance":"Stylistic analysis","provenance":"Khorasan or Central Persia","obtention":"Donated by Mrs György Ráth, 1905","bibliography":"Batári, Ferenc, *Csomózott indiai, kelet turkesztáni, kínai, tibeti és európai szőnyegek: Kiállítás a Miskolci Galériában a Budapesti Iparművészeti Múzeum gyűjteményéből / Knotted Rugs from India, Eastern-Turkestan, China, Tibet and Europe: Exhibition in the Miskolc Gallery from the Collection of the Budapest Museum of Applied Arts*, Miskolc: Miskolci Galéria, 1980: no. 2 and figure.  \nPásztor, Emese, Budapest's Best-Kept Secrets, *HALI*, 185 (Autumn 2015): 73, 75 and 71, figure 2.","author":"Emese Pásztor","copy_editor":"Valerie Pulsifer","translator":"Alan Campbell","keywords":["wool","Safavid rug","cotton"],"materials":["Warp and weft: cotton","asymmetrical (Persian or Senneh) knot","pile","wool","the lower part was added and the remainder patched together.","Restored fragment: A strip of the lower third was cut out"]},"5e3bd511-e913-550c-a38c-80f8d87cf0e9":{"name":"*Capture of Francis I, King of France*","description":"The famous series of seven Flemish tapestries depicting the Battle of Pavia, which are displayed in a large room in the Museum of Capodimonte, entered the public collections as part of the 1862 bequest of Alfonso d’Avalos, who donated his family’s collection to the National Museum of Naples.  \nProduced to be given to Emperor Charles V by the Estates-General of Brussels, on the occasion of the latter’s meeting in Brussels in 1531, the decorative series of tapestries was designed to celebrate the victory of the imperial troops over those of the French, under the command of Francis I. This victory, which occurred on 24 February 1525, was fought in the environs of the Visconti Park, at the gates of Pavia.  \nWoven in Brussels, the tapestries were produced using designs by Bernard van Orley (now in the Louvre in Paris) in the workshop of William Dermoyen (or Van der Moyen), identified thanks to the presence of a weaver’s mark on the border of two tapestries in the series. Furthermore, the presence of the mark has allowed the years in which the series was produced to be established: that is, after 1528, the year in which a decree required tapestry workers to “sign” their products, and by the start of 1531, given that the tapestries would be presented to the Emperor in the March of that year.  \nRecently, an interpretation of the entire cycle has been proposed that aims to recreate sequentially the landscape depicted in the seven tapestries as a single, panoramic, overview (Paredes 2014).  \nThe central episode represented in the tapestry is the capture of Francis I. After having passed through the copse, depicted high up on the left, and after having fought bravely on the muddy terrain, unfavourable to the heavy French cavalry, the King is captured following a shot from an arquebus that wounds his horse.  \nFrancis I is depicted in the foreground while three cavaliers from the enemy formation, La Motte de Noyers, the German Nicolas von Salm and the Count of Montmartin – as indicated by the abbreviated text that tends to be included on the horses’ tack and armour – help him to get to his feet. On the left is depicted the Viceroy of Naples, Charles de Lannoy, identified by the letters “VISSEROV” on the blade of his sword, while he dismounts from his horse to accept the surrender of the King.  \nBehind him a horseman raises the imperial standard, on which one can distinguish the double-headed eagle and Hercules’ pillars with the motto “PLUS OVLTRE”. In the centre of the tapestry, the man on a horse, who is wearing a dark outfit, on which stands out the white cross that indicates that he is on the side of the French, is Henry II, King of Navarre, captured in battle; in the distance, on the right, among the horsemen who have just come out of the copse, appears Charles III, Duke of Bourbon, identified by the word “BOURBON” on the reins, as well as by the presence of French *fleurs-de-lis* on the horse’s peytral.  \nIn the foreground, on the ground, there is the arquebus with which Francis I’s horse was hit. This is also a symbol of the new way of fighting in battle and the end of the cavalry: the use of firearms, striking from a distance, allowed the less courageous to prevail.","type":"Flemish tapestry","holder":"Museum of Capodimonte","owner":"Museum of Capodimonte","dates":"1528–1531","location":"Naples","dimensions":"H: 435cm, W: 789cm","method_for_datation":"Various sources and studies","provenance":"Brussels","obtention":"Bequest of Alfonso d’Avalos to the National Museum of Naples (the Italian State) in 1862","bibliography":"AA. VV (ed.), *Gli Arazzi della Battaglia di Pavia*, Milan: Bompiani, 1999.  \nArbace, Lucia, *Fasti d’Avalos: dagli Arazzi della Battaglia di Pavia alle Selle da parata*, Chieti: Litografia Botolini, 2012.  \nBuchanan, Iain, “The ‘Battle of Pavia’ and the Tapestry Collection of Don Carlos: New Documentation”, *The Burlington Magazine*, vol. 144, no. 1191 (2002): 345‒51.  \nCasali, Luigi, Fraccaro, Cristina, and Prina, Vittorio, *Gli Arazzi della Battaglia di Pavia del Museo di Capodimonte a Napoli*, Pavia: Edizioni ViGiEffe, 1993.  \nJackson, Zofia, “Battaglia di Pavia con la cattura del re di Francia”, in Beltramini, G., and Tura, A. (edited by), *Orlando Furioso. 500 anni. Cosa vedeva Ariosto quando chiudeva gli occhi*, exhibition catalogue (Ferrara, Palazzo dei Diamanti, 24 September 2016 – 8 January 2017), Ferrara, 2016, pp. 200-201.  \nParedes, Cecilia, “The tapestries of the battle of Pavia” (2014), online publication.  \n“Pavia. La Battaglia, il futuro. ‘niente fu come prima’” (2015), online publication.  \nSansone, M. R., *Gli arazzi della Battaglia di Pavia: dalla Spagna di Carlo V alla Napoli dei d’Avalos, in 1525‒2015. Pavia, la Battaglia, il Futuro. Niente fu come prima* (publication to accompany the exhibition at the Visconti Castle, Pavia, 14 June‒15 November 2015).","workshop":"William Dermoyen atelier","author":"Maria Rosaria Sansone","translator":"Judith Forshaw","translation_copy_editor":"Mandi Gomez","keywords":["Battle of Pavia","Willem Dermoyen","preparatory cartoons","atelier","frames","Visconti Park","Fernando Francesco d’Avalos","drawings","National Archaeological Museum","Carlo V","Francis I","Francesco Fernando d’Avalos","Bernard van Orley","Flemish tapestries","Alfonso d’Avalos"],"materials":["silk and cotton","gold and silver thread","wool"]},"5e6943fd-7101-58f0-8df8-80cc6f82f37e":{"name":"*Advance of the imperial troops and attack of the French gendarmerie led by Francis I*","description":"The famous series of seven Flemish tapestries of the Battle of Pavia, which are displayed in a large room in the Museum of Capodimonte, entered the public collections with the 1862 bequest of Alfonso d’Avalos, who donated his family collection to the National Museum of Naples.  \nThrough the decorative cycle of tapestries, the intention was to celebrate the victory of the imperial troops over those of the French, commanded by Francis I, which took place on 24 February 1525, and was fought in the environs of the Visconti Park, at the gates of Pavia. Recently, an interpretation of the entire cycle has been proposed that aims to recreate sequentially the landscape depicted in the seven tapestries as a single, panoramic, overview (Paredes 2014).  \nProduced to be given to Emperor Charles V by the Estates-General of Brussels and to adorn a large room in the Royal Palace to mark the occasion of the Assembly of the Estates-General of Brussels in March 1531, the cycle arrived in Spain in the 1550s with Mary of Hungary, who later gave it to her young nephew Don Carlos. It is Don Carlos who links the history of the tapestries to the d’Avalos family, bequeathing them to Francesco Ferdinando d’Avalos (Buchanan 2002), Marquis of Pescara, and direct descendant of Fernando Francesco d’Avalos, the hero of Pavia depicted in the tapestry *Defeat of the French cavalry* and identified thanks to the writing on the neck of his horse.  \nWoven in Brussels, the tapestries were produced using designs by Bernard van Orley (now in the Louvre in Paris), a renowned painter, and designer of tapestries and stained-glass windows. The preparatory cartoons for the weaver were derived from these designs, or *modelletti*, with scenes reversed, given that, at the time in Brussels, tapestries were woven on “low-warp” looms. The presence of the weaver’s mark on the border of two of the tapestries provides a reference point for when the series was produced, because a decree of 1528 required tapestry workers to “sign” their products, and this has allowed the workshop in which they were made to be identified as that of William Dermoyen (or Van der Moyen).  \nThe initial stages of the battle are represented in the tapestry. In the background, the infantry and cavalry of the imperial army are advancing, led by Charles III, Duke of Bourbon, Constable of France (recognisable from the writing on his horse’s peytral), ready to attack the French troops. On the right, in the middle distance, King Francis I is depicted in the act of killing the Marquis of Civita Santangelo, commander of the enemy troops, an event that marks one of the first French successes. In the extreme foreground, on the right, several imperial arquebusiers can be seen preparing their weapons: across their shoulders, they wear a strap from which hang pouches containing gunpowder charges that have already been measured out; at their waists they have horn-shaped powder magazines. The legs of the arquebusier seen from behind, which are cut off at the knee, were originally hidden by a section of the wall of Visconti Park, as is also shown by the preparatory drawing for the tapestry, now in the Louvre. This section of wall could have been removed together with the border of the tapestry, no earlier than the second half of the 18th century. In fact, according to a description from the 1770s, the lower border, still intact, displayed decorative motifs with tritons and sea horses, similar to those that appear in the *Hunts of Maximilian*, another series of tapestries produced for Charles V from designs by van Orley, and today in the Louvre (Buchanan 2002).  \nIn the foreground, the King is depicted again, with his sallet visor lowered, as he heads with his elite guard towards a copse, where a fatal trap will be set for him.","type":"Flemish tapestry","holder":"Museum of Capodimonte","owner":"Museum of Capodimonte","dates":"1528–1531","location":"Naples","dimensions":"H: 415cm, W: 818cm","method_for_datation":"Various sources and studies","method_for_provenance":"Weaver's mark","provenance":"Brussels","obtention":"Bequest of Alfonso d’Avalos to the National Museum of Naples (the Italian State) in 1862","bibliography":"AA. VV (ed.), *Gli Arazzi della Battaglia di Pavia*, Milan: Bompiani, 1999.  \nArbace, Lucia, *Fasti d’Avalos: dagli Arazzi della Battaglia di Pavia alle Selle da parata*, Chieti: Litografia Botolini, 2012.  \nBuchanan, Iain, “The ‘Battle of Pavia’ and the Tapestry Collection of Don Carlos: New Documentation”, *The Burlington Magazine*, vol. 144, no. 1191 (2002): 345‒51.  \nCasali, Luigi, Fraccaro, Cristina, and Prina, Vittorio, *Gli Arazzi della Battaglia di Pavia del Museo di Capodimonte a Napoli*, Pavia: Edizioni ViGiEffe, 1993.  \nParedes, Cecilia, “The tapestries of the battle of Pavia” (2014), online publication.  \n“Pavia. La Battaglia, il futuro. ‘niente fu come prima’” (2015), online publication.  \nSansone, M. R., *Gli arazzi della Battaglia di Pavia: dalla Spagna di Carlo V alla Napoli dei d’Avalos, in 1525‒2015. Pavia, la Battaglia, il Futuro. Niente fu come prima* (publication to accompany the exhibition at the Visconti Castle, Pavia, 14 June‒15 November 2015).","workshop":"William Dermoyen atelier","author":"Maria Rosaria Sansone","translator":"Judith Forshaw","translation_copy_editor":"Mandi Gomez","keywords":["Battle of Pavia","Willem Dermoyen","preparatory cartoons","atelier","frames","Visconti Park","Fernando Francesco d’Avalos","drawings","National Archaeological Museum","Carlo V","Francis I","Francesco Fernando d’Avalos","Bernard van Orley","Flemish tapestries","Alfonso d’Avalos"],"materials":["silk and cotton","gold and silver thread","wool"]},"5e9b4b02-68df-5a5e-b287-ce07332661a1":{"name":"Block printed cotton hanging","short_description":"Typical products of the Qajar dynastic period, the Persian term *qalamkar* (literally, “pen-work“) refers to printed or/and painted cotton fabrics decorated with animals, depictions of Persian heroic fables, floral and tendril patterns or cypresses growing out of vases. Depending on the motif, *qalamkars* were employed as fabric for clothing, wall hangings or table cloths. The most famous member of this dynasty, Naser ad-Din Shah, visited the Vienna World’s Fair in 1873.","type":"Textile","holder":"Weltmuseum Wien","dates":"Second half of the 19th century","location":"Vienna","dimensions":"H: 176cm, W: 116cm","method_for_datation":"Entry in the general inventory and archival documents.","method_for_provenance":"Entry in the general inventory book.","provenance":"Iran, Isfahan","obtention":"At the turn of the 19th century, parts of the inventory of collections of the Austrian Museum of Trade (established 1874) gradually found their way to the ethnographic department of the Imperial and Royal Court Museum of Natural History (later, Museum of Ethnology, today Weltmuseum Wien). In 1925 the Austrian Museum of Trade was dissolved.","bibliography":"Steinmann, Axel, \"Der Phantastische Wald. Lebensbäume. Weltenbaum und Weltenberg,\" in Gerard van Bussel and Axel Steinmann (eds), *Wald / Baum / Mensch, exhibition catalogue*, Vienna: Museum für Völkerkunde, 2011: 109-110.","materials":["cotton"]},"5ef10542-ba11-5392-a54d-cdb92c9a5449":{"name":"Mughal floral carpet fragment","description":"A 17th century Mughal Indian carpet fragment with a wine-red background and a design that consists of a variety of multi-coloured floral shrubs lined in staggered rows, with a wide border of more compact floral shrubs on two of its sides. On closer inspection, this fragment appears to be made up of several fragments, large and small, from the same carpet. These fragments have been stitched together to create a tidy piece. For this reason, some pieces do not match in floral design with adjacent parts of the carpet.  \n  \nWoven of fine wool on a cotton and silk foundation, the floral shrubs have been naturalistically depicted, as is typical of this type of Mughal carpets. These flowers include irises, roses, carnations and tulips. But even though the floral shrubs in the centre field are similar to ones that appear in other Mughal carpets of this genre, the border design is believed to be unprecedented. In manufacture, this carpet belongs to Lahore, and may have been woven for the Amber Palace in Jaipur. The only other known fragment to have survived from this particular carpet is believed to be in a German private collection.","type":"Carpet","holder":"Glasgow Museums - The Burrell Collection","dates":"17th century","location":"Glasgow, Scotland","dimensions":"H: 1905mm, W: 1803mm","method_for_datation":"Manufacturing techniques and stylistic analysis","method_for_provenance":"Stylistic analysis","provenance":"India, Jaipur, possibly from the Amber Palace","obtention":"Gifted by Sir William and Lady Burrell to the City of Glasgow, 1944","workshop":"North Indian town workshop","author":"Noorah Al-Gailani","keywords":["floral decoration","floral motifs","Fragment"],"materials":["Cotton warp","wool pile","silk weft"]},"60067995-1881-5a83-984f-192def653d80":{"name":"*Jejim*","description":"Silk woven in the form of a rectangle with alternating narrow and wide stripes of ornamentation; triangles have been used sometimes to speed up the process of the geometric ornament.","type":"Carpet","holder":"Azerbaijan National Museum of Art","owner":"Azerbaijan National Museum of Art","dates":"Date unknown, purchased by the Museum in the 19th century","location":"Baku","dimensions":"H: 120cm, W: 185cm","method_for_datation":"The date is not certain, but research and documentary evidence suggests a maker in Garabagh","method_for_provenance":"Information offered by the seller has been further researched and corroborated by experts at the Museum","provenance":"Garabagh, Azerbaijan","obtention":"Purchased in the 19th century","bibliography":"Rasim Efendiyev, *Azărbai̐jan khalg sănăti / Folk Art of Azerbaijan*, Azerbaijan, Baku: Ishyg, 1984 (text in Azerbaijani, English and Russian).","author":"Emin Suleymanov","copy_editor":"Mandi Gomez","keywords":["geometric ornament","Azerbaijan","Cecim","Jejim","carpet","silk and wool"],"materials":["plain weave","Wool/silk warp and weft"]},"606e0f77-a91d-5886-be20-1823ea36ebff":{"name":"Milas rug","description":"Milas, in Muğla Province was an important rug producing centre of Anatolia. Typical Milas rugs began to appear in the 16th  and 17th centuries. The continuous motif, locally called “cattle water” is the most distinctive decorative element of Milas rugs. In this example, it appears  as five stripes on the main ground. Flower rosettes complete the outer border.","type":"Rug","holder":"Museum of Turkish and Islamic Arts","dates":"18th century","location":"Istanbul","dimensions":"L: 110cm, W: 158cm","method_for_datation":"The analyses of the material and the technique used for weaving the rug and the motifs seen on main ground and borders.","provenance":"West Anatolia, Muğla","obtention":"Transferred from Chief Veterinary Directorate","bibliography":"Kollektif, *Türk El Dokuması Halılar*, Ankara: Kültür ve Turizm Bakanlığı Yayınları, Cilt 1, Katalog no: 83.","author":"Deniz Kanberoğlu","copy_editor":"Lisa Kelman","keywords":["West Anatolia","Milas rug"],"materials":["Natural wool coloured with natural dyes","symmetrical knot","Gördes knot"]},"60cbffe7-3b9d-561d-b0f5-035566910673":{"name":"Bone needle","description":"Carved bone needle which could have been used for preparing leather, weaving and basketry.","type":"Bone needle","holder":"The Jordan Museum","owner":"Department of Antiquities","dates":"8800-6900 BC Pre-Pottery Neolithic B","location":"Amman","dimensions":"L: 4cm","method_for_datation":"The excavation team in Dayer 'Alla dated this tool based on the pottery found in the near vicinity.","obtention":"Loan","author":"Najd Sweidan","copy_editor":"Lisa Kelman","materials":["Bone"]},"60d2a3da-9b0d-5e19-af72-c7ddc1d18f65":{"name":"Portrait of an officer Dusan T. Urošević","description":"Portrait of Dušan T. Urošević, an officer, shows a Pirot kilim as a prop on the floor of the photographer’s studio in Niš. The border of the kilim is decorated with *Queen’s sleeve* (*kraljičin rukav*) ornament. As it was common in late 19th and early 20th century, the subject wasn’t portrayed in a real-life environment, but in carefully staged photographer’s studio setting. Besides the Pirot kilim and furniture, other props used in the studio were a curtain, a tablecloth, a vase with the flowers and a book.","type":"Photograph","holder":"Museum of Applied Art","dates":"1907","location":"Belgrade","dimensions":"H: 16.2cm, W: 10.5cm","method_for_datation":"By stylistic analysis and historical documents (name of the photographer printed on the cardstock mount)","provenance":"Niš","obtention":"Purchased in 1995","author":"Draginja Maskareli","keywords":["photograph","Şarköy","Pirot","Kilim"],"materials":["Photograph"]},"60db83b0-e090-5ad3-b467-090f3263e0b9":{"name":"Single Niche 'Transylvanian' Prayer Rug","description":"A characteristic type of Ottoman rugs is the \"Transylvanian\" double niche rug. Several variants of the type fashionable for over two centuries are known. Its common feature is the hexagonal medallion filling the central field created by mirroring the original *mihrab* (prayer niche) of the traditional prayer rug across the central axis. The carpet is a fine example of the rare single niche version of \"Transylvanian\" rugs. Its red *mihrab* (prayer niche) is filled with a floral-foliate scroll symmetric about the long axis, and a mosque lamp hangs from the peak of the *mihrab*. The spandrels are decorated by a large rosette and serrated leaves on a dark blue field. In the border, \"Transylvanian\" cartouches alternate with eight-pointed stars.","type":"Carpet","holder":"Museum of Applied Arts","dates":"First half of 17th century","location":"Budapest","dimensions":"Height: 206cm, Width: 122cm, Knot density: 1,365/dm2","method_for_datation":"Stylistic analysis","method_for_provenance":"Stylistic analysis","provenance":"West Anatolia, Turkey","obtention":"Acquisition unknown","bibliography":"Batári, Ferenc, *Ottoman Turkish Carpets: The Collection of the Museum of Applied Arts, Budapest I*, Budapest–Keszthely: Museum of Applied Arts, 1994: 60, no. 65 and 154, figure.  \nÖlçer, N., and Enderlein, V., and Batári, F., and Mills, J., *Turkish Carpets from the 13th–18th Centuries*, Istanbul: Ahmet Ertuğ, 1996: 211, plate 151 \\[Ferenc Batári\\].  \nPásztor, Emese (ed), *'Transylvanian ' Turkish Rugs: Tracing the Ottoman Rugs from the 1914 Exhibition in the Budapest Museum of Applied Arts*, Budapest: Museum of Applied Arts, 2020: 164–165, no. 80 and figure \\[Emese Pásztor.  \nPásztor, Emese, *Ottoman Turkish Carpets in the Collection of the Budapest Museum of Applied Arts: In Memoriam Ferenc Batári*, Budapest: Museum of Applied Arts, 2007: 120–121, no. 27 and figure.","author":"Emese Pásztor","copy_editor":"Valerie Pulsifer","translator":"Alan Campbell","keywords":["wool","mihrab","Ottoman rug","prayer rug"],"materials":["Symmetrical (Turkish or Ghiordes) knot","Pile: wool"]},"612351f2-75a6-5485-beb3-2f66e1312be5":{"name":"Ceramic floor","description":"The Palatine Chapel, founded by King Dinis (1261‒1325, crowned 1279) in the early 14th century, contains one of the oldest ceramic floors in Portugal. This rare floor of the main altar probably dates from the 15th century, contemporary with the reign of King Afonso V (1432‒81, crowned 1438).  \nThe Chapel, a Christian religious space dedicated to the Holy Spirit, is characterised by the Mudéjar style, Hispano-Muslim ceiling decoration in *alfarge* carved wood and by the *alicatado* floor, formed from ceramic pieces of many colours and shapes. Both the mosaic floor and the wooden ceiling are among the oldest examples of Mudéjar craftsmanship in Portugal.  \nThe configuration and decorative composition used in the ceramic floor remind one of the Mudéjar-style carpets, decorated with a network of interlacement motifs containing geometric patterns, commissioned to embellish palaces and churches.  \nUp until the second half of the 15th century, the term “*alicatado*” (Spanish for cut-tiles, derived from the Arabic verb qata’a, “to cut”) was given to the ceramic mosaics made in this technique. It requires piecing together monochromatic enamelled *tesserae* (small glazed ceramic pieces of various geometric shapes and colours that had been glazed and cut beforehand) to create decorative compositions with geometric patterns, a delicate, painstaking and expensive task, used mostly for paving floors, but also for wall surfaces.  \nThis ceramic floor might date from the same period as that of the room where King Afonso VI was imprisoned, one of the Royal Palace’s oldest rooms.","type":"Ceramic floor-surface covering","holder":"National Palace of Sintra","owner":"Portuguese State","dates":"15th century","location":"Sintra","dimensions":"Approx. H: 7.85m, W: 5.40","method_for_datation":"Other art historians have dated the Palatine Chapel ceramic floor to the 15th century, probably contemporary with King Afonso V (1432‒81; r.1438‒81). This monarch was born and died at the Royal Palace of Sintra and resided there frequently, as demonstrated by the countless documents signed by him here. Like King Duarte (1391‒38; r. 1433‒38), his father, King Afonso V seems to have held a special affection for the Palace at Sintra and carried out various improvements. He undertook the expansion and embellishment of the Palatine Chapel, probably from the mid-15th century (possibly between 1448 and 1476).","method_for_provenance":"Stylistic analysis and documents","provenance":"Iberian Peninsula","obtention":"In situ, commissioned by the king","bibliography":"Meco, José, *O Azulejo em Portugal*, Lisbon: Publicações Alfa, 1989.  \nSabugosa, Conde de, *O Paço de Cintra*, Lisbon: Imprensa Nacional, 1903.  \nSantos, Reinaldo dos, *O azulejo em Portugal*, Lisbon: Editorial Sul Limitada, 1957.  \nSimões, J. M. dos Santos, *Azulejaria em Portugal nos Séculos XV e XVI: Introdução Geral*, Lisbon: Fundação Calouste Gulbenkian, 1990.  \nTrindade, Rui André Alves, *Revestimentos Cerâmicos Portugueses: Meados do século XIV à primeira metade do século XVI*, Lisbon: Edições Colibri, 2007.","workshop":"Mudéjar","author":"National Palace of Sintra","translator":"Lily Chadwick","translation_copy_editor":"Mandi Gomez","keywords":["ceramic","alicatado","tiles","Hispano-Muslim","mosaic","Mudéjar","15th century","Portugal","Royal Palace","Afonso V"],"materials":["alicatado composition of monochrome enamelled tesserae (green","Glazed clay","brown and black)","white"]},"61963b6b-6f90-512a-b6cc-db9799eb953a":{"name":"Ersari, so-called *Beshir*","description":"Measuring 4 metres long and 1.70 metres wide, this piece is representative of the large-format carpets from the middle Amu-Darya region, probably made in oasis cities. In older literature, it is also referred to as Beshir or Ersari-Beshir. The pattern and ornamental repertoire of such carpets are predominantly of non-Turkmen origin and often go back to Ikat motifs. Furthermore, variants of the Minah Khani pattern, boteh forms, or large rhombus patterns are characteristic. This piece shows a rhombus cross pattern, which can already be found on a colour plate of the first monograph of Turkmen carpets, published in 1908/1909 in St. Petersburg. The pattern's design concept in the publication of the Russian general A. A. Bogolyuvov also corresponds to that of the Dresden carpet. Despite some sections with a more pronounced pile, this knotting is characterized by its lustrous wool and a wonderful play of colours. The field and border ornaments seem to hover over the base, alternately designed in shades of blue and green. The rich reddish-brown colour, combined with the accentuated use of yellow, appears somewhat restrained, which further enhances the composition's overall effect.","type":"Carpet","holder":"Museum für Völkerkunde Dresden (Ethnological Museum Dresden), Dresden State Art Collections","dates":"19th century, probably third quarter","location":"Dresden, Saxony","dimensions":"Length: 421cm, Width: 171cm","provenance":"Central Asian, Middle Amu-Darya region","obtention":"Purchased in 1989 from a Dresden Collector, Friedrich Uhlemann, who afore acquired the piece from a private household in Reichenbach, Vogtland. The owners offered the piece in response to a newspaper announcement searching for old carpets. Uhlemann was very much engaged in helping Dresden painter Wilhelm Müller (1928–99) to secure oriental rugs, carpets and flat weaves of rural and nomadic tradition that were still on the territory of GDR with building up a collection for the Ethnographic Museum of Dresden, mainly between 1979 and 1986.","bibliography":"Bogolubow, A. A. (Bogolyuvov, A.A.), *Tapisseries de L´Asie Centrale faisant de la collection réunie par A. Bogolubow*, St. Petersburg: Manufacture des Papiers de L’Etat, 1908: plate XXXII (32).  \nCrosby, S., “In Thrall to the Ersari”, *Hali Magazine*, issue 113 (2000): 23–27 (see image page 25, no.4).  \nJourdan, U., *Orientteppiche Band 4: Turkmenische Teppiche*, Munich: Battenberg Verlag, 1989: 306, no.284.  \nThompson, J.M.A. (ed) and Bogolyubov, Andrei, *Carpets of Central Asia*, Fishguard: The Crosby Press, 1973: plate 28.","author":"Simone Jansen","copy_editor":"Janice Medina","keywords":["Central Asia","Amu-Darja"],"materials":["goat hair","pile weave","wool","asymmetrical knot open left"]},"61f8f6ec-92d5-556e-b7d6-2e874ba81191":{"name":"Hanging","short_description":"This prayer rug is woven with a triple arcade, hanging lamps, vases with bunches of flowers and large flower scrolls. The pastel pinkish colours and the band woven with a flower scroll are typical of Chian silks. A famous one dated 1742 is kept in the monastery of Nea Mone on Chios. The export of Chian silks is recorded from the 15th century when the island was under Genoese rule and continued when the island passed into Ottoman hands in 1566.","type":"Silk, gilt metallic thread","holder":"Benaki Museum","dates":"Hegira 11th century / AD 17th century","location":"Athens","dimensions":"Height 262 cm  \nWidth 187 cm with lining","provenance":"Chios (Sakiz)","keywords":["floral decoration","Ottoman textile","Hanging Lamp motifs","floral motifs","textile","Chian Silks"],"materials":["gilt metallic thread","silk"]},"6291cb5f-19ca-54c3-bfec-a8fe553b43e2":{"name":"Pashmina carpet","description":"Although this piece was purchased, and came to Portugal in the 20th century, Indian carpets began arriving in Portugal as the consequence of trade in Asia from the 16th century onwards. This influx occurred within a similar time frame, although on a smaller scale, as that of Persian carpets. This large fragment was produced in Kashmir or Lahore in the middle of the 17th century, during the reign of Shah Jahan (1592‒1666); a period that itself is associated with the use of floral designs. This emperor, like Akbar and Jahangir, stood out due to his having supported artistic development through the workshops of the royal court: a similar sort of workshop production was probably responsible for this piece, and the material used and the high quality of the design both attest to this. The use of pashmina-pile knots made from the fleece of the Himalayan mountain goat (*Capra hircus laniger*) onto a silk foundation allowed for a high knot-count and consequently a very detailed design.  \nAlthough the earliest Mughal carpets from the 16th century reveal the direct influence of Persian archetypes, by the 17th century, Mughal carpet designs would be composed of a greater number of Indian motifs (local elements, such as exotic flora and fauna). The designs had also become more naturalistic due to the impact of European botanical albums, introduced to the court through missionaries and merchants. Such is the case with this piece, which represents the sub-category of North Indian knotted-pile carpets with all-over flower and lattice pattern. This style of carpet, with its rows of flowers framed by geometrical lattices, themselves displayed in bright lac-red fields, would reach its peak during the reign of Shah Jahan, he who ordered the construction of the Taj Mahal mausoleum.","type":"Textile; carpet","holder":"Calouste Gulbenkian Museum","owner":"Calouste Gulbenkian Museum","dates":"17th century (c. 1650)","location":"Lisbon","dimensions":"H: 320cm, W: 140cm","method_for_datation":"Stylistic analysis and documents","method_for_provenance":"Stylistic analysis and documents","provenance":"North India, Kashmir or Lahore (?)","obtention":"Purchased by Calouste Gulbenkian in Maison Demotte, Paris, in 1922","bibliography":"Cohen, Steven, “Safavid and Mughal carpets at the Gulbenkian Museum”, *Hali*, 114 (January/February 2001): 75‒88, 99.  \nLeite, Maria Fernanda Passos, *Uma obra em foco: Tapete com decoração Floral*, Lisbon, Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation, 2005.  \nWalker, Daniel, *Flowers underfoot, Indian carpets of the Mughal Era*, New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 1997.","workshop":"North India, Kashmir or Lahore (?)","author":"Clara Serra","translator":"Lily Chadwick","translation_copy_editor":"Mandi Gomez","keywords":["floral decoration","knotted carpet","Persian knot","India","Kashmir","Mughal dynasty","silk","floral motifs","Pashmina","carpet","Lahore"],"materials":["pashmina pile","Silk warp and weft","knotted (Persian knot","open to the left)"]},"62a91891-033f-5f20-ba88-1767990a9e1f":{"name":"Kilim","description":"On the preserved Pirot kilims of earlier date mild and calm nuances of dark blue, red and green prevail. Besides, on this kilim also appear yellow and white colours. In the middle of the central field there is a rhomboid medallion filled with *čenđeli* ornament. Inside four smaller rhombi, placed in the corners, there are interesting stylisations of a human figure surrounded by the branches with *pomegranates* (*narovi*). The rest of the central field is filled with *bibice* ornament, while the wide border (*ploča*) is decorated with the *tree of life* motif. According to Milena Vitković Žikić, a similar kilim is preserved at the Osman Pazvantoglu mosque in Vidin.","type":"Carpet","holder":"Museum of Applied Art","dates":"First half of the 19th century","location":"Belgrade","dimensions":"H: 275cm, W: 239cm","method_for_datation":"By stylistic analysis, material and technique","provenance":"Pirot","obtention":"Purchased in 1952","bibliography":"Cvetković, M., *Igra šarenih niti: Kolekcija pirotskih ćilima Etnografskog muzeja u Beogradu*, Belgrade: Etnografski muzej, 2008.  \nVitković-Žikić, M., \"Odsek za tekstil i kostim\", in I. Zorić (ed.), *55 godina Muzeja primenjene umetnosti : 1950–2005*, Belgrade: Muzej primenjene umetnosti, 2005: 97–121.  \nVitković-Žikić, M., *Pirotski ćilimi = Les Kilims de Pirot*, Belgrade: Muzej primenjene umetnosti, 2001.  \nPetković, M., and Vlatković, R., *Pirotski ćilim* \\[Abstract in English\\], Belgrade: Srpska akademija nauka i umetnosti, 1996.  \nStojanović, D., *Pirotski ćilimi* \\[Summary in English\\], Belgrade: Muzej primenjene umetnosti, 1987.","author":"Draginja Maskareli","keywords":["weave","wool","Şarköy","Pirot","Kilim","tree of life"],"materials":["weaving","wool"]},"62b2035d-324c-567d-b6a1-5b1942910eb6":{"name":"Compartment and Tree Rug Fragment","description":"One of the oldest surviving examples of its type, this rug shows a field of leafy or pomegranate-bearing trees arranged between rows of geometric compartments.","type":"Carpet","holder":"Philadelphia Museum of Art","dates":"18th centruy or later","location":"Philadelphia, Pennsylvania","dimensions":"429.3 x 262.9cm (14 feet 1 inches x 8 feet 7 1/2 inches)","provenance":"Kurdistan, Iran, Asia or Hamadan, Iran, Asia","obtention":"The John D. McIlhenny Collection, bequest of Mrs. John D. McIlhenny, 1943","bibliography":"Ellis, Charles Grant, *Oriental Carpets in the Philadelphia Museum of Art*, Philadelphia: Philadelphia Museum of Art, 1988: cat. 51.","author":"Quintin Blumka","copy_editor":"Xena Wang","keywords":["rug","carpet"],"materials":["wool and cotton"]},"62e26164-3e84-51be-af2d-1435ccc48245":{"name":"Rug","description":"Flat woven rugs from Gafsa are characterized by their brightly coloured, bold geometric patterns (triangles, squares, crosses and rhombs) arranged in panels, and executed in a weaving technique known as dovetailing. Though many motifs are repeated throughout the piece, they are never used in exactly the same colours or combination more than once. Rows of marching camels in the centre of this rug are a signature of the Gafsa style. In this rug bright blues, oranges and greens were achieved with chemical dyes that have been used in North Africa since the late 19th century. In more remote areas, chemical dyes would be often combined with natural dyestuff.","type":"Carpet","holder":"Textile Museum of Canada (TMC)","owner":"TMC","dates":"1930-1950","location":"Toronto, Ontario","dimensions":"L: 334cm, W: 186cm","method_for_datation":"By stylistic analysis","method_for_provenance":"By stylistic analysis","provenance":"Tunisia, Gafsa governorate, Gafsa","obtention":"From the Opekar / Webster Collection","bibliography":"Reswick, Imtraud, *Traditional Textiles of Tunesia and Related North African Weavings*, Los Angeles: Craft and Folk Art Museum, 1985.  \nReswick, Imtraud, “Traditional Textiles of Tunisia”, *African Arts*, 14.3 (May 1981): 58-65.","author":"Natalia Nekrassova","keywords":["wool"],"materials":["wool","weft-faced","interlocking tapestry woven"]},"63d6fb13-9493-5237-89ca-6de88f9706ee":{"name":"Kilim","description":"The Pirot kilims are characterised by variety of motifs (zoomorphic, anthropomorphic and motifs of surrounding objects and phenomena) that derive their names from associations to objects and living beings found in immediate surroundings. A small kilim, with a place and year of making woven in Cyrillic letters in the upper part – *PIROT 1941 g.*, is conceived as an embroidery sampler and decorated with a large, almost encyclopaedic span of ornaments. The ornaments are arranged into friezes, boxes and within the border. The colours used are: red, blue, green, white, orange, black, yellow and brown. Among the ornaments and patterns represented on the kilim there are: *bombs* (*bombe*) and *bibice*, *wreath* (*venac*) and *devil’s knees* (*vraško koleno*), *Crown Prince* (*prestolonaslednik*), *tables* (*sofrice*), *chair* (*stolica*), *bird* (*tiče*), *pomegranates* (*narovi*), *flames* (*plamenovi*), *turtle* (*kornjača*) etc.","type":"Carpet","holder":"Museum of Applied Art","dates":"1941","location":"Belgrade","dimensions":"H: 195cm, W: 74cm","method_for_datation":"By stylistic analysis, material and technique; the year of making is woven on the item","provenance":"Pirot","obtention":"Purchased in 1980","bibliography":"Vitković-Žikić, M., *Pirotski ćilimi = Les Kilims de Pirot*, Belgrade: Muzej primenjene umetnosti, 2001.  \nStojanović, D., *Pirotski ćilimi* \\[Summary in English\\], Belgrade: Muzej primenjene umetnosti, 1987.","author":"Draginja Maskareli","keywords":["weave","wool","Şarköy","Pirot","Kilim"],"materials":["weaving","wool"]},"64f8833e-9443-5af8-a2d9-546e35bd469a":{"name":"Arraiolos rug","description":"Despite carpet production beginning in Portugal in the 14th century, carpet production centred in the town of Arraiolos had later origins, with its first references dating to the end of the 16th century, and first known examples dating from the beginning of the 17th century. Created in a domestic setting, these carpets have the particularity of being entirely wool-embroidered through a thread-counting process. This was done on a linen or hemp canvas. Its characteristic stitch is that of Arraiolos, a cross-stitch known as Greek stitch or as Slavic cross-stitch (also known as *ponto de Arraiolos*). This said, the earliest examples also present motifs outlined in “stem-stitch”, as in this case.  \nThis rug represents the “flower pattern” decoration sub-category of carpets, which is thought to date back to the 17th century and is characterised by vegetal inspired ornaments. In opposition to a field balanced and organised in accordance to a central longitudinal axis of symmetry, a border formed by eight well-designed, alternated, elongated lobes and winding vegetal motifs is continuously embroidered in such a manner that it does not respect the edges of the rug. The recourse to flower-like lobed medallions, alternated with quatrefoils, filling up the field, as well as the colour scheme and the tri-dimensional effect suggested by the layout, lead this type of carpet to be called “tile-pattern” carpets. This is due to their similarity to the patterned tile (*azulejos*) panels produced in Portugal during the same period.","type":"Textile; carpet","holder":"Museum of Portuguese Decorative Arts – Ricardo do Espírito Santo Silva Foundation","dates":"17th century","location":"Lisbon","dimensions":"H: 185.5cm, W: 124.5cm","method_for_datation":"Stylistic analysis","method_for_provenance":"Stylistic analysis","provenance":"Portugal, Arraiolos","obtention":"Donated by Ricardo do Espírito Santo Silva in 1953","bibliography":"Leite, Fernanda Passos, “Têxteis”, *Artes Decorativas Portuguesas no Museu Nacional de Arte Antiga, séculos XV/‒XVIII*, Lisbon: Museu Nacional de Arte Antiga, 1979.  \nLeite, Fernanda Passos, *Museum of Portuguese Decorative Arts – Guide*, Lisbon: FRESS, 2004.  \nMendonça, Maria José de, “Tapetes de Arraiolos”, in João Barreira (ed.), *Arte Portuguesa ‒ As Artes Decorativas*, Lisbon: Excelsior, n.d.  \nOliveira, F., Baptista de, *História e Técnica dos Tapetes de Arraiolos*, Lisbon: Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation, 1973.  \nPereira, Teresa Pacheco, *Tapetes de Arraiolos*, Lisbon: SILVIP, 1991.","workshop":"Arraiolos, Portugal","author":"Maria João Ferreira","translator":"Lily Chadwick","translation_copy_editor":"Mandi Gomez","keywords":["17th century","Arraiolos stitch","ponto de Arraiolos","Portuguese carpet","embroidery"],"materials":["oblique or Slavic cross-stitch (known as ponto de Arraiolos)","wool","Linen","wool embroidered on linen","stem-stitch"]},"65011066-4ed5-5528-a635-0088b486989b":{"name":"Portrait of Cardinal Sembratowicz","description":"Sylwester Sembratowicz (1836–98) had been metropolitan Archbishop of Lviv (in Polish Lwów or Lvov), of the Greek-Catholic denomination, since 1885. In 1895, he became Cardinal. He was also a professor and Dean of the Theological Faculty at the Jan Kazimierz University in Lviv.  \nCardinal Sembratowicz is depicted sitting on a highly decorated armchair in the sacral interior, behind him is a lectern covered with embroidered drapery. Beneath his feet, we see a precious carpet, probably a Persian carpet of the Tabriz type. On the carpet’s softly painted surface it is possible to recognise an ornament of elaborately woven palmettes, with many colourful details that are joined with wavy tendrils, on a red ground. The border is dark-blue, filled with a row of palmettes. Persian carpets were very popular among wealthy inhabitants of Lviv in the 19th and 20th centuries. A very similar carpet, dating to the 19th century, is preserved in the collections of the National Museum in Kraków (inv. no. MNK XIX-12064). In spite of this carpet’s generous dimensions, the Janelli family took it with them into exile when forced to leave Lviv by the Soviet authorities in 1946.","type":"Painting","holder":"National Museum in Kraków","dates":"1896","location":"Kraków","dimensions":"H: 21cm, W: 300cm","provenance":"Ukraine, Lviv","obtention":"Donated before 1939","bibliography":"Kozakowska, Stefania, and Małkiewicz, Barbara, *Polish painting from around 1890 to 1945. Catalogues of the Collections of the National Museum in Kraków*, Kraków: National Museum in Kraków, 1998: 21‒2, cat. 14.  \nZięba, Andrzej A., “Sylwester Sembratowicz”, *Polski Słownik Biograficzny* (Polish Biographical Dictionary), vol. XXXVI/2, fasc. 145, Warsaw and Kraków: Polish Academy of Sciences, 1995: 212‒16.","author":"Joanna Regina Kowalska","copy_editor":"Mandi Gomez","keywords":["Lviv (Lwów or Lvov)","Aleksander Augustynowicz","Tabriz","carpets in art","Sylwester Sembratowicz"],"materials":["Oil on canvas"]},"66b33fdf-e0ea-56b4-b735-839f6aaca1fe":{"name":"Rug.","description":"The rectangular rug belongs to the group of so-called 'bird' rugs. These rugs are distinguished by their cream white ground and by their use of mainly warm, earthy hues – yellow, red and brown – contrasted with small areas of blue and greenish-blue. The design of the rug is divided into a central field and a border. The significant motif of the design, which gives it its name, is a shape resembling a stylised double-headed bird, always with four birds arranged around a large blossom forming the repetitive design of the central field. The areas between them are filled with a standardised motif composed of a central rosette and four blossoms on stems. Additional small rosettes and whirling motifs are set between the large blossoms and the birds of the horizontal lines. The framed border has cloud-bands, which are connected to each other by arabesques.  \nThis rug, however, shows a peculiarity which distinguishes it from the usual style of bird rugs. In the middle of the rug is a nearly square field showing a coat of arms and a mitre. The inscription underneath names the person for whom the rug was probably made, Archbishop Johannes Andreas Próchnicki. Próchnicki was Latin archbishop of Lemberg from 1614 until his death in 1633. It is assumed that the Armenians of Lemberg who had close connections with Istanbul helped Próchnicki to obtain this rug. That it was an order is evident from some illegible letters within the inscription. It is also interesting to know that some of the preserved Persian carpets commissioned by an Armenian of Lemberg on behalf of the Polish King Sigismund III in 1601/02 in Kashan also show a middle square including the king's coat of arms.  \nIn 1704 the Swedish King Charles XII (1682–1718) conquered Lemberg. We can assume that the rug was part of the booty of this war. Afterwards, the rug is supposed to have been the property of a noble Swedish family for about 200 years before it was sold to the collectors Axel and Nora Lundgren in 1937.","short_description":"Rectangular rug from the group of so-called ‘bird’ rugs. The significant motif is a shape resembling a stylised double-headed bird. The unusual field in the middle of this rug contains a coat of arms and a mitre. This rug was probably made for J. A. Próchnicki, archbishop of Lemberg 1614–33.","type":"Wool, knotted, carpet","holder":"Museum of Mediterranean and Near Eastern Antiquities (Medelhavsmuseet).","owner":"National Museum of Fine Arts, Stockholm. In order to reorganise the expanding collections, the main part of the Islamic collection has been on permanent loan to the Museum of Mediterranean and Near Eastern Antiquities since 1982.","initial_owner":"Johannes Andreas Próchnicki (d. 1633), Latin archbishop of Lemberg (Poland).","dates":"Hegira 1023–43 / AD 1614–33.","location":"Stockholm","dimensions":"Height 280–283 cm, width 185–189.5 cm.","method_for_datation":"The inscription in the central field of the rug refers to Johannes Andreas Próchnicki who was archbishop of Lemberg from 24 November 1614 until his death in 1633.","method_for_provenance":"So-called bird rugs with cream-white grounds are usually assigned to Ushak in west Turkey. Furthermore, after the fall of Constantinople to the Ottomans in 856 / 1453 there was a brisk trade with the Armenians of Lemberg. The predecessor of Johannes Andreas Próchnicki had bought 20 rugs in Constantinople to embellish the cathedral of Lemberg.","provenance":"Anatolia (Ushak district), Turkey.","obtention":"Gift from the estate of Axel and Nora Lundgren, registered in 1977.","bibliography":"Ådahl, K., *Den Orientaliska Mattan i Sverige*, Stockholm, 1998, cat. no. 9.  \nDimand, M. S., *Oriental Rugs in the Metropolitan Museum of Art*, Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, 1973.  \nLamm, C. J., 'Ein Türkischer Wappenteppich in Schwedischem Besitz', *Kunst des Orients* II, 1955, pp.59–68.","linkcatalogs":"IAM_TR_EN_001","author":"Friederike Voigt","copy_editor":"Monica Allen","keywords":["trade","rug","geometric decoration","carpet","figurative decoration"],"materials":["wool","knotted."]},"673ed749-0097-5438-a8aa-12b5086fcbb8":{"name":"Holbein Rug","description":"The characteristic delicate, lacy pattern of this rug is named for the Netherlandish painter Hans Holbein the Younger, who reproduced it in paintings between 1527 and 1543. Though still in common use today, the term “Holbein” rug is misleading because it was not used by Turkish weavers and this type of carpet was first depicted by European painters long before Holbein was born.","type":"Carpet","holder":"Philadelphia Museum of Art","dates":"17th-18th century","location":"Philadelphia, Pennsylvania","dimensions":"170.2 x 111.1cm (5 feet 7 inches x 3 feet 7 3/4 inches)","provenance":"Central Anatolia, Turkey, Asia","obtention":"The Joseph Lees Williams Memorial Collection, 1955","bibliography":"Ellis, Charles Grant, *Oriental Carpets in the Philadelphia Museum of Art*, Philadelphia: Philadelphia Museum of Art, 1988: cat. 5.  \nValentiner, Wilhelm R., *Catalogue of a Loan Exhibition of Early Oriental Rugs*, New York: MET, 1910: West Asia Minor, 15th century.","author":"Quintin Blumka","copy_editor":"Xena Wang","keywords":["rug","carpet"],"materials":["wool"]},"67b5627a-c276-578c-922b-18b7916f64a5":{"name":"The Ardabil Carpet","description":"The Ardabil Carpet is one of the world’s most celebrated carpets, woven in 1539-40 for the Safavid dynasty in Iran. It is a magnificent example of courtly design, as well as weaving technology, and has a remarkable significance for Safavid dynastic kingship. Together with its twin (today in the Los Angeles County Museum of Art), the carpet was produced for the ancestral shrine of the Safavid shahs, the pious foundation built around the tomb of Shaykh Safi al-Din (d.1334), in Ardabil, north western Iran. At the time when these two carpets were commissioned, Safavid shah Tahmasp (r.1524-1577) was completing a significant expansion to the shrine complex, with new buildings allowing for greater emphasis on his dynasty’s right to kingship. Cementing the Safavid s’ very recent conquest of Iran (led by Tahmasp’s father Isma\\`il), this kingship was also claimed as a moral entitlement, thanks to direct descent from their saintly ancestor, Shaykh Safi. Under Tahmasp, the Safavid s further claimed their family bloodline went back to the Shi\\`a Imams and ultimately to the Prophet himself. This sacred lineage made the shrine of Ardabil very important as a basis of Safavid royal entitlement, which explains why Tahmasp expanded the complex with such splendour. Based in the capital of Tabriz, Safavid court culture also emphasised the dynasty’s magnificence through the visual arts, with an extraordinarily beautiful and complex design tradition produced for the arts of the book and other media. The specific design of the Ardabil Carpet therefore, in its complex design, iconography and site-specific format, confirm a Safavid message of kingly magnificence, pious charity, and divine grace.  \nThe Ardabil Carpet has a medallion design: the main field has a bold central medallion (also called a *shamsa*) radiating oval pendants. Quarter versions of this medallion are repeated in the four corners of the main field. Along the central axis of the carpet, two hanging lamps are depicted: representing divine light, these lamps refer to the Safavid dynasty’s claim to direct descent from the Prophet, whose holy nature is often described in terms of light (or *Nur-Muhammadi*). The backdrop of the main field is an extraordinary performance of Safavid court design: there are two independent systems of spiralling leafy plant scrolls, laid one above the other, one with dark red stems, the other with thinner cream stems, all against a dark blue ground. The main border is a series of lobed cartouches, each containing designs of cloudbands and lotus flowers.  \n  \n[V&A online catalogue link](http://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O54307/the-ardabil-carpet-carpet-unknown/)","type":"Carpet; medallion carpet with hanging lamps and dated inscription.","holder":"Victoria and Albert Museum","dates":"Hejira 946 / AD 1539-40","location":"London","dimensions":"L: 10.44m (maximum), W: 5.35m (maximum)","method_for_datation":"Woven at the top end of the carpet is a text panel, which quotes two lines from the Persian poet Hafez, and then the statement “`amal-e bande-ye dargah Maqsud Kashani” (work of the slave of the court Maqsud Kashani), followed by the date 946H. This date corresponds to the years 1539-40, as the given date for the carpet’s production.","method_for_provenance":"The carpet is attributed to Safavid Iran because of its woven date, design, technical structure, and direct association (together with its twin carpet) with the Ardabil shrine. As noted above, the Ardabil Carpet at the V&A is one of a pair, the other of which is now in a museum in Los Angeles. It is important to think of the Ardabil Carpets as a twin commission, designed for the Safavid shrine estate. Measuring approximately 10m each in length and 5m in width, the two carpets were designed to lie side by side, perfectly occupying a square space under the dome of the Jannat-sara, one of the new buildings completed by Shah Tahmasp at the shrine. This grand chamber would certainly have been used by Tahmasp in 1544 as a royal reception hall, when he invited the exiled Mughal emperor Humayun to visit the royal shrine. Both of these men loved the arts. As is well documented, Humayun was deeply taken by the court arts of Iran, and he would return to India with a number of Safavid court artists in his entourage. The impact of Humayun’s visit to Ardabil, when he sat upon the carpets, may have contributed to that lasting impression.","provenance":"Iran","obtention":"In 1893, the South Kensington Museum (today the V&A) paid £1,750 for the Ardabil Carpet, to the London-based art-import firm Vincent J. Robinson & Co. Ltd. Robinson's in turn had purchased the carpet from Ziegler's of Manchester, a trading firm with offices in both Tabriz and Sultanabad (modern Arak) in Iran: Ziegler's (directly or indirectly) bought the carpet around 1888 from the shrine of Shaykh Safi in Ardabil, repairing it heavily. In 1889-90, the shrine authorities completed new restoration works on the earthquake damaged buildings of the complex: arguably, the carpet was originally sold in order to fund this renovation. It was not in perfect condition: before its sale to the V&A, the carpet was heavily restored, using fragments removed from its twin, the second Ardabil carpet (today in Los Angeles).","bibliography":"Blair, Sheila S., “The Ardabil Carpets in Context”, in Newman, Andrew J. (ed.), *Society and Culture in the Early Modern Middle East, Studies on Iran in the Safavid Period*, Boston: Brill, 2003: 125-143.  \nCarey, Moya, *Persian Art. Collecting the Arts of Iran for the V&A*, London: V&A, 2018: 174-181.  \nRizvi, Kishwar, *The Safavid Dynastic Shrine: Architecture, Religion and Power in Early Modern Iran*, London: I.B. Tauris, 2011.","author":"Moya Carey","keywords":["Tahmasp","lamps","shrine","medallion","Persian","Safavid","Iran","Ardabil"],"materials":["knotted pile. Wool pile on silk foundation","depressed warps","silk","wool","asymmetrical knots open to the left."]},"67ead56d-5ad0-56ee-b69c-34454186890b":{"name":"Caucasian carpet","description":"In the Caucasus, there is a great variety of motifs due to artistic exchange between the ethnic groups. Different classifications of carpets are based on weaver's ethnicity, geographic origin of the carpet or the carpet structure. No system of classification is based on design or motifs. Therefore, it is difficult to establish the origin of this peculiar carpet.  \nThe central field is filled with 21 octagonal small fields. They are alternately filled with a star in octagon medallions and four radially placed C motifs. In each small octagonal field there are numerous triangle motifs. The main border is the S border, common through the Caucasus.","type":"Carpet","holder":"Museum of Arts and Crafts","dates":"Late 19th century","location":"Zagreb","dimensions":"H: 174cm, W: 117cm","method_for_datation":"By stylistic analysis","method_for_provenance":"By stylistic analysis","provenance":"Caucasus","obtention":"Purchased from Lisa Berger, Zagreb, Croatia","author":"Andrea Klobučar","translator":"Petra Milovac","translation_copy_editor":"Daniel de la Vega","keywords":["fields composition","Caucasus"],"materials":["knotted carpet","wool","symmetrical knots"]},"67ff552b-5358-5aae-8559-fd654b60cc10":{"name":"Large Fragmentary Ushak \"Quatrefoil\" Carpet","short_description":"A full-pile wool carpet of so-called \"Star Ushak\" design. The brilliant red field is decorated with a quatrefoil medallion, two half-medallions, and a small portion of another medallion, all in deep blue. In the center and the lobes of the medallions are compartments formed by arabesque devices filled with palmettes and leaves. The rest of the field has an intricate floral pattern of scrolls bearing leaves and palmettes. Within the border, arabesques interlace with palmette scrolls. The guard bands enclose intermittent floral scrolls. The carpet is asymmetrical in that it has been shortened at the bottom. Its top and bottom borders have been reconfigured from the original borders.","type":"Textiles","holder":"Saint Louis Art Museum","dates":"Hegira 9th century / AD 16th century","location":"Saint Louis","dimensions":"Length: 302.3cm x Width: 229.2cm","method_for_datation":"Scholarly review and/or comparison to similar objects from the period.","method_for_provenance":"Although this Star Ushak is unique for its motif of a repeated blue star and diamond combined, it is characteristically Ushak in the coloring of blue medallions on a brilliant red field. Star Ushak carpets typically consist of large star-shaped medallions which alternate with smaller diamond-shaped units. Curving arabesque forms and floral elements fill the remaining spaces.","provenance":"West-central Anatolia, Turkey, Asia","obtention":"Gift of James F. Ballard, 1929","bibliography":"Denny, Walter and Farnham, Thomas, *The Carpet and the Connoisseur: The James F. Ballard Collection of Oriental Rugs*, Saint Louis: The Saint Louis Art Museum, 2016.  \nMarseno, Beba, *Il vello dipinto: tappeti in pittura*, Milan: Gallery Moshe Tabibnia, 2015.  \nStokstad, Marilyn, *Art History, Revised Second Edition*, Upper Saddle River, New Jersey: Pearson Education, 2005.  \nThompson, John, *Milestones in the History of Carpets*, Milan: Gallery Moshe Tabibnia, 2006.","keywords":["wool","Anatolia","West-Central","Turkey","Ottoman","Ushak","Quatrefoil","textile","Fragment","carpet","Asia"],"materials":["approximately 39Vx39H per decimetre","pulled to the left","wool","symmetrical knot"]},"6817d716-d50f-5815-983d-43a8eec6184e":{"name":"*Shadda*","description":"Three rows of camel motifs adorn the central area of the carpet. The blue border area consists of three stripes: a woven camel caravan comprises the large central stripe and the remaining two narrow stripes have geometric patterns. The carpet is fringed on two of its sides.","type":"Carpet","holder":"Azerbaijan National Museum of Art","owner":"Azerbaijan National Museum of Art","dates":"Date unknown, purchased by the Museum in 1948","location":"Baku","dimensions":"H: 190cm, W: 150cm","method_for_datation":"The date is not certain, but research and documentary evidence suggests a maker in Garabagh","method_for_provenance":"Information offered by the seller has been further researched and corroborated by experts at the Museum","provenance":"Garabagh, Lambaran, Azerbaijan","obtention":"Purchased in 1948","bibliography":"Rasim Efendiyev, *Azărbai̐jan khalg sănăti / Folk Art of Azerbaijan*, Azerbaijan, Baku: Ishyg, 1984 (text in Azerbaijani, English and Russian).","author":"Emin Suleymanov","copy_editor":"Mandi Gomez","keywords":["Shadda","Azerbaijan","carpet","camel caravan","Lambaran"],"materials":["Wool warp and weft","plain weave"]},"6867ae64-65b5-5b2d-bdc4-400581100bc4":{"name":"*Baliq*","description":"The once black background is covered with richly stylised floral elements. The central part of the stylised flower motifs and branching patterns are reminiscent of the elements that combine to form the fish. The border consists of a wide and two narrow stripes.","type":"Carpet","holder":"Azerbaijan National Museum of Art","owner":"Azerbaijan National Museum of Art","dates":"Date unknown, purchased by the Museum in the 19th century","location":"Baku","dimensions":"H: 482cm, W: 117cm","method_for_datation":"The date is not certain, but research and documentary evidence suggests a maker in Garabagh","method_for_provenance":"Information offered by the seller has been further researched and corroborated by experts at the Museum","provenance":"Garabagh, Azerbaijan","obtention":"Purchased in the 19th century","bibliography":"Rasim Efendiyev, *Azărbai̐jan khalg sănăti / Folk Art of Azerbaijan*, Azerbaijan, Baku: Ishyg, 1984 (text in Azerbaijani, English and Russian).","author":"Emin Suleymanov","copy_editor":"Mandi Gomez","keywords":["fish motif","Azerbaijan","stylised flower motif","carpet","Baliq"],"materials":["Wool warp and weft","symmetrical knot"]},"6952044c-cc8b-5648-b20d-435ae6281ac3":{"name":"Niche or prayer carpet","description":"This is the first carpet purchased by the MAK after its founding. Together with numerous embroideries, it was bought in 1868 from the Mechitarist congregation based in Vienna and formed the start of the MAK’s internationally notable carpet collection. It supposedly came via Iran to Vienna. If one compares it with the pictorial carpets containing landscapes and pairs of birds, one clearly recognises the further development of the Mughal style: away from the naturalistic depictions towards the detailed *mille-fleur* design of the centre field and the integration of vegetal elements into the architecture, such as the flanking cypresses. The carpet displays a flora made of fine Pashmina wool, which allowed especially detailed lines.","type":"Carpet","holder":"MAK – Austrian Museum of Applied Arts / Contemporary Art","dates":"First half of the 18th century","location":"Vienna","dimensions":"H: 171cm, W: 112cm; knot density 7,300/dm2","method_for_datation":"Research and documentary evidence","method_for_provenance":"Research and documentary evidence","provenance":"North India, Kashmir, or Lahore","obtention":"Purchased in 1868 from the Mechitarists, Vienna","bibliography":"Völker, Angela, *Die orientalischen Knüpfteppiche das MAK*, Vienna: Böhlau, 2001: 324–5.","author":"Angela Völker","copy_editor":"Mandi Gomez","keywords":["wool","Mughal","silk","textile","carpet","floral design","mille-fleur"],"materials":["wool (Pashmina)","Silk warp and weft","asymmetrical knot","knotted"]},"69a554fe-128c-59b5-a563-4ccb1cd627fe":{"name":"Anatolian prayer rug","description":"Anatolian prayer rugs with two columns in the central field can be found in the west (Ghiordes and Kula rugs) and central (Ladik rugs) parts of the region. The spread of common design features makes it at times difficult to determine just which pieces are from which part of the region. It is very difficult, e.g. to determine the exact origin of this particular rug. The two column *mihrab* (prayer niche) resembles, with its geometrical decorated columns, some 19th century Kula prayer rugs. Palmettes in the border resemble some Caucasian palmette designs. The colours of the carpet are vibrant shades of red and blue that can be seen on Ladik rugs. The *mihrab* arch consists of a series of step-like progressions towards the top, which is also a characteristic of Ladik rugs.  \nThis Anatolian prayer rug was a gift to Izidor Kršnjavi, former director of the Museum of Arts and Crafts, from Ćiro Truhelka, former director of the National Museum of Bosnia and Herzegovina in Sarajevo. In the central field, on red background, there are two columns of geometric blue and white motifs. The border is decorated with rosettes, palmettes and octagons on the blue background. In the upper left corner there are two medallions with an inscription. In the upper medallion there is the Hegira 1190 /AD 1776. In the lower medallion there is the name of the weaver: Insuf.","type":"Carpet","holder":"Museum of Arts and Crafts","dates":"1776","location":"Zagreb","dimensions":"H: 145cm, W: 115cm","method_for_datation":"By stylistic analysis and inscripted year","method_for_provenance":"By stylistic analysis","provenance":"Anatolia","obtention":"Donated by Ph. D. Truhelka","author":"Andrea Klobučar","translator":"Petra Milovac","translation_copy_editor":"Daniel de la Vega","keywords":["Anatolia","inscription band","Ghiordes","prayer rug"],"materials":["knotted carpet","wool","symmetrical knots"]},"6a0c973e-5200-5907-8a65-03d76ead030f":{"name":"Carpet","description":"Field: The field contains an allover design, divided into quadrangular registers organised upon a symmetrical axis.  \nBorder: There is a single border, with decorations of scrollworks, *fleur de lis* and clamps bounded by two jagged borders.  \nThe carpet has remains of its fringe on the smaller sides.  \nThe woollen warp is naturally coloured and the wefts are blue. The wool decoration is in russet, yellow and green.  \nManufactured in Fundación Generalísimo (1941-1990), Industrias Artísticas Agrupadas, Madrid. It copies a design from the Lotto series of Cuenca.  \nThe border shows the typical decoration of scrollwork inspired by those of Renaissance carpets.  \nThe techniques of the colours are applied to mimic the dyeing effects of Cuenca carpets.","type":"Carpet","holder":"National Museum of Decorative Arts","dates":"Mid-20th century","location":"Madrid","dimensions":"Length: 244cm, Width: 187cm","method_for_datation":"Through the stylistic and technical analysis of the piece.","method_for_provenance":"Through record of purchase","provenance":"Fundación Generalísimo (active between 1941-1980), Madrid","obtention":"Acquired in 1964","workshop":"Fundación Generalísimo (active between 1941-1980), Madrid","author":"Mª Dolores Vila Tejero","translator":"Asad Islam","keywords":["Lotto series","20th Century"],"materials":["Spanish knot","Warp: wool","Weft: Wool"]},"6b5eaee2-e833-55b1-a701-b1fe1fcc8ef0":{"name":"Vine scroll carpet (fragment)","description":"Vine scroll carpets of this type were very successfully produced and exported during the 17th century, as depictions in contemporary European paintings and the many exemplars that have been preserved in European collections prove. The density of their knotting is less than that of the proceeding examples; the fact that their design no longer features animals is a characteristic of the Safavid carpets of the 17th century. This exemplar is among the finest and earliest of its type; the warp and weft are still of silk and wool and not – as later – in cotton. Two delicate tendril systems lying on top of each other, one white and one green, sustain the expressive fantasy blossoms of the middle field. Cartouches of various colours and shapes clearly subdivide the border.","type":"Carpet","holder":"MAK – Austrian Museum of Applied Arts / Contemporary Art","dates":"Late 16th century","location":"Vienna","dimensions":"H: 371cm, W: 281cm; knot density 3,200/dm2","method_for_datation":"Research and documentary evidence","method_for_provenance":"Research and documentary evidence","provenance":"Iran","obtention":"Obtained in 1907, formerly in the k. k. Österreichisches Handelsmuseum","bibliography":"Völker, Angela, *Die orientalischen Knüpfteppiche das MAK*, Vienna: Böhlau, 2001: 236–7.","author":"Angela Völker","copy_editor":"Mandi Gomez","keywords":["wool","Safawid","silk","textile","carpet","floral design"],"materials":["Silk warp","wool weft","asymmetrical knot","knotted"]},"6b677ac0-2063-5c3a-9411-8a0d1eef448f":{"name":"Caucasus *soumak*","description":"*Soumak* weaving is a form of weft-wrapping. The weft thread goes forward in front of a group of warp threads and then backwards behind a smaller group. The weft forms a colourful pattern.  \n*Soumak*s include large pieces intended for floor use as well as small saddlebags and animal trappings. Most Caucasian *soumak*s were made in the northern Caucasus. Red-field *soumak*s in a relatively narrow range of designs, with two, three, or four medallions, were woven in the Kuba district.  \nIn the central field on a red background there are three large blue polygonal medallions. Between them there are smaller star-like medallions. Each of the large medallions has a central octagon with a *lesghi* star. This motif is used throughout the Caucasus. The twelve points of the *lesghi* star, the radiating arrows and the star within a star distinguish it from other stepped stars motifs. Despite the name of the star, the Lesghians (several tribes inhabiting the northeast Transcaucasus) are not specifically associated with it. The central field is framed with four borders. The main border is leaf and calyx on blue ground. Two inner borders are decorated with hexagons with S motif and hooked squares in between on white ground. The outer border is the “running dog” border. The waveform of this motif has various frequencies and amplitudes; the Vitruvian scroll described it as “running dog” and it was often used in ancient Roman architecture.","type":"Soumak","holder":"Museum of Arts and Crafts","dates":"c. 1800","location":"Zagreb","dimensions":"H: 213cm, W: 139cm","method_for_datation":"By stylistic analysis","method_for_provenance":"By stylistic analysis","provenance":"Caucasus","obtention":"Unknown","author":"Andrea Klobučar","translator":"Petra Milovac","translation_copy_editor":"Daniel de la Vega","keywords":["soumak","medallion soumak","Caucasus"],"materials":["wool","soumak weaving"]},"6bb34fe7-eaef-56c1-b556-3d1d89dfb069":{"name":"Marriage tent","short_description":"A complete early 20th century Egyptian tent adorned with colourful textile panels in interior part. *Khayamiyya* or Egyptian art of tent-making is created using a hand-applique technique in which fabric pieces are cut, folded and skillfully hand-sewn to canvas, producing impressive tents and wall hangings. These vibrant textiles are widely used in ceremonial contexts such as weddings, funerals, street parties and religious events. This tent was used for the wedding of a daughter of the last Khedive of Egypt in 1903. It can be erected with the decoration reversed should it be thought more appropriate.","type":"Textile","holder":"Islamic Arts Museum Malaysia","dates":"c. Hegira 1300 / c. AD 1900","location":"Kuala Lumpur","dimensions":"427 x 701cm","provenance":"Egypt","bibliography":"*Islamic Arts Museum Malaysia*, Volume 1, Kuala Lumpur: IAMM Publications, 2002: 222-223.  \nIslamic Arts Museum Malaysia, *Beyond Boundaries-Tents of the Islamic World*, Kuala Lumpur: IAMM Publications, 2003: 46-59.","materials":["Woven cotton"]},"6bba06d5-c173-5556-b5da-1c1423de2bf1":{"name":"Isfahani Carpet","description":"This monumental carpet was probably woven in Isfahan during the seventeenth century, either for export or for the domestic market. The design is a densely packed trellis formation of dramatic large flowers (lotus, prunus and more) and feathery leaves, on scrolling black stems. These busy scrolling stems nonetheless follow a symmetrical organisation, folding across a central vertical axis. Placed at intervals, ring-like clasps hold the scrollwork within this ordered layout. The flowers and leaves are in different blues, pinks, oranges and creams, set against a dark wine-red field. The black outlines and stems have receded, as the iron in the black dye has corroded back the woollen pile, creating an (unintended) relief effect, and revealing the foundation threads behind. Hidden within the design are small birds, which is unusual for this carpet group.  \nAlso nicknamed “Shah Abbas” and “Isfahani”, many examples of this carpet group survive today, and they are also largely in evidence in European painting, particularly that of the Dutch Golden Age, throughout the seventeenth century. Isfahan was then the capital of Safavid Iran, when the city attracted international merchants for the raw silk trade.  \n  \n[V&A online catalogue link](http://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O472056/carpet-unknown/)","type":"Carpet","holder":"Victoria and Albert Museum","dates":"1600-1700","location":"London","dimensions":"Metric. L: 9.75m, W: 3.81m","method_for_datation":"The carpet design fits with dateable architecture in Safavid Isfahan, during the seventeenth century.","method_for_provenance":"The group have previously been attributed to Herat, and have been nicknamed “Herati”, “Indo-Isfahan” and “Afghan” as a result. Today they are more firmly attributed to Isfahan, Iran.","provenance":"Iran, Isfahan","obtention":"Purchased in 1886 by the South Kensington Museum (today the V&A) from the art-dealing firm Vincent J. Robinson. The carpet had been on long-term loan at the museum since 1880.","author":"Moya Carey","keywords":["scrollwork","red","lotus","flowers","Isfahan"],"materials":["cotton. Wool pile on cotton foundation","knotted pile","wool","asymmetrical knots open to the left."]},"6bcf4975-1310-52ec-9b3e-e5e3a2352047":{"name":"Safavid Carpet with animals and spiral strings","short_description":"This Safavid carpet is decorated with floral ornamentation and hunting scenes. Parts of the central section and border are missing. Various flowers, buds, and leaves interweave to make a decorative pattern on a dark red background, and the middle of the carpet is bisected by a line of palmetto flowers. Different animals can be identified among the floral pattern: a lion leaping towards a spotted bull, a tiger hunting an ibex, three single panthers, the mythical creature Qilin and, in the centre of the rug, a pair of leaping deer chased by tigers.  \nBands of clouds, originating from Chinese mythology, fill the space between the animals and floral ornaments. The complete pattern is symmetrical, the row of palmette flowers forming the axis of the mirrored halves. The dark green outer border is also decorated with flowers.  \nThe motifs of this carpet resemble Safavid book design and are reminiscent of paradise gardens.","type":"Carpet","holder":"MKG Museum for Applied Arts","dates":"Hegira 940-980 / AD mid-16th century","location":"Hamburg","dimensions":"1967.123: Height: 600cm, Width: 250cm; 2011.556: Height: 312cm, Width: 18cm; Knot density: ca. 4200/10cm²","method_for_datation":"By comparison with similar objects.","method_for_provenance":"Bequeathed by Fritz Wimmer","provenance":"Central Iran","obtention":"Part of the same carpet with the index number of 2011.556 was later bought and added to the museum collection. First part purchased in 1967, second part in 2011.","bibliography":"von Achenbach, N., *Vier Objekte anlässlich der Neueinrichtung der Sammlung Islamische Kunst*, Hamburg: Stiftung für die Hamburger Kunstsammlungen, 2015.  \nAdey, E., *A Study of the Iconography of the Lion in Islamic Art*, PhD diss. (University of Edinburgh, 1993).  \nHempel, R. and Preysing, M., *Alte Orient-Teppiche*, Hamburg: Museum für Kunst und Gewerbe, 1970.  \nKlose, C., \"Imperial Puzzle: 16th Century Persian Spiral Vine Carpets with Animals,\" *HALI*, 170 (2013): 76-85.  \nPope, A.U., \"Text: Carpets, Metalwork and Minor Arts\", in A.U. Pope, *A Survey of Persian Art: From Prehistoric Times to the Present*, vol. 5, London: University of Oxford Press, 1981.","copy_editor":"Caitlin Link","keywords":["animals"],"materials":["Warp: silk","weft: cotton and wool","asymmetrical knot"]},"6bfda02c-c63c-5abb-8ec9-834074af723f":{"name":"Para-Mamluk carpet","description":"A 16th century pile carpet of the type termed “Para-Mamluk”, and sometimes “Chessboard”, having been made in the early period of Ottoman rule, in either Damascus or Anatolia. This predominantly red and blue compartment layout carpet has a red field on which nine compartments are formed and distributed in rows, three vertical by three horizontal. Each compartment is formed of four light blue corner triangles creating a hexagonal space between them. In the centre of this hexagonal space is positioned a light blue sixteen-pointed star, which is surrounded by eight pairs of light blue cypress trees that radiate from the star and towards the boundaries of the space. The dark blue carpet border is made of a row of alternating light blue diamond shaped cartouches with red coloured rectangular ones.  \n  \nProduced during a short era, the Para-Mamluk type was developed during the early period of the Ottoman conquest of Egypt and Syria from 1517 AD, where transitional designs from Mamluk to Ottoman styles bridged the two cultures. The term \"chessboard\" is also applied to this type of carpet in reference to the layout of its main field.","type":"Carpet","holder":"Glasgow Museums - The Burrell Collection","dates":"16th century","location":"Glasgow, Scotland","dimensions":"H: 1549mm, W: 1219mm","method_for_datation":"Manufacturing techniques and stylistic analysis","method_for_provenance":"Stylistic analysis","provenance":"Syria, Damascus; or Turkey, Anatolia","obtention":"Gifted by Sir William and Lady Burrell to the City of Glasgow, 1944","workshop":"Damascus or Anatolian workshop","author":"Noorah Al-Gailani","keywords":["tree motifs","chessboard carpet","geometric design","arabesque cartouche","cypress"],"materials":["wool pile","Wool warp and weft"]},"6d2b1226-8d1a-55f3-87af-210f0136a472":{"name":"*Die Himmelfahrt Christi (Ascension of Jesus Christ)*","description":"The extremely elaborate series of tapestries known as the \"Old Passion\" was purchased for the Dresden court during the reign of Duke George the Bearded (1471-1539). The tapestries held in the collection at the Palace in Dresden, which numbered around 230 items in 1565, not only constituted a valuable financial asset but also functioned as a symbol of state power. In addition to the four tapestries preserved in the Gemäldegalerie Alte Meister, which were woven in Brussels between 1524 and 1528, the series probably also included six further scenes from the Passion, which were presumably destroyed during a fire in the Palace in 1701. The tapestry depicting the Ascension of Christ, which was produced in the Brussels workshop of Peter van Edingen van Aalst shows the Son of God being transported upwards on a phenomenon consisting of light and clouds carried by angels. He raises his arms in a gesture of blessing over his disciples, who are left behind on the Mount of Olives. The exaltation of Christ symbolises the end of his earthly existence as he takes his seat at the right hand of God. It is presumed that the designer of this composition was Bernard van Orley, who was clearly influenced by the graphic works of Dürer and Raphael. Although this tapestry is still in keeping with the traditional style of 15th century painting, the monumentality of the figures and the realistic depiction of the landscape already reveal the influence of the Renaissance.","type":"Tapestry","holder":"Gemäldegalerie Alte Meister (Old Masters Picture Gallery), Dresden State Art Collections","dates":"c. 1524–1528","location":"Dresden","dimensions":"Height: 342cm, Width: 339cm","method_for_datation":"Research and documentary evidence","method_for_provenance":"Research and documentary evidence","provenance":"Belgium, Brussels","obtention":"The first mention of Flemish tapestry in Dresden dates from an entry in the 1565 inventory of the \"Tapetzerey Gewelbe\" in the Palace. As part of the series known as the Old Passion, which originally included ten tapestries, this work probably came to the Saxon court during the reign of Duke George the Bearded (1471–1539).","bibliography":"Kutzera, Kathrin, “Die Restaurierung der Niederländischen Bildteppiche der Gemäldegalerie Alte Meister”, *Dresdner Kunstblätter*, 3 (2004): 174ff.  \nMarx, Harald (ed), *Gemäldegalerie Alte Meister*, 2 vols, Köln: Buchhandlung Walther König, 2005/07: vol. 1 699f., vol. 2 678, gallery n. B 8.  \nNeidhardt, Uta, “Gewirkte Passion. Vier Niederländische Bildteppiche der Gemäldegalerie Alte Meister”, *Dresdener Kunstblätter*, 3 (2004): 153ff.","workshop":"Workshop of Peter van Edingen van Aalst; c. 1450 Waterloo–1531/33","author":"Bettina Forger","copy_editor":"Janice Medina","keywords":["Bibel","Christianity","New Testament","Renaissance","Tapestry"],"materials":["silk","wool","metal thread"]},"6d98ea50-5803-5087-8c76-c692fcff4093":{"name":"Carpet with flowering tree motif.","alternate_name":"Synagogue carpet.","description":"Acquired by Wilhelm von Bode, this fragmented carpet is thought to have first come from a church in Tyrol before finding its way into the hands of Munich art dealers. Its shape is long and narrow, and its patterns are clearly divided. Along its red centre lies a thin tree trunk, whose evenly spaced branches stretch out at a right angle, holding up large blossoms. A yellow border frames the carpet’s central area, and features an Arabic word in *kufic* script, which is repeated throughout the border. Along the top edge, the word is shortened to just two letters that are joined together. This stylistic depiction of the Arabic script could be an incorrect representation of the Islamic confession of faith. Small rosettes are used as partitions. A second border runs along the outside edge, patterned with a row of repeated double pearls. Both borders are additionally framed by thin blue stripes.  \nFriedrich Sarre was the first to suspect that this carpet came from a Spanish synagogue, and that the repetitive blossom-like geometric pattern represented a stylised depiction of a Torah shrine. Similar representations of a Torah shrine can be found in mosaics on the floors of synagogues in Palestine built in Late Antiquity. This conjecture over the carpet’s origin has not yet been supported by examples from Spain. The six-pointed star (known as the Seal of Solomon) also features frequently within Islamic ornamentation, but this motif cannot conclusively be interpreted as signifying the Star of David.  \nAs depictions in paintings frequently testify, Arabic inscriptions written in *kufic* were commonly employed in the Medieval Christian realms in architecture and on carpets and textiles. Even though there are as yet no known carpets that can be compared to this one, it is believed that it could still represent the oldest known example of a Spanish carpet.","short_description":"This unique and earliest known Spanish carpet has a design of a central tree with branches bursting into large flowers. These have been interpreted as depictions of a Torah shrine, giving the carpet the name Synagogue carpet. Of special interest is the stylised repetitive Arabic inscription.","type":"Carpet, wool","holder":"Museum of Islamic Art at the Pergamon Museum","owner":"Arts and Crafts Museum, Berlin, Germany.","initial_owner":"Wilhelm von Bode.","dates":"Hegira 8th century / AD 14th century.","location":"Berlin","dimensions":"Length 385 cm, width 95 cm.","method_for_datation":"In the absence of carpets that have been dated, it is thought that this carpet is earlier than the group of carpets featuring coats of arms that have been attributed to the 15th century. The reason for this lies in its different ornamentation and in the archaic calligraphy of its inscription, executed over a monochrome background. These differences justify the hypothesis that this carpet could have been woven in the 14th century.","method_for_provenance":"The technical peculiarity of the use of Spanish knots for the knotted weave, as well as the inscription and the ornamental details, point to the carpet having a Spanish origin.","provenance":"Spain.","obtention":"Acquired by Wilhelm von Bode in 1884 from a Munich art dealer and later transferred to Berlin’s Arts and Crafts Museum, from where is has been on long-term loan since 1906.","bibliography":"Bode, F., *Vordersasiatische Knüpfteppiche aus älterer Zeit*, Leipzig, 1901, p.117.  \nEnderlein, V., *Wilhelm von Bode und die Berliner Teppichsammlung*, Berlin, 1995, p.23, no.8, p.28, plate 8.  \nMann, V. B. *et al*., *Convivencia: Jews, Muslims, and Christians in Medieval Spain*, Catalogue, New York, 1992, pp.246–7, no. 107.  \nSarre, F., “A Fourteenth Century Spanish Synagogue Carpet”, *Burlington Magazine* 56, 1930, pp.89–95.","author":"Jens Kröger","translator":"Maria Vlotides","translation_copy_editor":"Monica Allen","keywords":["Spanish carpet","geometric patterns","Synagogue carpet","carpet","kufic"],"materials":["knotted carpet.","wool"]},"6da483f8-19ce-5f70-9bd8-3d093b8b1250":{"name":"Carpet","description":"The field of this knotted-wool carpet is decorated with a prayer niche (*mihrab*) whose centre features a willow flanked by two pear trees upon which birds are perched. Snakes coil themselves around the branches, while two lions lie at the foot of the trees. Deer on fields of red adorn the upper corners. The cartouches on the side-borders show birds in pear trees, while those on the horizontal borders depict doves or rabbits. The warp and weft yarns are in cotton. The three-millimetre-high wool knots – the rug has 4,030 of them per square decimetre – are asymmetrical. The motifs are in a wide array of colours: pink, red, yellow, green, orange, blue and brown.","type":"Carpet","holder":"Montreal Museum of Fine Arts","dates":"Late 19th or early 20th century","location":"Montreal, Quebec","dimensions":"391.2cm x 231cm; knot density 4,030 dm2","method_for_datation":"Stylistic and comparative analyses","provenance":"Iran, Kirman","obtention":"Adaline Van Horne Bequest  \nBequeathed in 1944 by Adaline Van Horne, who inherited the textile from her father, William Van Horne, who died in 1915.","bibliography":"Edwards, Arthur Cecil, *The Persian Carpet*, London: Duckworth, 1953: 205.  \nIttig, Annette, *Rêves tissés: tapis d’orient de la collection du Musée des beaux-arts de Montréal / Woven Dreams: Oriental Carpets from the Collection of the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts*, Montreal: Montreal Museum of Fine Arts, 1994: 52.  \nNeff, I. C., and C. V. Maggs, *Dictionary of Oriental Rugs*, Capetown: Ad Donker, 1977: 35‒6.","author":"Shirin Shafiee","copy_editor":"Mandi Gomez","keywords":["Qajar art","knotted carpet","Persian carpet","prayer rug"],"materials":["wool","cotton","asymmetrical knot"]},"6ef65cc3-4c33-56d6-9397-2ea841e48bc8":{"name":"Carpet","description":"Carpets had a number of functions in Central Asia, dictated by the specific way of life in this part of the world. The nomadic tribes wove smaller carpets, while the population in large settlements mostly used larger carpets. These carpets retained a great number of traditional patterns since they were less exposed to foreign influences. A strictly geometric pattern is always used in composing the design and flowers are skillfully stylised into geometric shapes. In prayer rugs, the top of *mihrab* or prayer niche is slightly emphasised. The central field is most often filled with geometric shapes – octagons, rhombi or stars. The rhombi are sometimes graduated and sometimes filled with hook motifs. Motifs taken from nature most often take on an octagonal shape. We also encounter dogs and camels, faithful companions of the nomads. Carpets belonging to this group are always distinguished by a central field and borders, usually three borders of which the middle border is most accentuated. The so-called *ensi* rugs have a central field within a frame or cross, which are filled with decorative patterns. The colours are mainly dark, mostly different shades of red, from brown to purple. The borders and central field are always the same colour, which may vary in tone. The individual patterns are blue, green, yellow and white. The warp is traditionally wool, and the weft and pile material fine sheep’s or goat’s wool, sometimes even camel hair. The carpets are usually made by knotting and the asymmetrical knot is almost always used. The central field of this carpet is divided into patterned strips with four mini-fields and at the centre of each of them is the *tree of life*. The main field has six borders of which two narrow ones are repeated, while the other four are different. The third border from the edge is the widest and is filled with geometric shapes in the form of squares. The overriding colours are dark red, blue, white and brown.","type":"Carpet","holder":"Museum of Applied Art","dates":"19th century","location":"Belgrade","dimensions":"H: 158cm, W: 122cm","method_for_datation":"Ref. Stojanović, D., *Orijentalni tepisi i ćilimi* \\[Summary in English\\], Belgrade: Muzej primenjene umetnosti, 1971.","provenance":"Balucistan","obtention":"Obtained through the restitution after the Second World War","bibliography":"Vitković-Žikić, M., \"Odsek za tekstil i kostim\", in I. Zorić (ed.), *55 godina Muzeja primenjene umetnosti: 1950–2005*, Belgrade: Muzej primenjene umetnosti, 2005: 97–121.  \nStojanović, D., *Orijentalni tepisi i ćilimi* \\[Summary in English\\], Belgrade: Muzej primenjene umetnosti, 1971.","keywords":["wool","asymmetrical knot","carpet","Baluchistan","tree of life"],"materials":["asymmetrical knots","wool"]},"7118e35e-5f4e-5e65-ad88-484a7b1ab225":{"name":"*Varni*","description":"Woven in two parts and then brought together, in the central area the figure “5”-shaped pattern has been consistently developed on a large-scale throughout. There is a narrow border of three parts, the central one of which is wider than the other two and is decorated with a simple floral pattern. The fringes are red.","type":"Carpet","holder":"Azerbaijan National Museum of Art","owner":"Azerbaijan National Museum of Art","dates":"Date unknown, purchased by the Museum in the 19th century","location":"Baku","dimensions":"H: 273cm, W: 207cm","method_for_datation":"The date is not certain, but research and documentary evidence suggests a maker in Garabagh","method_for_provenance":"Information offered by the seller has been further researched and corroborated by experts at the Museum","provenance":"Garabagh, Azerbaijan","obtention":"Purchased in the 19th century","bibliography":"Rasim Efendiyev, *Azărbai̐jan khalg sănăti / Folk Art of Azerbaijan*, Azerbaijan, Baku: Ishyg, 1984 (text in Azerbaijani, English and Russian).","author":"Emin Suleymanov","copy_editor":"Mandi Gomez","keywords":["Garabagh","Azerbaijan","carpet","varni"],"materials":["Wool warp and weft","plain weave"]},"714698bd-511a-567d-a25e-31f2836df495":{"name":"Portuguese carpet","description":"The so-called Portuguese carpet of the MAK Collection can be regarded as the best preserved of the group of nine extant carpets and three fragments. “Scenes” depict people in the four corners of the main fields: boats with passengers in European attire sail on a heavy sea; a swimmer, fish, and a sea monster are in the water. Unusual for carpets, this depiction has led to various interpretations and notions about its genesis. Thus, one thought is of the legend from the Book of Jonah as a purely formal model, another is of the death of Bahadur Shah the Sultan of Gujarat, who drowned in 1537. European prints, converted to meet the more exotic tastes of an Iranian clientele, supposedly served as the template for the corner solution. The term “Portuguese carpets” developed out of the assumption that they had been produced in Iran for Portugal or Portuguese settlements in India, known as the Estado da India. Today, based on technical arguments, the Khorasan province in northeast Iran is generally accepted as the place of origin.","type":"Carpet","holder":"MAK – Austrian Museum of Applied Arts / Contemporary Art","dates":"Beginning of the 17th century","location":"Vienna","dimensions":"H: 680cm, W: 313cm; knot density 5,100/dm2","method_for_datation":"Research and documentary evidence","method_for_provenance":"Research and documentary evidence","provenance":"Iran, Khorasan(?)","obtention":"Obtained in 1922, formerly in the Imperial House of Habsburg","bibliography":"Völker, Angela, *Die orientalischen Knüpfteppiche das MAK*, Vienna: Böhlau, 2001: 244–7.","author":"Angela Völker","copy_editor":"Mandi Gomez","keywords":["wool","figural design","Safawid","textile","cotton","carpet","floral design","animals"],"materials":["wool","Cotton warp and weft","asymmetrical knot","knotted","scattered Jufti knot"]},"7154e502-7f96-5840-a88a-9c301676fd88":{"name":"*Khante*","description":"A rectangular-shape carpet with two narrow string borders around a central *ebli* field. The central field has a red background on which are five small blue medallions decorated with flowers. Stylised vases of white flowers surround the medallions in the corners, developed in a four-one rhythmical pattern.","type":"Carpet","holder":"Azerbaijan National Museum of Art","owner":"Azerbaijan National Museum of Art","dates":"Date unknown, purchased by the Museum in the 19th century","location":"Baku","dimensions":"H: 194cm, W: 148cm","method_for_datation":"The date is not certain, but research and documentary evidence suggests a maker in Garabagh","method_for_provenance":"Information offered by the seller has been further researched and corroborated by experts at the Museum","provenance":"Garabagh, Azerbaijan","obtention":"Purchased in the 19th century","bibliography":"Rasim Efendiyev, *Azărbai̐jan khalg sănăti / Folk Art of Azerbaijan*, Azerbaijan, Baku: Ishyg, 1984 (text in Azerbaijani, English and Russian).","author":"Emin Suleymanov","copy_editor":"Mandi Gomez","keywords":["Garabagh","Azerbaijan","khante","carpet","Xanliq"],"materials":["Wool warp and weft","symmetrical knot"]},"71d27a74-72e5-584a-a669-aeffec6787d6":{"name":"Prayer rug (fragment)","description":"Although less than half the size of the original rug, the fragment is still one of the most remarkable textiles of the Islamic art collection in the Museum. Following the latest research, the original rug was reconstructed based on several well-preserved details (see the virtual reconstruction of the original design, ill. 1a). The *mihrab*, an essential element of the mosque architecture represented on prayer rugs, has been replaced here with a triple arch reminiscent rather of a gateway or the cross section through a mosque; the dome over the centre arch in the original design supports this hypothesis. The coupled-column motif could be traced back to the architecture of Muslim Spain, and was apparently disseminated by Sephardic Jews. Similar columns, whose bases are rendered in linear perspective, feature on 16th-century Ottoman prayer rugs some of which were imperial court commissions produced in Istanbul; others, as is the case here, were made in Cairo, where the tradition of Mamluk workshops continued long after the Ottoman conquest (1517). The asymmetrical knot is characteristic of Mamluk carpets, whereas the decorative repertoire is typical of Ottoman art. The original rug may have served as a prototype for “Transylvanian” coupled-column carpets dating back to the 17th and 18th centuries, which only comes to highlight the historical significance of this fragment.","type":"Prayer rug","holder":"The National Museum of Art of Romania","dates":"Late 16th–early 17th century","location":"Bucharest","dimensions":"H: 154cm, W: 62cm; knot density ver. 53/dm; hor. 62/dm; 3,286/dm2","method_for_datation":"Stylistic and technical analysis","provenance":"Egypt, Cairo","obtention":"Purchased from the owner (Teodor Tuduc)","bibliography":"Beattie, May H., “Coupled-Column Prayer Rugs”, *Oriental Art*, vol. XIV, no. 4 (1968): 243–58.  \nBoralevi, Alberto, “Column Rugs”, in Stefano Ionescu (ed.), *Antique Ottoman Rugs in Transylvania*, ed. II, Rome: Verduci Editore, 2007: 156–7.  \nDenny, Walter B., *The Classical Tradition in Anatolian Carpets*, Washington DC: The Textile Museum, 2002: 50–5.  \nDunca, Mircea, *Covoare turceşti, secolele XVII–XX*, Bucharest: Muzeul Naţional de Artă al României, 1994: cat. 1.  \nDunca, Mircea and Gherghinescu, Luiza, “Tuduc’s Coupled-Column Prayer Rug Fragment: A Virtual Reconstruction of the Original Design”, *Oriental Carpet and Textile Studies VII, International Conference on Oriental Carpets, Selected Papers from ICOC X, Washington 2003 & ICOC XI (Istanbul, 2007)*: 133‒8, ICOC, 2011.","author":"Mircea Dunca","translator":"Victoria Gheorghita","translation_copy_editor":"Mandi Gomez","keywords":["court rug","Ottoman Cairo rug","prayer rug"],"materials":["wool","asymmetrical knot","knotted"]},"72a2a91b-5a58-5ade-a2c7-b36c74afcc72":{"name":"Hand carder","description":"Carding is the preparation of raw, unordered or washed fibres to prepare them for spinning into long spirals. Carding can be used to create blends of different fibres or colours. Once carded, fibres can be used in a variety projects including spinning, weaving and felt making.","type":"Carding tool","holder":"Jordan River Foundation Bani Hamida Weaving Project","dates":"1916","location":"Mukawer","dimensions":"L: 20cm, W: 13cm","method_for_datation":"Owners","provenance":"Bani Hamida","obtention":"Bought","author":"Halima Al Qa'dan","copy_editor":"Lisa Kelman","materials":["Wood and iron"]},"72ba3bfe-0cc8-514d-9707-7a480f54966b":{"name":"Prayer rug","short_description":"This is one of approximately 90 prayer or niche rugs often known as a ‘Salting’ group which are now generally accepted as having been woven in Iran sometime in the 16th or 17th century. Many are believed to have come from the Topkapi Palace Museum (which still holds some 35 examples), sold off during the economic crisis resulting from the Russo-Turkish war of 1877–8. It is very likely that they were a diplomatic gift and that they entered the Topkapi Palace sometime before 1680, as a treasury ledger of that year mentions Persian prayer rugs with embroidered inscriptions in metal thread. It has been suggested that they may have remained unused in the Palace stores due to the presence of inscriptions integral to Shi‘i daily prayers on some of them, which may account for the bright colours and often remarkable condition of many examples, including this one.  \n  \nThe inscriptions on this carpet consist of the *Ayat al-Kursi* (‘Throne verse’), *sura* *al-Baqara*, (II), verse 255, in the outer border and *sura* *al-Ahzab* (XXXIII), verse 56, in the inner one. The corner medallions enclise the phrase, ‘Glory to my most high Lord, and to His praise’. A pair to this carpet, previously known as the ‘Perez’ prayer rug, is in a private collection in Italy.","type":"Rug; carpet; prayer rug","holder":"Khalili Family Trust – Nasser D. Khalili Collection of Islamic Art","dates":"AD 16th or 17th century; C-14 dating: 1474 –1667 (95% confidence)","location":"London","dimensions":"164 x 102cm","method_for_datation":"Date and provenance are based on stylistic and technical analysis, as well as C-14 dating.","provenance":"Iran","obtention":"Formerly A.M. Indjoudjian, Paris; Deroyan, Paris.","bibliography":"Canby, S., *Shah ‘Abbas. The Remaking of Iran*, exhibition catalogue, London: The British Museum, 2009: 80–81 (the pair to this carpet).  \nCoulter, J., in *Textiles, Carpets and Costumes*, London: The Nasser D. Khalili Collection of Islamic Art, volume 14, Part Two. \\[In preparation/ forthcoming\\]  \nEiland, M.L., and Pinner, R. (eds), *Oriental Carpet and Textile Studies. The Salting Carpets*, vol. 5, Part 2, Danville, CA: International Conference On Oriental Carpets, 1999: no.24, pp.88–9 and Appendix C.  \nRogers, J.M., *The Arts of Islam. Masterpieces from the Khalili Collection*, London: Thames & Hudson, 2010: no.398, p.335.","author":"Nahla Nassar","keywords":["wool","silk","carpet","prayer rug","Warp","inscription","Safavid","Iran","diplomatic gifts","metal thread","weft"],"materials":["in asymmetrical knot","wool pile","Yellow silk warps and wefts","metal-thread weft brocading"]},"73436f09-e1ab-55c5-bea1-c885fb7a2df8":{"name":"Fragment of a rug","description":"Uşak, western Anatolia, was one of the most important carpet-making centres in the Ottoman Empire. The carpets made there are of a very high standard of workmanship, with well-balanced compositions, and a harmonious use of colour. The Iranian influences are visible in the precise and very detailed treatment of motifs. The most beautiful Uşak carpets were made during the 16th and 17th centuries (we can trace them also in paintings). It is now believed that carpets from the “Uşak” group were also made in Anatolian towns.  \nUşak rugs can be divided into five groups concerning their pattern and colour. The “white rug” group, with grounds of un-dyed wool, ivory or pale beige, with a pattern of *cintamani* motifs, so-called “birds”, or “scorpions”, were probably made in Selendi. According to the sources, “bird rugs” were known in Poland from at least the 16th century. We know that the Polish king Stephen Báthory, the former Transylvanian prince, in 1585, commissioned carpets described as “white with red paint, as in Turkey they commonly make, with birds”. At the beginning of 17th century, the Archbishop of Lviv, Jan Andrzej Próchnicki ordered a “bird rug” with his coat of arms – it is now preserved in Medelhavsmuseet, Stockholm. Representations of white-ground rugs were also painted on the walls of Tarnow burghers’ houses at the end of 16th century.  \nThe Kraków rug can be assigned to the “white rug” group, but its ornament is very specific. While it most closely resembles a “bird rug”-type, “bird-like” forms are substituted with “dragon-like” motifs. In the preserved fragment, we can see four rows of star-like rosettes. Each of these is flanked by “dragons”. Delicate cloudbands and palmettes, connected with geometricised scrolls, decorate the border. It is worthy of note that both the pattern and the colour of the rug are very sophisticated and that the ornaments are delicate and detailed. As for the use of colour, the Kraków rug differentiates itself against the others in the “white rug” group for its ornaments, woven in nicely chosen shades of blue, red, pink, orange and emerald-green.","type":"Rug","holder":"National Museum in Kraków","dates":"End of the 16th century","location":"Kraków","dimensions":"H: 165cm, W: 111cm; knot density 1,600/dm2","method_for_datation":"The rug resembles the “bird-rug”-type carpets of the Selendi group, even if the shape of the ornaments differ from the “bird-like” forms characteristic of this group","provenance":"Anatolia / Uşak region / Selendi","obtention":"Obtained before 1981","bibliography":"Biedrońska-Słotowa, Beata, *Leksykon sztuki kobierniczej* (Lexicon of carpet art), Kraków: Radamsa publications, 1999: 219–22.  \nBiedrońska-Słotowa, Beata, “Turkish Carpets in Poland. Their Traditional Meaning and Significance for Polish Art”, *14th International Congress of Turkish Art Proceedings, Paris: College de France*, Ankara: Republic of Turkey Ministry of Culture and Tourism, 2013: 175–82, ill. 3.  \nBiedrońska-Słotowa, Beata, “The Place of Ottoman Art in Polish Art during the Renaissance”, in Robert Born and Michał Dziewulski (eds), in collaboration with Kamilla Twardowska, *The Ottoman Orient in Renaissance culture: Papers from the International Conference at the National Museum in Kraków: June 26‒27, 2015*, Kraków: The National Museum in Kraków, 2015: 215–36.  \nIonescu, Stefano (ed.), *Kobierce anatolijskie z kolekcji Muzeum Narodowego Brukenthala w Sibiu / Anatolian Carpets From the Collection of the Brukenthal National Museum in Sibiu* (Romania ed.), Gdańsk: National Museum of Gdańsk, 2013. (Analogy)  \nPásztor, Emese, *Ottoman Turkish Carpets in the Collections of the Budapest Museum of Applied Arts*, Budapest: Museum of Applied Arts, 2007: 83, 9–107. (Analogy)","author":"Joanna Regina Kowalska","copy_editor":"Mandi Gomez","keywords":["‘white-rug’ group","bird rugs","Turkey","Uşak","Ushak","Selendi"],"materials":["symmetrically knotted pile","Wool (warp","weft","pile)"]},"73b0b112-a63b-5da2-be06-3f358b1dbd58":{"name":"Spindle","description":"Spindle made from a single bar or crossed bars with a metal hook. Goat hair and wool are teased by hand to prepare for spinning fibres.","type":"Spindle","holder":"Department of Antiquities","owner":"Department of Antiquities","dates":"Early 20th century","location":"Amman","dimensions":"L: 38cm, W: 5cm","method_for_datation":"Early 20th century treadle loom weavers from Syria and Palestine settled in Jordan. They produced rugs, saddle bags and more.","provenance":"Amman","obtention":"Purchased","bibliography":"Rashid, Abdallah, *Traditional life in Amman from 1878-1948*, Amman: Ministry of Culture and Youth, 1983.","author":"Samia Khouri","copy_editor":"Lisa Kelman","materials":["Wood"]},"73f9091d-afae-5193-8338-ac3476f58f18":{"name":"Khamseh Confederacy carpet","description":"The province of Fars lies south of Isfahan and west of Kirman, bordering the Persian Gulf to the south. At one time, Fars was the center of the Persian Empire. It is an area inhabited by people of diverse origins. There are two major tribal divisions in Fars: the Qashqa’i and the Khamseh Federation. It is difficult to define the areas inhabited by each group but basically the Qashqa’i occupy the area west of Shiraz and the Khamseh the area to the east of Shiraz.  \nThe Khamseh Federation arose as a political entity during the 19th century as a counterpoise to the Qashqa’i. It consists of five tribes: Ainalu, Baharlu, Baseri, Nafar and Arab. *Khamseh* is Arabic for “group of five”. The Arab tribe is the largest and most important. They were for decades the most prolific rug weavers in Fars. Many of the 19th century Arab rug designs show stylized bird figures, often with a series of small, lozenge-shaped medallions along the vertical axis.  \nThis South Persian carpet from the province of Fars can be attributed to one of the tribes from the Khamseh confederacy. In the central field there are three interrelated hexagonal medallions, the so-called *murgi* medallion. In the medallions, on a white background, there are motifs of chickens and florets as field repeats. The *murgi* medallion is on a blue octagonal field also filled with chickens and floret motifs. Corners of the central field are filled with florets and stylized animal motifs on a white background. The central field is framed with four borders. The main border is the *boteh* border – two *boteh*s are oppositely placed and between them there is a cypress motif. This border is taken from the rugs from Qainat. *Boteh* is a universal oriental rug design element. *Boteh* is Persian for “bush” and *buta* is Hindi for “flower”. It is thought to have originated in Kashmir in its curvilinear form. The form and content of *botehs* are often distinctive for particular attributions and may be valuable clues to the origin of a weaving. The inner border is a simplified version of the Arab border. The outer border has a polychrome nested *mihrab* motif.","type":"Carpet","holder":"Museum of Arts and Crafts","dates":"1st half 19th century","location":"Zagreb","dimensions":"H: 265cm, W: 150cm","method_for_datation":"By stylistic analysis","method_for_provenance":"By stylistic analysis","provenance":"South Iran","obtention":"Unknown","author":"Andrea Klobučar","translator":"Petra Milovac","translation_copy_editor":"Daniel de la Vega","keywords":["Persia","Khamseh","medallion carpet"],"materials":["knotted carpet","wool","symmetrical knots"]},"74348eb1-1326-5002-8493-0ebbebd23a4b":{"name":"Bergama Rug","description":"Bergama a town in Izmir Province was one of the most important rug producing areas of Anatolia. Many decorative style rugs were produced in Bergama including large pattern, small pattern, double *mihrab*, single *mihrab* and geometric. This is a rare example of a Bergama rug with a geometric design. The main theme is composed of four geometric motifs arranged in squares, locally called *elibelinde* or hands on hips. This is a very popular motif in West Anatolia and was widely used on various woven textiles.","type":"Rug","holder":"Museum of Turkish and Islamic Arts","dates":"19th century","location":"Istanbul","dimensions":"L: 130cm, W: 190cm","method_for_datation":"The analyses of the material and the technique used for weaving the rug and the motifs seen on main ground and borders.","provenance":"West Anatolia, İzmir","obtention":"From the Biga Dimetoka Mosque","bibliography":"Kollektif, *Türk El Dokuması Halılar*, Ankara: Kültür ve Turizm Bakanlığı Yayınları, Cilt 1, Katalog no: 12.","author":"Deniz Kanberoğlu","copy_editor":"Lisa Kelman","keywords":["West Anatolia","Bergama Rug"],"materials":["Natural wool coloured with natural dyes","symmetrical knot","Gördes knot"]},"74d909b3-d5bf-58e9-8fd5-7f17c21f3c2b":{"name":"Carpet fragment","description":"The lower corner of this fragment of a high-pile carpet is decorated with a quarter of a lobed medallion. The field is made up of two half-medallions and a mosaic of acanthus leaves, crescents, palmettes, foliated scrolls and flowers. The dark-blue main border is adorned with a series of palmettes surrounded by sickle-shaped leaves. Although it has been restored, the border retains its original design. As the pile of the field has largely been repaired, it is possible that some of the motifs there have been reworked. Therefore, the half-medallion in the upper part of the fragment was originally a half-palmette. The quarter-lobed medallion was patched and painted, and its relation to the initial design remains to be determined. The warp and weft yarns are in cotton. The five-millimetre-high wool knots – the rug has 1,920 of them per square decimetre – are asymmetrical.","type":"Carpet fragment","holder":"Montreal Museum of Fine Arts","dates":"18th century (?)","location":"Montreal, Quebec","dimensions":"655cm x 129cm; knot density 1,920 dm2","method_for_datation":"Stylistic and comparative analyses","provenance":"East of Iran","obtention":"Purchase  \nPurchased from Karekin Beshir, New York, in 1950","bibliography":"von Bode, W., and Ernst Kühnel, *Antique Rugs from the Near East*, Berlin: Klinkhardt & Biermann, 1958: 118–27.  \nIttig, Annette, *Rêves tissés: tapis d’orient de la collection du Musée des beaux-arts de Montréal / Woven Dreams: Oriental Carpets from the Collection of the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts*, Montreal: Montreal Museum of Fine Arts, 1994: 20.","author":"Shirin Shafiee","copy_editor":"Mandi Gomez","keywords":["Safawid textile","Islamic carpet"],"materials":["wool","cotton","asymmetrical knot"]},"74ea15a9-ac23-5535-b370-ed2de11dd563":{"name":"Carpet.","description":"A woollen carpet that belongs to the Ottoman genre of so-called ‘Lotto carpets’, distinguished by a wide central field and a broad border. In this particular example, the central field, its ornamental elements rendered in a mustard brown with blue detailing, is set against a deep-red ground. In the centre, three octagons formed from abstract arabesque, split-palmette, leaf and geometric elements are superposed; the upper one curtailed, the lower one halved by the border. On either side two interconnected star motifs, composed of the same elements as the octagons, embellish the remainder of the central field. The border has a succession of cusped medallions enclosed by a narrow blue line and containing abstract motifs in either dark-blue or light-purple and green, on a red ground. The background is composed of halved, stylised floral motifs that fill-in the spaces in between the medallions. A narrow outer border in red, with a simplified floral scroll within it, encloses the entire composition.  \nCarpets such as this example occur in varying sizes and can be up to six meters long. They were popular from the early AH 10th–late 11th / AD 16th–late 17th centuries. It is not yet clearly understood how the distinctive design of these carpets evolved, but perhaps they were inspired by octagonal and star motif tile compositions used in Seljuq wall revetments.","short_description":"This type of Ottoman carpet is called a ‘Lotto’ carpet after the Italian painter Lorenzo Lotto, who depicted them in the AH early 10th / AD early 16th century. ‘Lotto’ carpets were made in Western Anatolia from the early 10th / early 16th century to the late 11th / 17th century.","type":"Ottoman carpet, knotted wool","holder":"National Museums of Scotland (NMS).","dates":"Hegira 11th century / AD 17th century.","location":"Edinburgh, Scotland","dimensions":"Length 167.6 cm, width 112 cm.","method_for_datation":"This type of carpet occurred in western Anatolia during the early 10th–late 11th / early 16th–late 17th centuries. They were manufactured in local urban workshops situated in Ushak and elsewhere. This type, known as ‘Lotto carpets’ was so named after the Italian painter Lorenzo Lotto, who depicted these particular carpets in his paintings in the early 16th century. Later they occur in other European paintings until the end of the 17th century.","method_for_provenance":"This type of carpet occurred in western Anatolia from the early 10th–late 11th / early 16th–late 17th centuries. They were manufactured in local urban workshops situated in Ushak and elsewhere.","provenance":"Perhaps Ushak, western Anatolia, Turkey.","obtention":"Purchased from Whytock and Reid, Edinburgh in 1931.","bibliography":"Scarce, J., *Domestic Culture in the Middle East: an Exploration of the Household Interior*, Edinburgh, 1996, p.58.  \n*Türkische Kunst und Kultur aus osmanischer Zeit*, exhibition catalogue, Recklinghausen, 1985, p.198, fig. 83; p.203, cat. no. 3/2; p.204, cat. no. 3/3.","linkcatalogs":"IAM_TR_EN_001","author":"Ulrike Al-Khamis","copy_editor":"Mandi Gomez","keywords":["Ushak","Lorenzo Lotto"],"materials":["Wool."]},"7544bf88-1c99-5fae-86d6-41a4b6204b0c":{"name":"Carpet decorated with shrubs","description":"A fragment of the identical pair of carpets decorated with shrubs that was part of the MAK Collection, obtained from the Austrian imperial household, was sold between the First and Second World Wars and is located today in the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam. Eponymous are the plant forms in the field. Unlike the differentiated field design, the border comes across as somewhat schematic. Border and field patterns were varied and combined in terms of both colour and motif. The influence of the Indian Mughal Empire (1526‒1707) forms, which is noticeable in the near-realistic design and the arrangement of the motifs, can be ascribed to the active cultural and economic exchange between both empires.","type":"Carpet","holder":"MAK – Austrian Museum of Applied Arts / Contemporary Art","dates":"17th century","location":"Vienna","dimensions":"H: 604cm, W: 259cm; knot density 1,800/dm2","method_for_datation":"Research and documentary evidence","method_for_provenance":"Research and documentary evidence","provenance":"Central Iran, Isfahan(?)","obtention":"Obtained in 1922, formerly in the Imperial House of Habsburg","bibliography":"Völker, Angela, *Die orientalischen Knüpfteppiche das MAK*, Vienna: Böhlau, 2001: 220–1.","author":"Angela Völker","copy_editor":"Mandi Gomez","keywords":["wool","Safawid","textile","cotton","carpet","floral design"],"materials":["wool","Cotton warp and weft","asymmetrical knot","knotted"]},"77bb79c8-0e18-5f85-a486-475e3b24e773":{"name":"'Scorpion' rug","description":"Standing in distinct contrast to the typically red and blue colours of Ottoman Turkish carpets are the 'white' rugs, whose fields are created using undyed wool, which is an ivory or light beige colour. They have a maximum of 5–8 colours (usually white, red, blue, yellow and brown), but also can include manganese violet, green and pink, with low knot density, between 621 and 837. They are subdivided by pattern as \"ball\" or \"çintamani\", \"bird\" and \"scorpion\" white rugs. Referred to in Hungarian historical sources as *fejér* (white) carpets, they were popular in 16–17th century Hungary, and particularly in Transylvania (now part of Romania). The rarest version of white rugs has a motif reminiscent of a stylised scorpion, seen by some as a crab. They are known as \"scorpion\" rugs. Four scorpion rugs are known of Transylvanian origin. Apart from the Budapest rug, there are two in Transylvania (in the collections of the Black Church in Braşov and of the St Margaret Church in Mediaş), and one in the Keir Collection in London. The main field of the rug is divided into two rectangles by narrow columns of arrowhead rods linked to round rosettes in the centre and the two edges. Palmettes reminiscent of a stylised scorpion or crab arranged in varying orientations and colours in a vertical column alternate with each other in the rectangles.","type":"Carpet","holder":"Museum of Applied Arts","dates":"Mid 17th century","location":"Budapest","dimensions":"Height: 201cm, Width: 143cm, Knot density: 575/dm2","method_for_datation":"Stylistic analysis","method_for_provenance":"Stylistic analysis","provenance":"Selendi (?), West Anatolia, Turkey","obtention":"Acquisition unknown","bibliography":"Batári, Ferenc, *Ottoman Turkish Carpets: The Collection of the Museum of Applied Arts, Budapest I*, Budapest–Keszthely: : Museum of Applied Arts, 1994: 52, no. 29 and 124, figure.  \nÖlçer, N., and Enderlein, V., and Batári, F., and Mills, J., *Turkish Carpets from the 13th–18th Centuries*, Istanbul: Ahmet Ertuğ, 1996: 122–123, plate 87 and detail \\[Ferenc Batári\\].  \nPásztor, Emese (ed), *'Transylvanian' Turkish Rugs: Tracing the Ottoman Rugs from the 1914 Exhibition in the Budapest Museum of Applied Arts*, Budapest: Museum of Applied Arts, 2020: 140–141, no. 58 and figure \\[Emese Pásztor\\].  \nPásztor, Emese, *Ottoman Turkish Carpets in the Collection of the Budapest Museum of Applied Arts: In Memoriam Ferenc Batári*, Budapest: Museum of Applied Arts, 2007: 106–107, no. 22.  \nWaterhouse, Rupert (ed), *In Praise of God: Anatolian Rugs in Transylvanian Churches 1500–1750*, Istanbul: Sakıp Sabancı Museum, 2007: 145, no. 14 \\[Michael Franses\\].","author":"Emese Pásztor","copy_editor":"Valerie Pulsifer","translator":"Alan Campbell","keywords":["wool","Ottoman rug"],"materials":["Symmetrical (Turkish or Ghiordes) knot","Pile: wool"]},"77c9a164-87ca-547f-8060-581825027030":{"name":"*Dragon* carpet","short_description":"The large central field of the carpet is dominated by two interlocked lattice structures (white and blue) set onto a red ground with stylised palmettes placed to mark their points of intersection. The carpet design's name derives from the inclusion of a sinuous dragon which fills half of the recessed diamond-shaped fields. In this example, the other half of the fields are filled with motifs that can be understood as representing palmettes. A narrow border of Z-shaped motifs encloses the central field.  \n  \nWhilst the Chinese dragon found its way into the art of the Islamic world as early as the 13th century, dragon carpets of this kind were made in the southern Caucasus from around the 17th century onwards. The structural parallels to Persian vase carpets of that time is also noteworthy. The strong stylisation of this carpet, which in some cases extends to the point where the motifs are unrecognisable, suggests that the carpet dates from the later 18th century.","type":"Carpet","holder":"Museum Rietberg","initial_owner":"Friedrich Sarre (1865-1945); Bernheimer gallery, Munich; around 1936: Eduard von der Heydt (1882-1964)","dates":"Hegira late 12th century / AD late 18th century","location":"Zurich","dimensions":"Height: 358cm, Width: 175cm","method_for_datation":"By comparison with stylistically similar and aprproximately dated objects","method_for_provenance":"Old museum inventory.","provenance":"Azerbaijan","obtention":"Gift from Eduard von der Heydt","bibliography":"Hermann, Fritz, *Teppiche aus dem Orient in der Sammlung des rietbergmuseums*, Zurich: Museum Rietberg, 1986: 9.","author":"Axel Langer","copy_editor":"Jonathan Turnbull","materials":["Wool (warp","weft and pile)"]},"77f45a91-a571-501e-bcc8-4f871df9a83b":{"name":"Ogival Lattice Carpet","description":"\"Ogival lattice\" refers to the vine and leaf pattern marked off by ivory lines on this rug. Due to fading of the dyes, the lattice pattern has lost much of its original prominence.","type":"Carpet","holder":"Philadelphia Museum of Art","dates":"16th century","location":"Philadelphia, Pennsylvania","dimensions":"330 x 167cm (10 feet 10 inches x 5 feet 6 inches)","provenance":"Alcaraz, Spain, Europe","obtention":"The Joseph Lees Williams Memorial Collection, 1955","bibliography":"Ellis, Charles Grant, *Oriental Carpets in the Philadelphia Museum of Art*, Philadelphia: Philadelphia Museum of Art, 1988: cat. 70.","author":"Quintin Blumka","copy_editor":"Xena Wang","keywords":["rug","carpet"],"materials":["Wool or goat hair"]},"78dc7240-0279-5897-8e09-8c53ec24d765":{"name":"Tibetan 'Three Medallion' Rug","description":"19th-century Tibetan rugs serve a variety of functions and come in many sizes. Their decorations consist mainly of Buddhist symbols. The Tibetan rug in the collection of the Museum of Applied Arts is a small and rectangular *khaden* (sleeping) rug called a \"three-coin\" or \"three-medallion\" rug because of its design. The four corners of the field contain light blue and light green swastikas in a pale-yellow spandrel with stepped edges. The brick red central field is adorned with three medallions surrounded by cloud motifs along the central axis. In the main border, lemon yellow and ochre strips meander. The minor border has a dark brown ground adorned with a row of pearls. The rug is framed by a 3-8 cm, knotted fringe of yak hair.","type":"Khaden (sleeping rug)","holder":"Museum of Applied Arts","dates":"19th century","location":"Budapest","dimensions":"Height: 172cm, Width: 78cm, Knot density: 312-390/dm2","method_for_datation":"Stylistic analysis","method_for_provenance":"Stylistic and technical analysis","provenance":"Tibet","obtention":"Purchased from Ervin Baktay (Gottesmann) (1890-1963) painter, art historian, orientalist, writer and translater, who visited Western Tibet in 1928.","bibliography":"Batári, Ferenc, *Csomózott indiai, kelet turkesztáni, kínai, tibeti és európai szőnyegek: Kiállítás a Miskolci Galériában a Budapesti Iparművészeti Múzeum gyűjteményéből / Knotted Rugs from India, Eastern-Turkestan, China, Tibet and Europe: Exhibition in the Miskolc Gallery from the Collection of the Budapest Museum of Applied Arts*, Miskolc: Miskolci Galéria, 1980: no. 17 and figure.","author":"Emese Pásztor","copy_editor":"Valerie Pulsifer","translator":"Lara Strong","keywords":["Yak hair","Tibetan rug","Sleeping rug","Khaden"],"materials":["Warp and weft: Wool","Pile: Wool and Tibetan yak wool","Tibetan rug weaving technique: Jufti knot","Open to the left"]},"79ec3799-6c99-5734-a810-73dca9b04725":{"name":"*Bildnis der ältesten drei Kinder Karls I. von England (Portrait of the eldest three children of King Charles I of England)*","description":"This painting depicts the three eldest children of King Charles I of England and his wife Henrietta Maria. The five-year-old Crown Prince Charles (Prince of Wales and later King Charles II) is on the left leaning against a pillar, imitating the pose of a court dignitary. Beside him, grasping his hand is his younger brother James (Duke of York and later King James II of Scotland). On the right stands the upright, demure figure of the four-year-old Princess Mary, the future wife of William of Orange. Van Dyck masterfully depicts the opulent costumes of the children posing, as befits a courtly portrait, in front of a pillar and a sumptuous curtain, standing on a valuable oriental carpet and framed by two dogs at their feet.","type":"Painting","holder":"Gemäldegalerie Alte Meister (Old Masters Picture Gallery), Dresden State Art Collections","dates":"c. 1635","location":"Dresden","dimensions":"Height: 131cm, Width: 151cm","method_for_datation":"By stylistic analysis","method_for_provenance":"Research and documentary evidence","provenance":"Dutch","obtention":"This painting was purchased for the Dresden collection by the art agent Le Leu in Paris in 1744.","bibliography":"Barnes, Susan J., et al. (eds), *Van Dyck. A complete Catalogue of the Paintings*, New Haven et al.: Yale University Press, 2004.  \nMarx, Harald (ed), *Gemäldegalerie Alte Meister*, 2 vols, Köln: Buchhandlung Walther König, 2005/07: vol. 1, p. 382, vol. 2, p. 240, gallery n. 1033.  \nMarx, Harald (ed), *Meisterwerke aus Dresden zu Gast im Bucerius-Kunst-Forum Hamburg*, Bremen: Hauschild, 2002: 76–77.","workshop":"Workshop of Anton van Dyck (Antwerp 1599–1641 London)","author":"Bettina Forger","copy_editor":"Janice Medina","keywords":["Representation","painting","carpet"],"materials":["Oil on canvas"]},"7a7a05cc-36a8-5c0e-8472-83ba70b38b5d":{"name":"*Alaska*","description":"“I imagine Alaska being white and all colours in between white and black \\[…\\] cramped between the ice”, says artist Carola Helbing-Erben. This image of Alaska as a cold, foreign place is reflected in the techniques (weaving, knotting) and the alteration of seemingly graphic and three-dimensional zones. Plush, protruding wool in knotted areas represent the pack whereas coloured, woven parts appear graphic and stand for the rocky ground, nature and life breaking through. While tapestries (or rugs) usually signify warmth, this association is contorted here by the motif.  \nHelbing-Erben’s design was realised by Christine Bargenda, who then worked at VEB Haweba Halle (Halle Weaving Mill). The department for textile art at Hochschule für Industrielle Formgestaltung Halle (HIF) goes back to Willi Sitte, who was later on chairperson of the VBK DDR (Union of Fine Artists of the German Democratic Republic \\[GDR\\]) and is considered, together with Werner Tübke, Wolfgang Mattheuer and Bernhard Heisig, one of the most important artists of the GDR.  \nIn 1953, Sitte was appointed head of the field of textile design, which he continuously expanded. In 1966, the department merged with VEB Haweba. The Haweba engaged in mass production as well as the manufacturing of design tapestries. In seeing artists and artisans united, its concept resembled those idealized by the Bauhaus or Jugendstil movement. Exhibitions of Halle textile works like those in the Wiener Künstlerhaus in 1984 or Deutsches Textilmuseum Krefeld are proof of the high regard GDR Textile Art was held in. VEB Haweba survived the political and economic reorganisation after the German reunification and, after severe financial crises, had been taken over by Burg Halle in 2012.  \nCarola Helbing-Erben (\\*1952 in Ostrau near Halle) is a German artist who studied at HIF Halle, specializing in tapestry design under Prof. Inge Götze. She has been a freelance artist since 1982, exhibiting in Germany and Switzerland. She now lives in Bremen.","type":"Tapestry","holder":"Kunstfonds, Dresden State Art Collections","owner":"Kunstfonds, Dresden State Art Collections","dates":"1987","location":"Dresden","dimensions":"Height: 218cm, Width: 126cm","method_for_datation":"The date mentioned above is the date of production","provenance":"Halle (Saale), Saxony-Anhalt, Germany","obtention":"The object was taken over from Kommerzielle Koordinierung Leipzig after the German Reunification.","bibliography":"Helbing-Erben, Carola, *Tageworte im Buch der Gedanken: Reflexionen*, Frieling neue Texte, Frieling, s.l. 1992.","author":"Silke Wagler","keywords":["wool","design","abstract decoration","crafts","landscape","floral motifs","cotton","craftmanship"],"materials":["warp: wool/cotton","tapestry","woven","knotted","weaved","knotting material: wool"]},"7ad14588-eea1-5356-a391-b6b7351cca18":{"name":"Genje Runner Rug or Genje Runner","description":"The long and narrow, pile carpet style (runner), the lively yellow, light blue, green and red colouring, and the geometric patterns are characteristic of early, classical carpets from Ganja (Genje). The yellow-base make-up area is ornamented with a net of octagons, filled with stars whose colours (red, green, dark blue, and blue) shift diagonally. In the ivory-coloured main stripe of its border, colourful rosettes and quadruple leaf motifs alternate. In the outer and inner side borders, rows of black reciprocal lilies run against a green and blue base, respectively. Of special importance is the fact that the carpet is dated and the name of its Armenian owner (Voskan) is known. This item was purchased by the Museum of Applied Arts from Mrs Sándor Barcsay in 1986. According to the seller's family traditions, it had once ornamented the proscenium before the altar in Bishop Ottokár Prohászka's (1858-1927) private chapel in Székesfehérvár. This might explain its uneven fraying.","type":"Carpet","holder":"Museum of Applied Arts","dates":"1821","location":"Budapest","dimensions":"Height: 430cm, Width: 100cm, Knot density: 1,092/dm2","method_for_datation":"Stylistic analysis. On one of the narrower ends of the carpet, black-on-yellow knotted Armenian inscription and Arabic date: \"OSKANIN 1821 ASIN\" (for Voskan in the year 1821) [Tigran Sayadyan's reading]","method_for_provenance":"Stylistic analysis","provenance":"Caucasus, Yelizavetpol Region (Ganja, in present-day Azerbaijan)","obtention":"Purchased from Mrs Sándor Barcsay, 1986","bibliography":"Kovács, B., and Pál, E. (eds), *Far Away from Mount Ararat: Armenian Culture in the Carpathian Basin, exhibition catalogue*, Budapet: National Széchényi Library (Leipziger Universitätsverlag) / Budapest History Museum, 2013: 177, no. VI.7 \\[Emese Pásztor\\].","author":"Emese Pásztor","copy_editor":"Valerie Pulsifer","translator":"Boldizsár Fejérvári","keywords":["wool","geometric patterns","Runner","Caucasus"],"materials":["Symmetrical (Turkish or Ghiordes) knot","Warp","weft and pile: Wool"]},"7b08d044-2db4-5143-bf2f-b25e72ac1a12":{"name":"A massive Safavid Isfahan gallery carpet","description":"Nicknamed “Shah Abbas” and “Isfahani”, this monumental carpet was probably woven in Isfahan during the golden age of Safavid weaving either for export or for the domestic market. The design is a densely packed trellis formation of dramatic large flowers (lotus, prunus and more) and feathery leaves, on scrolling black stems. These busy scrolling stems nonetheless follow a symmetrical organisation, folding across a central vertical axis. Placed at intervals, ring-like clasps hold the scrollwork within this ordered layout. The flowers and leaves are in different blues, pinks, oranges and creams, set against a dark wine-red field. The black outlines and stems have receded, as the iron in the black dye has corroded back the woollen pile, creating an unintended relief effect, and revealing the foundation threads behind. Hidden within the design are small birds, which is unusual for this carpet group.","type":"Textile","holder":"Islamic Arts Museum Malaysia","dates":"Hegira 11 / AD 17","location":"Kuala Lumpur","dimensions":"Length: 966cm x Width: 360cm","provenance":"Central Persia","bibliography":"Black, D., *The Macmillan Atlas of Rugs & Carpets*, United Kingdom: MacMillan Publishing Company, 1985.  \nDay, S., *Great Carpets of the World*, London: Thames and Husdon, 1996.  \nHallett, Jessica, \"From the Looms of Yazd and Isfahan,\" in Jon Thompson et al. (eds), *Carpets and Textiles in the Iranian World, 1400-1700*, Oxford / Genoa: The May Beattie Archive at the Ashmolean Museum/ University of Oxford, 2010: 90-123.","materials":["Weaving and stitching on wool and cotton"]},"7bcd6db4-d987-50e0-981f-a7795e9365a4":{"name":"Star *Uşak*","description":"In all probability, the rapport pattern of the star *Uşak* carpets originated earlier than that of the medallion *Uşak* carpets. The earliest illustrations of carpets in miniature paintings consistently show rapport patterns in connection with depictions of carpets. Surely, due to the high demand as well, the characteristic and very popular patterns were produced over a long period in variations. Here, the original principle of the rapport pattern is particularly distinctly to be seen in the field. The large-scale main pattern of this exemplar consists of eight-pointed stars and rhomboids placed in offset rows. Furthermore, the field is overlapped by the border in such a manner that two stars and two rhomboids lie in the middle, thus centring the field.","type":"Carpet","holder":"MAK – Austrian Museum of Applied Arts / Contemporary Art","dates":"17th century","location":"Vienna","dimensions":"H: 366cm, W: 203cm; knot density 1,050/dm2","method_for_datation":"Research and documentary evidence","method_for_provenance":"Research and documentary evidence","provenance":"Turkey, western Anatolia, Uşak","obtention":"Obtained in 1908, formerly in the Imperial House of Habsburg","bibliography":"Völker, Angela, *Die orientalischen Knüpfteppiche das MAK*, Vienna: Böhlau, 2001: 88–9.","author":"Angela Völker","copy_editor":"Mandi Gomez","keywords":["wool","Ottoman","textile","carpet","floral design","geometric design"],"materials":["Wool warp and weft","knotted","symmetrical knot"]},"7ca1dc85-dab9-5c72-9c8c-cd23bd775961":{"name":"Bone awls","description":"Bone awls made of animal bones, were polished to use for weaving. These implements were also used for piercing and sewing leather.","type":"Bone awls","holder":"The Jordan Museum","owner":"Department of Antiquities","dates":"10200-5000 BC","location":"Amman","dimensions":"L: 6cm","method_for_datation":"The excavation team in Dayer 'Alla dated this tool based on the pottery found in the near vicinity.","obtention":"Loan","author":"Najd Sweidan","copy_editor":"Lisa Kelman","materials":["Bone"]},"7cc8e498-9f8e-5bf0-86e3-fa80f50e98a5":{"name":"Carpet with vases (fragment)","description":"The often-published, white-grounded fragment consists of one part each of the border and field, and is a part of the once very large vase carpet. It was purchased at the end of the 19th century for the Orientalisches Museum, which was founded with the goal of promoting the international trade of the Habsburg Empire. When this museum was partially taken over, the fragment then came into the MAK’s Collection. Technical criteria are crucial for the establishment of this specific Kirman group of carpets, which were produced from the end of the 16th century to the post-Safavid period. The preserved field displays the characteristic pattern of two tendril systems overlapping in a rhomboid shape. Paradisiacal associations were evoked by the fantastically combined floral décor. One sees the eponymous vase, filled with a bouquet of pink-blooming branches, in the lower half.","type":"Carpet","holder":"MAK – Austrian Museum of Applied Arts / Contemporary Art","dates":"Second half of the 17th century","location":"Vienna","dimensions":"H: 248cm, W: 150cm; knot density 7,800/dm2","method_for_datation":"Research and documentary evidence","method_for_provenance":"Research and documentary evidence","provenance":"Southern Iran, Kirman(?)","obtention":"Obtained in 1907, formerly in the k. k. Österreichisches Handelsmuseum","bibliography":"Völker, Angela, *Die orientalischen Knüpfteppiche das MAK*, Vienna: Böhlau, 2001: 270–1.","author":"Angela Völker","copy_editor":"Mandi Gomez","keywords":["wool","Safawid","silk","textile","carpet","floral design"],"materials":["Cotton warp","asymmetrical knot","knotted","wool and silk weft"]},"7d6738d8-b16b-541c-9f7f-2661b681821c":{"name":"Carpet","description":"Carpets of late 15th century Egypt, are among the finest ever produced anywhere. Red, green, and blue create intricate patterns in lustrous wool pile, reflecting a superlative play in the manipulation of colour and form. Green and red are complementary colours directly opposite each other on a colour wheel, so the human eye perceives these two colours as extremely high in contrast. Egyptian weavers under the Mamluk sultanate exploited this optical principle to produce visually complex patterns using only a limited range of colours. By juxtaposing jewel-like tones of sharply contrasting green and red, Mamluk weavers created a dynamic interplay between ground and foreground.  \n  \nThe quality of materials and excellent craftsmanship is indicated by the equal number of knots per linear unit of measurement in both vertical and horizontal directions. This supreme control of the relationship among warp, weft, and pile enabled the execution of squares and circles without elongation. Focused on three colours, the art of the Mamluk carpet is a mathematician's art that plays with the ambiguities inherent in pattern making.","type":"Carpet","holder":"The George Washington University Museum and The Textile Museum","owner":"The Textile Museum","dates":"Late 15th century","location":"Washington, D. C.","dimensions":"L: 177.50cm, W: 133.50cm","method_for_datation":"Stylistic analyses, comparative materials, and historical documentary evidence","method_for_provenance":"Its motifs, colouring, materials, and structural characteristics all join together to suggest that this carpet is made in Cairo carpet workshop during the Mamluk Sultanate.","provenance":"Egypt, Cairo","obtention":"Purchased by The Textile Museum founder George Hewitt Myers in 1953 and donated to the Museum in 1953.","bibliography":"Denny, W. B., “Beyond the Carpet Design Revolution: Perspectives on 15th-century Carpet History”, *Oriental Carpet & Textile Studies*, VII, The International Conference on Oriental Carpets (ICOC), 2011: 19-31  \nEiland, M. (ed), *A World of Oriental Carpets and Textiles*, Washington, DC: International Conference on Oriental Carpets: 2003.  \nBier, C., “Elements of Plane Symmetry in Oriental Carpets”, *The Textile Museum Journal*, 31 (1992), Washington, DC: The Textile Museum: 53-70.  \nKühnel, E., and L. Bellinger, *Cairene Rugs and Others Technically Related 15th Century-17th Century*, Washington, DC: The Textile Museum, 1957.","workshop":"Anonymous","keywords":["wool","Cairene"],"materials":["Wool (warp","weft","knotted pile carpet","and pile)","asymmetrical knot","open left"]},"7f15595e-0560-5d45-8f3b-204ab651fd8d":{"name":"Yomut Turkmen Kepse Göl Main Rug","description":"Hungarian collectors began to show interest in Turkmen carpets in the early decades of the 20th century. There were ten Central Asian carpets in the 1924 *Early Oriental Carpet Exhibition of the Hungarian Carpet Collectors* in Budapest, nine from private collections and this one from the very small number held by the Budapest Museum of Applied Arts at that time. It has an offset pattern of ivory, blue and red kepse güls on a wine-red ground. The white border, with its severely geometric vine and simple, reciprocal \"boats\", the running dog guards and the *elems* (end panels) decorated with stylised floral shapes are ornaments characteristic of Yomut carpets. The upper and lower ends are incomplete, the sides are missing and conserved.","type":"Main rug","holder":"Museum of Applied Arts","dates":"First half of 19th century","location":"Budapest","dimensions":"Height: 280cm; Width: 153cm; Knot density: 1,960/dm2","method_for_datation":"Stylistic analysis","method_for_provenance":"Stylistic analysis","provenance":"Central Asia, Yomut Turkmen tribe","obtention":"Aquisition unknown, c. 1908","bibliography":"Gombos, Károly, *Régi türkmén szőnyegek / Old Turkmenian Rugs*, Budapest: Iparművészeti Múzeum, 1975: 26, no. 11.  \nPásztor, Emese, Budapest's Best-Kept Secrets, *HALI*, 185 (Autumn 2015): 77-78 and figure 10.","author":"Emese Pásztor","copy_editor":"Valerie Pulsifer","translator":"Alan Campbell","keywords":["wool","Kepse gül","Yomut Turkmen","Main rug"],"materials":["asymmetrical (Persian or Senneh) knot","Pile: Wool (brownish-red","Weft: Brown wool","wine-red","purple","light and dark blue","ivory and brown)","Warp: Ivory wool","yellow"]},"7fd7cbfd-ce60-550a-91a1-62fabf75edad":{"name":"Rosette carpet","description":"The only counterpart to this unusual carpet is in the painting of the so-called *Darmstädter Madonna* by Hans Holbein the Younger of 1526/28. As early as 1877 Julius Lessing cited this painting in dating the carpet. Large red rosettes in a braided band are arranged in offset rows on a brilliant yellow ground. The motif-forming outline surrounds an inner field with changing colours. At the outer edges of the field the rosettes are cut precisely in the middle, so that the field shows a section of an endless repetition of the motif. The strong white ground of the border implies white heart-shaped forms, but in fact it is leaf forms, pointing inwards and outwards in a staggered formation, with pointed blossoms in red and aubergine on a white ground, that decorate the border. This border type is recorded as early as 1500 in a painting by the Master of St Giles in the National Gallery, London.","type":"Carpet","holder":"Museum of Islamic Art at the Pergamon Museum","dates":"AD around 1500 or earlier","location":"Berlin","dimensions":"L: 161, W: 112","method_for_datation":"The carpet has been dated on comparison with carpets in paintings colours and knot-technique","method_for_provenance":"The carpet has been located on stylistic analysis of its pattern, due to its colours and knot-technique","provenance":"Western Anatolia","obtention":"Purchased by Wilhelm von Bode for the Kunstgewerbemuseum Berlin; 1909 transferred through the Kunstgewerbemuseum, Berlin in exchange with other objects","bibliography":"Beselin, Anna, *Geknüpfte Kunst. Teppiche des Museums für Islamische Kunst*, Berlin: Minerva, 2011.","author":"Anna Beselin","keywords":["Wilhelm von Bode","Hans Holbein","Julius Lessing","Rosette","painting","Meisters von St. Gilles"],"materials":["wool","knotted pile carpet","symmetrical knot"]},"80275793-c91b-5334-93ac-d4126f4e645c":{"name":"Prayer rug","description":"Gördes prayer rugs of the 18th and 19th centuries were much appreciated in Western Europe as well as in Romania, where they have been preserved in large numbers. Here, the stepped arch of the niche is featured on a white ground; the floral and geometric motifs of the *mihrab* field are reminiscent of a mosque lamp. A tiny brown mosque lamp appears as such in the centre of the composition, hardly discernible amid stylised flowers and stars. The elaborate decoration, with a wealth of floral motifs on the inner edges of the niche, is a recurrent feature of 19th-century Ottoman carpets at a time when architectural motifs derived from courtly art were gradually losing their original shape and meaning. The cross panels featured above and below the niche are decorated with Chinese cloudbands. The main border is made up of seven narrow bands on white and red ground, sometimes associated with the seven heavens, while the secondary borders contain flowers connected by wave scrolls.","type":"Prayer rug","holder":"The National Museum of Art of Romania","dates":"Early 19th century","location":"Bucharest","dimensions":"H: 176cm, W: 121cm; knot density ver. 53/dm; hor. 34/dm; 1,802/dm2","method_for_datation":"Stylistic analysis","provenance":"Turkey, western Anatolia, Gördes","obtention":"Transfer from the Kalinderu Museum, Bucharest","bibliography":"Dunca, Mircea, *Covoare turceşti, secolele XVII–XX*, Bucharest: Muzeul Național de Artă al României, 1994: cat. 32.  \nDunca, Mircea, *De la mihrab la grădina paradisului*, Bucharest: Muzeul Național de Artă al României, 2006: cat. 6.","author":"Mircea Dunca","translator":"Victoria Gheorghita","translation_copy_editor":"Mandi Gomez","keywords":["Ghiordes","prayer rug"],"materials":["cotton weft","Wool warp","symmetrical wool and cotton knots","knotted"]},"8028a66a-6f38-592c-b57a-6daaa241314b":{"name":"Rug.","description":"In the AH 12th and 13th / AD 18th and 19th centuries, the small town of Milas in the southwest of Turkey was a centre for the manufacture of prayer rugs. This rectangular rug belongs to a group of Anatolian Milas rugs characterised by geometrical stylised, angular scrolls. There are the same white wavy scrolls against a background of dark hues dominating the visual impression of this rug. Its design is composed of sections of borders in two zones and a small rectangular field in the middle. All parts are separated from each other by narrow stripes embellished with a geometrical pattern. The blue field in the middle shows three vessels with stylised flowers. Small white and yellow rosette blossoms are randomly spread over the ground. The motifs of the inner border also occur in the outer one, although against different backgrounds of red and dark brown colour. The areas under the curves of the scroll are filled with big blue and red flowers on stems; the areas above it contain stylised trees.","short_description":"Rectangular rug. Its pattern is characterised by geometrical stylised, angular scrolls. The design is composed of borders in two zones and a small rectangular field in the middle.","type":"Rug","holder":"Ethnographic Museum (Etnografiska museet)","owner":"National Museum of Fine Arts, Stockholm. In order to reorganise the expanding collections, the main part of the Islamic collection has been on permanent loan to the Museum of Mediterranean and Near Eastern Antiquities since 1982.","dates":"Hegira 13th century / AD 19th century.","location":"Stockholm","dimensions":"Height 166 cm, width 141 cm.","method_for_datation":"Milas rugs showing geometrical stylised, angular scrolls are dated to the 13th / 19th century.","method_for_provenance":"From its stylistic aspects. A characteristic feature of rugs usually ascribed to Milas or Bergama is a heavily geometrical stylised, angular scroll.","provenance":"Anatolia (Milas district), Turkey.","obtention":"Gift from the estate of Axel and Nora Lundgren, registered 29 September 1977.","bibliography":"Ådahl, K., *Den Orientaliska Mattan i Sverige*, Stockholm, 1998, cat. no. 30.  \nHubel, R., *Ullstein Teppichbuch*, Vienna, 1965, cat. no. 14.  \nZipper, K. and Fritzsche, C., *Anatolische Teppiche: Battenberg Antiquitäten-Kataloge Orientteppiche*, 3, Munich, 1989, cat. no. 67.","linkcatalogs":"IAM_TR_EN_001","author":"Friederike Voigt","copy_editor":"Monica Allen","keywords":["rug","carpet","geometrical decoration"],"materials":["wool","knotted."]},"80da057a-50e4-5b41-a93e-f12cf060df80":{"name":"*Invasion of the French camp and the taking of the Castle of Mirabello. Flight of the ladies and civilians following Francis I*","description":"The famous series of seven Flemish tapestries depicting the Battle of Pavia, which are displayed in a large room in the Museum of Capodimonte, entered the public collections as part of the 1862 bequest of Alfonso d’Avalos, who donated his family’s collection to the National Museum of Naples.  \nProduced to be given to Emperor Charles V by the Estates-General of Brussels, on the occasion of the latter’s meeting in Brussels in 1531, the decorative series of tapestries was designed to celebrate the victory of the imperial troops over those of the French, under the command of Francis I. This victory, which occurred on 24 February 1525, was fought in the environs of the Visconti Park, at the gates of Pavia.  \nWoven in Brussels, the tapestries were produced using designs by Bernard van Orley (now in the Louvre in Paris) in the workshop of William Dermoyen (or Van der Moyen), identified thanks to the presence of a weaver’s mark on the border of two tapestries in the series. Furthermore, the presence of the mark has allowed the years in which the series was produced to be established: that is, after 1528, the year in which a decree required tapestry workers to “sign” their products, and by the start of 1531, given that the tapestries would be presented to the Emperor in the March of that year.  \nRecently, an interpretation of the entire cycle has been proposed that aims to recreate sequentially the landscape depicted in the seven tapestries as a single, panoramic, overview (Paredes 2014). According to this perspective, the tapestry examined here precedes *Flight of the imperial troops from Pavia*, where the Lombard city is portrayed. In fact, juxtaposing the two tapestries, the landscape bordered in the foreground by the walls of Visconti Park can be re-created; furthermore, both in the foreground and in the distance, the defensive system that marks the edge of the French encampment, composed of a series of gabions, field fortifications comprising large baskets of entwined branches filled with earth, can be linked together.  \nAccording to the chronology of events, the tapestry represents one of the early moments of the final phase of the battle: at dawn on 24 February, the imperial troops burst into the French encampment. The French had pitched camp within the Old Park, occupying the Mirabello Castle, a fortified hunting lodge, depicted in the background on the left. In the centre, several infantrymen are trying to save themselves by crossing the Vernavola river, using their pikes. Beyond the flames, which are caused by the explosion of casks of gunpowder, one can glimpse Francis I’s tent, decorated with the French *fleurs-de-lis*. In the foreground, through a breach in the wall, one can see the flight of soldiers and civilians who were with the French army that was camped there, among them ornately dressed women. In the distance, on the right, one can see tranquil scenes of camp life, with people busy preparing food and overseeing meals.","type":"Flemish tapestry","holder":"Museum of Capodimonte","owner":"Museum of Capodimonte","dates":"1528–1531","location":"Naples","dimensions":"H: 440cm, W: 818cm","method_for_datation":"Various sources and studies","provenance":"Brussels","obtention":"Bequest of Alfonso d’Avalos to the National Museum of Naples (the Italian State) in 1862","bibliography":"AA. VV (ed.), *Gli Arazzi della Battaglia di Pavia*, Milan: Bompiani, 1999.  \nArbace, Lucia, *Fasti d’Avalos: dagli Arazzi della Battaglia di Pavia alle Selle da parata*, Chieti: Litografia Botolini, 2012.  \nBuchanan, Iain, “The ‘Battle of Pavia’ and the Tapestry Collection of Don Carlos: New Documentation”, *The Burlington Magazine*, vol. 144, no. 1191 (2002): 345‒51.  \nBuchanan, Iain, “Invasion of the French Camp end the Flight of the Women and Civilians”, in Campbell, Thomas P. (edited by), *Tapestry in the Renaissance: Art and Magnificence*, exhibition catalogue, New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2002, pp. 321-328.  \nCasali, Luigi, Fraccaro, Cristina, and Prina, Vittorio, *Gli Arazzi della Battaglia di Pavia del Museo di Capodimonte a Napoli*, Pavia: Edizioni ViGiEffe, 1993.  \nParedes, Cecilia, “The tapestries of the battle of Pavia” (2014), online publication.  \n“Pavia. La Battaglia, il futuro. ‘niente fu come prima’” (2015), online publication.  \nSansone, M. R., *Gli arazzi della Battaglia di Pavia: dalla Spagna di Carlo V alla Napoli dei d’Avalos, in 1525‒2015. Pavia, la Battaglia, il Futuro. Niente fu come prima* (publication to accompany the exhibition at the Visconti Castle, Pavia, 14 June‒15 November 2015).","workshop":"William Dermoyen atelier","author":"Maria Rosaria Sansone","translator":"Judith Forshaw","translation_copy_editor":"Mandi Gomez","keywords":["Battle of Pavia","Willem Dermoyen","preparatory cartoons","atelier","frames","Visconti Park","Fernando Francesco d’Avalos","drawings","National Archaeological Museum","Carlo V","Francis I","Francesco Fernando d’Avalos","Bernard van Orley","Flemish tapestries","Alfonso d’Avalos"],"materials":["silk and cotton","gold and silver thread","wool"]},"818b39ce-ad1e-5f82-b688-1af67ea40373":{"name":"Tekke","description":"A Tekke-Khaly, a so-called main rug with 4 x 9 Tekke guls and Chemche minor guls on a purple-red base. The major border features star-filled octagons with a small radiating wreath as well as motifs of trees, diamonds and Kotshanak motifs. At the top and bottom of the carpet, the border is much simpler than on the sides, where richly varied fields of different sizes join octagons and cross shapes. The densely filled border, decorated with intricate ornaments, makes the piece appear somewhat stocky overall. It is less finely woven and of a slightly smaller format, more like a square. Parts of the characteristic flat-woven ends (*elems*) have been preserved at the top and bottom – a red kilim with narrow blue horizontal stripes. Among the pile-woven works of the Tekke, some pieces stand out from the vast majority with lighter, less bluish-red – sometimes referred to by specialists and collectors as the \"purple group\" – mainly because of a fond red with a high blue component. The carpet can be attributed to this category.","type":"Carpet","holder":"Museum für Völkerkunde Dresden (Ethnological Museum Dresden), Dresden State Art Collections","dates":"19th century, second half, probably 1860-1885","location":"Dresden, Saxony","dimensions":"Length: 245cm, Width: 202cm","provenance":"Central Asian, Turkmenistan","obtention":"Purchased in 1982 from the niece of Dresden Collector Carl Ribbe (1860–1934); afore the piece was a part of his bequest.","bibliography":"Azadi, S., *Turkoman Carpets and the Ethnographic Significance of Their Ornaments*, Fishguard: The Crosby Press, 1975: no.4.  \nJourdan, U., *Orientteppiche Band 4: Turkmenische Teppiche*, Munich: Battenberg Verlag, 1989: 98, no.40.  \nTsareva, E., *Turkmen Carpets. Masterpieces of Steppe Art from the 16th to 19th centuries: The Hoffmeister Collection*, Stuttgart: Arnoldsche Art Publishers, 2011: 57, no.32.","author":"Simone Jansen","copy_editor":"Janice Medina","keywords":["Central Asia","Bokhara","Turkoman"],"materials":["flat weave","goat hair","pile weave","asymmetrical knot open right","wool"]},"824d176c-062b-5951-a4d5-6072ca939d81":{"name":"Caucasian Dragon Rug","description":"Caucasian carpets dominate the carpet auction of the Ernst Museum, and the most remarkable of  \nthese are the Armenian carpets. Armenian rug number 31, for example, could be the pride of any  \nmuseum. Its bold ornamentation and distinctive colouring make it a true masterpiece. Its surface is  \nadorned by dragons surrounded by large leaves, large palmettes, birds and lions struggling with  \nchamois. It has been dated to the late 16th or early 17th century.  \n  \nWe do not know who was selling the carpet at that time or who bought it, but six years later, in 1924, it appeared in the unillustrated descriptive list of the Museum of Applied Arts’ *Early Oriental Carpets* exhibition, marked as the property of a very sophisticated art collector, Zoltán Mauthner (1880‒1936), the co-proprietor of the leather company Gebrüder Mauthner und Co. He probably purchased the carpet at the 1918 Ernst auction. He exhibited it in 1924 and sold it together with other items in his collection either at an auction or via an art dealer around 1930. That may have been when Mrs. Endler acquired it.","type":"Carpet","holder":"Museum of Applied Arts","dates":"Early 17th century","location":"Budapest","dimensions":"Height: 586cm, Width: 208cm, Knot density: 990/dm2","method_for_datation":"Stylistic analysis","method_for_provenance":"Stylistic analysis","provenance":"Caucasus, Karabagh","obtention":"Exchanged with Mrs Jenő Endler in 1940","bibliography":"Az Ernst Múzeum aukciói VI. / Die Auktionen des Ernst Museums (Ernst Museum Auction VI). *Régi keleti szőnyegek aukciója /Auktion alter orientalischer Teppiche/Auction of Early Oriental Rugs*, Budapest: Ernst Múzeum, 1918: no. 31 and 11, figure.  \nCsányi, Károly (ed), *Magyar szőnyegkedvelők egyesületének régi keleti szőnyegkiállítása az Orsz/Early Oriental Carpet Exhibition of the Hungarian Carpet Collectors' Association in the National Hungarian Museum of Applied Arts*, Budapest: Iparművészeti Múzeumban, 1924: 22, no. 94.  \nGombos, Károly, *Régi kaukázusi szőnyegek / Alte Kaukasishe Teppiche (Old Caucasian Rugs)*, Sárvár: Sárvár Nádasdy Ferenc Múzeum, 1983 (Vas megyei Múzeumok katalógusai 89 / Kataloge der Museen des Komitats Vas 89): no. 29.  \nGombos, Károly, *Régi örmény sárkányos szőnyegek, az Iparművészeti Múzeum Nagytétényi Kastélymúzeuma kiállítása (Old Armenian Dragon Carpets, exhibition of the Museum of Applied Arts Castle Museum of Nagytétény Budapest)*, Budapest: Museum of Applied Arts, 1976: figure 3.  \nPásztor, Emese, Budapest's Best-Kept Secrets, *HALI*, 185 (Autumn 2015): 76 and 73, figure 4.","author":"Emese Pásztor","copy_editor":"Valerie Pulsifer","translator":"Alan Campbell","keywords":["wool","Caucasus","dragon"],"materials":["the repairs are inconsistent","Pile: wool","Warp and weft: 2 shoots","and gaps have been made up with parts cut out from other carpets.","Symmetrical knot. Its edges are missing"]},"825dc341-7c3b-5904-b96f-01b166afdff8":{"name":"Rug","description":"The rug was most probably commissioned and woven in a city workshop for a special occasion. It is woven in knotted pile technique with woollen pile and cotton warp and weft. It features a medallion composition with a large blue medallion of a complex shape on the white ground surrounded by the borders containing inscriptions with Persian poetry. External borders feature stylised floral blue-and- red designs. A white cartouche in the external border contains the date 1250 in Hegira that corresponds to 1834 AD.","type":"Carpet","holder":"Textile Museum of Canada (TMC)","owner":"TMC","dates":"1834","location":"Toronto, Ontario","dimensions":"L: 400cm, W: 285cm","method_for_datation":"Date is inscribed on the rug: 1250 Hegira that corresponds to 1834 AD.","method_for_provenance":"By stylistic analysis","provenance":"Iran","obtention":"Gift of Mrs. Herta Vodstrcil in memory of Andrew Vodstrcil","bibliography":"Gans-Ruedun, Erwin, *The Splendor of Persian Carpets/Iranian Carpets: Art, Craft and History*, New York: Rizzoli, 1978.  \nMaktabi, Hadi, “Lost and Found: the Missing History of Persian Carpets”, *Hali* 153 (Autumn 2007): 68-79.","author":"Natalia Nekrassova","keywords":["Iranian"],"materials":["knotted pile","wool","cotton"]},"828023f8-679b-506f-ac98-b27b93a5b797":{"name":"Carpet","description":"Field: The field shows two symmetrically facing vegetable motifs separated by the inscription \"Santa Ana\".  \nBorder: The border consists of an S shaped valance that is joined by clamps from which there are sprouting motifs of the *fleur de lis*. Small birds and quadrupeds are sandwiched between the scrollwork.  \nThe warp of the carpet utilises brown wool and the weft is made of blue wool. The decorative motifs consist of blue, brown, peeled, yellow and white wool. This carpet is inspired by the designs of the Lotto series, although the geometric rhythms are different. The central flowers and foliage have their parallels in Anatolian carpets, although interpreted through a western lens, while the border is typical of Spanish Renaissance productions that include interlacing scrollwork, clamps, *fleur de lis* and small birds. Furthermore, the colour is also different from that included in Lotto carpets.  \nAlthough the carpet shows horticultural designs, both in the field and in its border, we find small representations of figurative birds and quadrupeds interspersed throughout. This is largely reminiscent of older antique carpets that remained popular in Spanish productions until the 20th century.  \nDue to the size and the inscription, this is most likely a votive carpet for a chapel dedicated to the worship of Santa Ana.  \nWithin its chronology, the knot density indicates an average quality. This carpet comes from the old Weissberger collection.","type":"Votive carpet","holder":"National Museum of Decorative Arts","dates":"1601-1625","location":"Madrid","dimensions":"Length: 167cm, Width: 121cm","method_for_datation":"Through the stylistic and technical analysis of the piece.","method_for_provenance":"Through the stylistic and technical analysis of the piece.","provenance":"Cuenca, possibly","obtention":"Acquired in 1948","bibliography":"Ferrandis Torres, José, *Exposición de Carpets antiguas españolas*, 1933: 114; Madrid: s.n.","workshop":"Possibly produced in the workshops of Cuenca, Spain","author":"Mª Dolores Vila Tejero","translator":"Asad Islam","keywords":["Cuenca"],"materials":["Density: 1.056 knots/dm2","Spanish knot","Warp: wool","Weft: Wool"]},"82850beb-2fc7-5463-8d56-45c22b84b71b":{"name":"Carpet with triple-arch design","short_description":"This carefully drawn, subtly coloured carpet is among the finest of all Ottoman weavings. One of the earliest carpets to include a triple-arched gateway, its design probably originated in the Ottoman imperial workshop. The hanging lamp in the centre arch recalls verses from the Qur’an that liken God to the light of a lamp placed within a niche. The combination of this carpet’s imagery, high quality, and relatively small size suggest that it was used as a prayer rug by a member of the Ottoman courtly elite.","type":"Textile","holder":"The Metropolitan Museum of Art","dates":"Hegira late 10th century / AD c. 1575–90","location":"New York","dimensions":"Rug: L: 172.7cm, W: 127cm; Mount: L: 180.3cm, W: 136.5cm, D: 9.2cm, Wt: 12 lbs/54.4kg","provenance":"Probably Istanbul, Turkey","obtention":"The James F. Ballard Collection, Gift of James F. Ballard, 1922  \nFormer owner: Edouard Chappey, Paris (until 1907; sale, Galerie Georges)  \nFormer owner: Félix Doistau, Paris (from 1907)  \nFormer owner: James F. Ballard, St. Louis, MO (until 1922; gifted to MMA)","bibliography":"Atil, Esin (ed), *Turkish Art*, Washington D.C/New York: Smithsonian Institution Press, 1980: 338, ill. fig. 192 (b/w).  \nAtil, Esin, *The Age of Sultan Süleyman the Magnificent*, Washington DC: Harry N. Abrams, Inc., 1987: 226–27, no. 159, ill. pl,. 159 (colour).  \nBerinstain, Valerie, *Great Carpets of the World*, New York: Vendome Press, 1996: 58, ill. pl. 58 (colour).  \nBreck, Joseph and Morris, Frances, *The James F. Ballard Collection of Oriental Rugs. The Metropolitan Museum of Art*, New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 1923: 16, no. 24, ill. (b/w).  \nBurn, Barbara (ed), *Masterpieces of the Metropolitan Museum of Art*, New York; Boston: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 1993: 86–87, ill. 87 (colour).  \nDenny, Walter B., *How to Read Islamic Carpets*, New Haven/London: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2014: 46–47, ill. fig. 32 (colour).  \nDimand, Maurice S., *A Handbook of Mohammedan Decorative Arts*, New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 1930: 264, 270, ill. fig. 162 (b/w).  \nDimand, Maurice S., *A Handbook of Muhammadan Art*, New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 1944: 309, ill. fig. 204 (b/w).  \nDimand, Maurice S. and Mailey, Jean, *Oriental Rugs in the Metropolitan Museum of Art*, New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 1973: 158–59, 233, no. 105, ill. fig. 188.  \nEkhtiar, Maryam, Canby, Shelia R., Haidar, Navina and Soucek, Priscilla P. (eds), *Masterpieces from the Department of Islamic Art in The Metropolitan Museum of Art*, New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2011: 5, 287, 332–33, no. 237, ill. 332 (colour), fig. 10 (b/w).  \nEkhtiar, Maryam and Moore, Claire (ed), *Art of the Islamic World. A Resource for Educators*, New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2012: 130–31, ill. pl. 24 (colour).  \nEllis, Charles, *Oriental Carpets in the Philadelphia Museum of Art*, Philadelphia: Philadelphia Museum of Art, 1988: 80.  \nImbrey, Jai (ed), *Mosques: Splendors of Islam*, New York: Rizzoli, 2017: 31, ill.  \nJenkins-Madina, Marilyn, \"Collecting the \"Orient\" at the Met: Early Tastemakers in America\", *Ars Orientalis*, 30 (2000): 81, ill. fig. 13 (b/w).  \nde Montebello, Philippe and Howard, Kathleen (ed), *The Metropolitan Museum of Art Guide*, New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 1992: 326, ill. fig. 35 (colour).  \nWelch, Stuart Cary, *The Islamic World. Vol. 11*, New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 1987: 122–23, ill. fig. 92 (colour).","copyright":"The Metropolitan Museum of Art, The James F. Ballard Collection, Gift of James F. Ballard, 1922","keywords":["wool","Anatolia","Mosque","column capital","Turkey","Corinthian","architectural motifs","worship","Ottoman","silk","Mosque Lamp","Istanbul","Ottoman carpet","Ottoman religious interior","column","light verse from the Qur'an"],"materials":["cotton (pile)","Silk (warp and weft)","asymmetrically knotted pile","wool (pile)"]},"82d02e71-067a-5cf6-827f-c856db5a69f1":{"name":"Chahar-Bagh carpet fragment","description":"A large 17th century north-west Iranian pile carpet fragment designed in the Chahar-Bagh (four-gardens) style, a bird’s-eye view of a garden that consists of a symmetrical layout of flowerbeds and waterways.  \n  \nOn this fragment, the main waterway runs longitudinally along the centre of the carpet and branches out into two shorter waterways to the left and the right of it. The water in them is illustrated by red and cream zig-zag lines, and within it swims blue and white fish. At the junction between the main and branch waterways sits a green-coloured hexagon, decorated with a multi-coloured vegetal arabesque motif, forming an island. Out of each corner of this island grows a tree that radiates out between the waterways and into square flowerbeds. The square flowerbeds are arranged either side of the main waterway and between its branches; their background colour range include green, red and ivory. The vegetation in these flowerbeds is represented by arabesque layouts of rosettes and palmettes, and bordered by rows of small flowering plants on a dark blue background. The carpet has a wide dark blue border holding a row of alternating green and red cypress trees, floral shrubs and pairs of birds.  \n  \nBelieved to be of Kurdish manufacture in north-west Iran, its Chahar-Bagh layout is a visualisation of both the ancient Paradise garden of Persian Art, and the description of the Garden of Heaven in the Qur’an, a layout that has inspired many gardens across the Islamic World, from Spain to India.  \n  \nBefore it entered The Burrell Collection, this fragment was once owned by a renowned art critic, Sir Sidney Colvin (1845-1927), who was a Slade Professor of Fine Art at the University of Cambridge and the director of the Fitzwilliam Museum.","type":"Carpet","holder":"Glasgow Museums - The Burrell Collection","dates":"17th century","location":"Glasgow, Scotland","dimensions":"H: 4318mm, W: 3378mm","method_for_datation":"Manufacturing techniques and stylistic analysis","method_for_provenance":"Stylistic analysis","provenance":"Kurdistan region of Iran","obtention":"Gifted by Sir William and Lady Burrell to the City of Glasgow, 1944","author":"Noorah Al-Gailani","keywords":["river","Paradise","landscape","chahār-bāgh","garden","water","fish","bird","arabesque","cypress"],"materials":["wool pile","Cotton warp and weft"]},"8309ae92-56ae-57a5-a8f5-e185e5452550":{"name":"Tent bag *chuval*","description":"Nomads of Central Asia stored household goods, clothing and food in textile bags of various sizes and shapes. *Chuval*, a large flat bag that hung on the wooden tent construction, served as a wardrobe. Often *chuval*s were woven in pairs to be used as soft containers attached to either side of the camel on migration. They were woven in knotted pile, plain weave or in mixed techniques.This bag was made by a Tekke Turkmen weaver who were the most prolific rug weavers of Central Asia. In contrast with other Turkic-speaking people of Central Asia, who used only Turkish (symmetrical) pile knot, the Turkmen also wove with Persian or asymmetrical pile knot and the density of pile knots was high. The arrangement and nature of geometric patterns on the central field and in the borders of the bag are typical for Tekke bags of the mid – late 19th century.","type":"Bag","holder":"Textile Museum of Canada (TMC)","owner":"TMC","dates":"1860-1880","location":"Toronto, Ontario","dimensions":"L: 94cm, W: 103cm","method_for_datation":"By stylistic analysis","method_for_provenance":"By stylistic analysis","provenance":"Turkmenistan, the Tekke Turkmen","obtention":"Gift of Max Allen","bibliography":"Reswick, Imtraud, “Traditional Textiles of Tunisia”, *African Arts*, 14.3 (May 1981): 58-65.","author":"Natalia Nekrassova","keywords":["Central Asia","wool"],"materials":["knotted pile","wool"]},"837d4ab7-afdf-58fe-9c68-49a12741d257":{"name":"Court carpet (fragment)","description":"Although the carpet appears homogenous at first glance, it constitutes a fragment assembled from numerous pieces—especially in the lower part and the upper edge. Further pieces of this once-spectacular large-sized carpet – or even pair of carpets – that were originally produced and used in a courtly context, are located in eight European and American collections. The field shows a rapport pattern, dominated by dark cartouches on a dark-red base; the main border is only preserved on the right and left. One recognises the *saz* leaves characteristic for the period and the white, Chinese-inspired cloud designs knotted in cotton. The outer side-borders and their accompanying stripes are missing. Moreover, the characteristic silk base with the flora knotted in wool and cotton identify the carpet as a product of Ottoman imperial manufacturing.","type":"Carpet","holder":"MAK – Austrian Museum of Applied Arts / Contemporary Art","dates":"Fourth quarter of the 16th century","location":"Vienna","dimensions":"H: 254cm, W: 440cm; knot density 3,200/dm2","method_for_datation":"Research and documentary evidence","method_for_provenance":"Research and documentary evidence","provenance":"Turkey, Istanbul, or Bursa","obtention":"Obtained in 1907, formerly in the k. k. Österreichisches Handelsmuseum","bibliography":"Völker, Angela, *Die orientalischen Knüpfteppiche das MAK*, Vienna: Böhlau, 2001: 58–61.","author":"Angela Völker","copy_editor":"Mandi Gomez","keywords":["wool","Ottoman","silk","textile","cotton","carpet","floral design"],"materials":["wool and cotton","Silk warp and weft","asymmetrical knot","knotted"]},"847012ff-11f1-5a0c-b2dd-0128cd68ab78":{"name":"Textile fragment","description":"This piece of cloth comes from a silk lampas fabric of which other fragments are in the collections of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, and Dallas Museum of Art (Keir Collection of Islamic Art), among other institutions. The fabric is decorated with the figures of turbaned hunters, some of them holding a bird in each hand, while others carry a gazelle in their arms. Woven in light-yellow and orange thread, the hunters stand out clearly against the black silk. Hunters wearing turbans are typical of the Safawid period (1501–1722/36) and also adorn contemporary miniatures.","type":"Textile fragment","holder":"Montreal Museum of Fine Arts","dates":"16th century","location":"Montreal, Quebec","dimensions":"42.5cm x 24.5cm","method_for_datation":"Stylistic and comparative analyses; a fragment of this lampas is in the collection of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, no. 06.1874","provenance":"Iran","obtention":"Purchase, D. W. Parker Fund  \nPurchased from Dikran G. Kelekian, New York, in 1951, D. W. Parker Fund","bibliography":"Andrews Reath, Nancy, and Eleanor B. Sachs, *Persian textiles and their technique from the sixth to the eighteenth centuries, including a system for general textile classification*, New Haven: Yale University Press, 1937, cat. no. 66.  \nSalam-Liebich, Hayat, “Masterpieces of Persian Textiles from the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts Collection”, *Iranian Studies*, 25.1‒2 (1992): 19–29, 24, fig. 3.","author":"Shirin Shafiee","copy_editor":"Mandi Gomez","keywords":["Safawid textile","Persian textile","silk fabric","lampas"],"materials":["Brocaded lampas"]},"8488ba1a-a07a-593d-9692-714fd62bc5ad":{"name":"Pile carpet fragment","description":"It is made up of three pieces and the original size was probably about 43cm square: more than half the lower section of the carpet survives, including the selvedges, and as the width is known, the height can be calculated on the basis of the pattern. It is possible, though less likely, that it had a repeating pattern and was intended for use as a runner. The lozenges of the single border (width 6-7cm) gain in vividness from the interplay of successive dark and light colours. The central square is dominated by a cruciform decoration with a dark contour, which probably contains stylised animals or birds, woven with white cotton. Similar decoration is often found on contemporaneous Coptic textiles. The abrashed deep red colour of the field and the rich details in cotton give the carpet its special quality. Although the pile has relatively few loops, it appears thick and well-preserved. The carpet probably passed through a fuller’s workshop for finishing.","type":"Carpet","holder":"Benaki Museum","dates":"8th-10th century","location":"Athens","dimensions":"28.5 x 43 cm","method_for_datation":"It belongs to a group of fragments attributed to Egypt and their dating between the 8th and the 11th century","method_for_provenance":"Factors that determine the provenance: 1. The use of linen, which is the basic Egyptian fibre, for both warps and wefts; 2. The left-twisting (S) spin of the materials is also an Egyptian feature. Linen warps S-spun, Z-plied are found in Coptic fabrics of the 9th-10th century. Right-twisted spinning (Z) is rarely found in Group A; 3. The technique of weaving with cut-pile loops which continues the long-standing Egyptian tradition of weaving with a pile made of loops; 4. The pattern, colouring and techniques of this group fragments bear a close resemblance to contemporaneous Coptic textiles. 5. The fragments display similarities to certain inscribed and non-inscribed fragments from Fustat.","provenance":"Egypt","obtention":"Purchased from Fokion Tanos","bibliography":"Published in Theologou, J., Ozoline, A., Sartzetakis, Y., \"Fustat Carpet Fragments\", *Hali*, 156 (summer 2008): 65-71.","author":"Mina Moraitou","keywords":["wool","Fustat fragment","geometric","abstract decoration","linen","cotton"]},"84f78d34-dc25-5f33-ad22-e9dd02d56228":{"name":"The Ardabil Carpet Fragment","description":"A small border fragment from the famous pair of Persian Ardabil Carpets, one being at the Victoria and Albert Museum in London and one at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art in the USA. This pile carpet border fragment shows a two thirds section of a lobed roundel that would have sat in the main border field between oblong cartouches. The lobed roundel’s design consists of a radiating vegetal Arabesque pattern with a maroon coloured network of stems on a light green background. Intertwined with this maroon network of stems is a fine ivory-coloured network of stems holding multi-coloured palmettes and maroon rosettes.  \n  \nThe Burrell fragment’s missing part – a third of the lobed roundel – has been inserted into the V&A Ardabil Carpet’s lower left corner of the border to complete a similar lobed roundel with a green-background.  \n  \nThis pair of Ardabil carpets have the maker's signature, Maqsud of Kashan, and the date A.H. 946 (1539-40 AD). The pair were made for the great prayer hall of Shrine of Safi al-Din Ardabili, an early 14th century Sufi saint and the ancestor of the Safavid Dynasty that ruled Iran between 1501 and 1736. Both originally measured 5.35m x 10.44m, but the Los Angeles carpet was cut down to repair and complete the V&A carpet. Some twenty surplus fragments resulted from this alteration exercise, one of which is this Burrell Collection fragment.","type":"Carpet","holder":"Glasgow Museums - The Burrell Collection","dates":"Hegira 946 / AD 1539-40","location":"Glasgow, Scotland","dimensions":"H: 324mm, W: 203mm","method_for_datation":"Manufacturing techniques and stylistic analysis","method_for_provenance":"Part of a large carpet with other known fragments in public collections","provenance":"Iran, Ardabil","obtention":"Gifted by Sir William and Lady Burrell to the City of Glasgow, 1944","bibliography":"Beattie, May H., *Carpets of Central Persia*, London: World of Islam Festival Publishing Company Ltd., 1976: 60.","author":"Noorah Al-Gailani","keywords":["cartouche design","vegetal arabesque","Fragment","palmette"],"materials":["Silk warp","wool weft and pile"]},"853a5148-6a86-5045-97b9-19212941a0e2":{"name":"Horse cloth","description":"A flat, red-brown coloured background with angular dog motifs in the central field, and a lateral border whose width fits snugly around the dog and pheasant motifs.","type":"Textile; carpet","holder":"Azerbaijan National Museum of Art","owner":"Azerbaijan National Museum of Art","dates":"Date unknown, purchased by the Museum in the 19th century","location":"Baku","dimensions":"H: 137cm, W: 157cm","method_for_datation":"The date is not certain, but research and documentary evidence suggests a maker in Garabagh","method_for_provenance":"Information offered by the seller has been further researched and corroborated by experts at the Museum","provenance":"Garabagh, Azerbaijan","obtention":"Purchased in the 19th century","bibliography":"Rasim Efendiyev, *Azărbai̐jan khalg sănăti / Folk Art of Azerbaijan*, Azerbaijan, Baku: Ishyg, 1984 (text in Azerbaijani, English and Russian).","author":"Emin Suleymanov","copy_editor":"Mandi Gomez","keywords":["horse cloth","Azerbaijan","dog and pheasant motifs","Plain weave","carpet","At Chulu (Atkulu)"],"materials":["Wool warp and weft","plain weave"]},"85597a71-d670-530e-8302-7a8eb8d08410":{"name":"Horizontal ground loom","description":"This useful tool has been used since the Neolithic age. A horizontal ground loom is a simple arrangement of four pegs tied in place. The warp (vertical) threads are wound onto the sticks and tied in place. The loom has a heddle, batten, jacks, a warp beam and a shed rod. The weaver works the weft (horizontal) threads, by hand, through the stretched out warp. A shuttle is used to pass the wool.","type":"Loom","holder":"Jordan River Foundation Bani Hamida Weaving Project","dates":"AD 1916","location":"Mukawer","dimensions":"L: 40 -2200cm, W: 40-150cm","method_for_datation":"Owners","provenance":"Bani Hamida","obtention":"Bought","author":"Halima Al Qa'dan","copy_editor":"Lisa Kelman","materials":["Wood and iron"]},"856ab43b-74e0-516c-a676-63e57ceac57a":{"name":"Arraiolos carpet","description":"The Arraiolos carpets, inspired by oriental carpets, are one of the most characteristic types of this manufacture, produced in the Alentejo region, in the south of Portugal. These Portuguese carpets are embroidered in wool in oblique or Slavic cross-stitch (known as *ponto de Arraiolos*), which makes the transposition of decorative patterns more difficult than in knotted-pile carpets; for instance, the more curvilinear motifs like those seen in this carpet. However, the skill of the embroiderers is evident when we compare some of the items produced in Arraiolos with Oriental carpets.  \nInspired by the “vine scroll”-type of decorative scheme, this piece is embroidered in a small stitch, with vegetal and floral motifs in a decorative design of quarter-plan layout, and big motifs of Persian *herati* design, dominated by undulating bands and large palmettes.  \nThe border, with a brown background, features a repetitive and interlocking system of stylised and tinted flowers, these turning alternately inwards and outwards, and corners marked by wide palmettes, each with a different design, yet with identical colouring.  \nThe predominant tones are brown, yellow, green, blue and ivory. In some burnt-yellow and brown surfaces, the original tone of the dye would have been red, but nowadays that is totally faded.","type":"Textile; carpet","holder":"National Museum Machado de Castro","dates":"17th century (1677‒1700)","location":"Coimbra","dimensions":"H: 343.5cm, W: 172cm; stitch density 594 (22 x 27)/dm2","method_for_datation":"According to bibliographic sources, the initial date of 1677 marks the transfer of the Clarissas community to the new Monastery of Santa Clara-a-Nova","provenance":"From the church of the Monastery of Santa Clara-a-Nova (Order of Saint Claire), Coimbra, Portugal","obtention":"Transferred from the Monastery of Santa Clara-a-Nova, Coimbra. The transfer from the Monastery of Santa Clara-a-Nova, Coimbra, is documented.","bibliography":"Mendonça, Maria José de, “Tapetes de Arraiolos”, in João Barreira (ed.), *Arte Portuguesa ‒ As Artes Decorativas*, Lisbon: Excelsior, n.d.  \n*Museu Machado de Castro ‒ Secção de tecidos, bordados, tapeçarias e tapetes. Catálogo-guia*, Coimbra: Coimbra Editora, 1943, p. 91, cat. no. 16 (1).  \nOliveira, Fernando Baptista de, *História e Técnica dos Tapetes de Arraiolos*, Lisbon: Fundação Calouste Gulbenkian, 1973.  \nPereira, Teresa Pacheco, *Tapetes de Arraiolos*, Lisbon: SILVIP, 1991.","workshop":"Arraiolos, Portugal","author":"Pedro Miguel Ferrão","translator":"Lily Chadwick","translation_copy_editor":"Mandi Gomez","keywords":["palmettes","Arraiolos","carpet","flowers","herati design","central field","border"],"materials":["Burlap","oblique or Slavic cross-stitch (known as ponto de Arraiolos)","wool","embroidery"]},"857327b5-d36c-56a4-a959-8c0836d3b51c":{"name":"Spindle","description":"A spindle is a straight spike made from wood used for spinning and twisting wool fibres into yarn. It is weighted on one end, by a disc or spherical object called a whorl.","type":"Spindle","holder":"The Jordan Museum","owner":"The Circassian Charity Association","dates":"AD 1860","location":"Amman","dimensions":"L: 38cm, W: 5cm","method_for_datation":"The great grandparents of the owners of this object brought it with them to Jordan when they immigrated in 1860.","provenance":"Caucasus","obtention":"Loan","author":"Najd Sweidan","copy_editor":"Lisa Kelman","materials":["Wood"]},"85ff813c-0cdf-5dee-aca9-ba1ade396dcd":{"name":"Kilim, *Serbian crown*","description":"A wall kilim (*zidnjak*) is decorated with *Serbian crown* (*Srpska kruna*) motif. In the centre of the kilim is the coat of arms of the Kingdom of Serbia. The surface around the coat of arms is filled with ornament called *bibice*, and the corners with *devil’s knee* (*vraško koleno*) ornament. Along the upper border is woven the year 1899, when the kilim was made. The colours used are: red, white, black, blue and green. The *Serbian crown* motif appeared in Pirot kilim production together with the proclamation of the Kingdom of Serbia in 1882. The motif transformed together with the state and forms of government so after 1918 there were also Pirot kilims with the motif of *Yugoslav crown* and after 1945 with the coat of arms of the Socialist Federative Republic of Yugoslavia. In the contemporary era logos of different institutions and companies also found their place on Pirot kilims and doilies.","type":"Wall tapestry; carpet","holder":"Museum of Applied Art","dates":"1899","location":"Belgrade","dimensions":"H: 171cm, W: 122cm","method_for_datation":"By stylistic analysis, material and technique; the year of making is woven on the item","provenance":"Pirot","obtention":"Purchased in 2002","bibliography":"Cvetković, M., *Igra šarenih niti: Kolekcija pirotskih ćilima Etnografskog muzeja u Beogradu*, Belgrade: Etnografski muzej, 2008.  \nVitković-Žikić, M., *Pirotski ćilimi = Les Kilims de Pirot*, Belgrade: Muzej primenjene umetnosti, 2001.  \nPetković, M., and Vlatković, R., *Pirotski ćilim* \\[Abstract in English\\], Belgrade: Srpska akademija nauka i umetnosti, 1996.  \nStojanović, D., *Pirotski ćilimi* \\[Summary in English\\], Belgrade: Muzej primenjene umetnosti, 1987.","author":"Draginja Maskareli","keywords":["weave","wool","Şarköy","Pirot","Kilim"],"materials":["weaving","wool"]},"88071a72-b42c-5d63-9d3b-4a84261620cc":{"name":"Carpet","description":"From the second half of the 16th century, textiles were among the most frequently traded and most profitable goods introduced into Portugal through the Carreira da India, the route that from 1498 directly connected Europe to Asia. Despite Indian cloth having first constituted the majority of imported textiles, Persian textiles also arrived in Portugal during the first half of the 16th century in smaller quantities. Among these, knotted-pile carpets were in high demand within the upper classes of cosmopolitan Portuguese society, as elements of luxury and status that since the mid-16th century successfully displaced previous Spanish and Turkish imports.  \nThis small carpet, from the Santa Clara convent in Évora, embodies the Golden Age of importation, when the colourful and vivid Persian imaginary was proudly displayed in both sacred and profane European interiors. In its multicoloured decoration, we can see an elaborate ornamental network of “vine scrolls” interlaced with palmettes outlining the decorative geometry of the field. In addition, there are S-shaped cloud scrolls (*tchi*), rosettes and lotus flowers, arranged on a bright-red background, which contrasts with the dark-blue colour of the border, itself filled with palmettes and lotus flowers.","type":"Textile; carpet","holder":"National Museum of Ancient Art","dates":"17th century","location":"Lisbon","dimensions":"H: 195.5cm, W: 135cm; knot density c. 3,025/dm2","method_for_datation":"Jessica Hallet and Steven Cohen have attributed the carpet to Persia based on stylistic analysis as well as thematic and pictorial parallels with other carpets","method_for_provenance":"Stylistic analysis and material dating","provenance":"Iran","obtention":"Transferred from the Convent of Santa Clara, Évora, Portugal, to the National Museum of Ancient Art in 1903","bibliography":"Hallett, Jessica and Pereira, Teresa Pacheco (eds), *The Oriental Carpet in Portugal: Carpets and paintings, 15th‒18th centuries*, Lisbon: MNAA, 2007.","workshop":"Unknown","author":"Ana Kol","translator":"Lily Chadwick","translation_copy_editor":"Mandi Gomez","keywords":["17th century","Portugal","carpet","Iran"],"materials":["Cotton and wool","2Z","knot","knotted","Asymmetric knot","Open to the left"]},"88a1a2c9-da3a-59b6-88ec-2a538e5b82e2":{"name":"*Flügelaltar (Winged Altar)*","description":"The creator of this triptych, which was intended as a small travel altar for private prayer, was Jan van Eyck, the most important representative of Old Netherlandish painting. Characteristic features of his new artistic style are the miniature-like, extremely realistic rendering of details and the use of brilliant colours. Enthroned in the centre of the Basilica is the Madonna with her son, the infant Christ. Stretched out at her feet is a precious woven carpet. It has a rhombic pattern featuring eight-pointed stars set in circles. Its intense colours contrast with the muted hues of the ingeniously patterned floor tiles.","type":"Painting","holder":"Gemäldegalerie Alte Meister (Old Masters Picture Gallery), Dresden State Art Collections","dates":"1437","location":"Dresden","dimensions":"Central Panel: Height: 33.2cm, Width: 27.2cm; Left Wing: Height: 33.2cm, Width: 13.9cm; Right Wing: Height: 33.2cm, Width: 13.7cm","method_for_datation":"Artist signature: \"Johannes de eyck me fecit et c(o)mplevit Anno Dm M• CCCC• XXXVII• ALC• IXH• XAN\"","method_for_provenance":"Research and documentary evidence","provenance":"Dutch","obtention":"This travel altar is known to have been in Dresden since it was first mentioned in the 1754 inventory-where it was still recorded as a work of Dürer.","bibliography":"Campbell, Lorne, “Jan Van Eyck. Dresden and Bruges”, *The Burlington Magazine*, 148. 1235 (February 2006): 138–140.  \nKetelsen, Th., and Neidhardt, U., et al. (eds), *Das Geheimnis des Jan van Eyck: Die frühen niederländischen Zeichnungen und Gemälde in Dresden* exhibition catalogue, München et al.: Deutscher Kunstverlag, 2005: 177ff.  \nMarx, Harald (ed), *Gemäldegalerie Alte Meister*, 2 vols, Köln: Buchhandlung Walther König, 2005/07: vol. 1, p. 386f., vol. 2, p. 244, gallery n. 799.  \nNeidhardt, U.,“The Development Process of the Dresden Triptych. News and Questions”, in Ch. Currie (ed), *Van Eyck Studies: Papers presented at the eighteenth symposium for the study of underdrawing and technology in painting*, Paris et al.: Peeters Publishers, 2017: 351–366.  \nNeidhardt, U., and C. Schölzel, “Jan van Eyck’s Dresden Triptych.”, in S. Foister et al. (eds), *Investigating Jan van Eyck*, Turnhout: Brepols, 2000: 25–39.","author":"Bettina Forger","copy_editor":"Janice Medina","keywords":["Bibel","Madonna","Christianity","painting","carpet"],"materials":["Oil on wood"]},"88fdffe1-bb72-50c9-8158-0c092180c361":{"name":"*Lotto* carpet","short_description":"This small-sized carpet is dominated by a cross-shaped motif that normally forms a part of a more extensive pattern made of crosses and diamonds. However, it is thanks to this motif that this carpet can be identified as of the so-called Lotto type, named after the Renaissance artist Lorenzo Lotto (Hegira 885-963 / AD 1480-1556-57), who immortalised such a carpet on an altarpiece depicting the charity of Saint Anthony.  \n  \nThe border is quite untypical, pointing to a probable date of the late 17th century for this particular carpet.","type":"Textile","holder":"Museum Rietberg","initial_owner":"Count Moritz Estherházy; 1930s: Robert Akeret 1886-1972","dates":"Hegira late 11th century / AD late 17th century","location":"Zurich","dimensions":"Height: 171cm, Width: 119cm","method_for_datation":"By comparison with stylistically similar and aprproximately dated objects","method_for_provenance":"Personal documentation from former owner Robert Akeret","provenance":"West Turkey","obtention":"Gift from Robert Akeret","bibliography":"Hermann, Fritz, *Teppiche aus dem Orient in der Sammlung des rietbergmuseums*, Zurich: Museum Rietberg, 1986: 12.","author":"Axel Langer","copy_editor":"Jonathan Turnbull","materials":["Wool (warp","weft and pile)"]},"890603fe-bd5e-5732-81cf-6842de790a60":{"name":"*Der heilige Sebastian (Saint Sebastian)*","description":"Antonello da Messina set the martyrdom of Saint Sebastian in Venice, as is evident from the waterways in the background or from the typical chimneys. As one of the largest European trading cities, Venice was a key hub for the exchange of exotic luxury goods. The two carpets depicted here would also have come to the lagoon city via trading routes. According to information provided by Stefano Carboni (2015), these were carpets from the Ottoman Empire. They were highly sought after as decorative items throughout Europe. Antonello da Messina painted this picture for the first altar of the Brotherhood of Saint Roch in the Church of San Giuliano in Venice. With its extremely steep perspective, the lifelike rendering of the flesh and the three-dimensional modelling of the nude figure, this work is a tour de force of early Renaissance painting.","type":"Painting","holder":"Gemäldegalerie Alte Meister (Old Masters Picture Gallery), Dresden State Art Collections","dates":"c. 1478","location":"Dresden","dimensions":"Height: 171cm, Width: 85.5cm","method_for_datation":"Origin: Artist signature: “\\[Antone\\]ll\\[us\\] \\[m\\]essaneus”  \nDate: Research and documentary evidence","method_for_provenance":"Research and documentary evidence","provenance":"Venetian","obtention":"This panel painting was purchased for Dresden in 1873 from the collection of Johann Christian Endris in Vienna.","bibliography":"Henning, Andreas, “Il San Sebastiano di Antonello da Messina a Dresda. Iconografia e restauro”, in M. Lucco (ed), *Antonello da Messina. L'opera completa*, Milano: Silvana Editoriale, 2006: 75–89.  \nHenning, Andreas, and Ohlhoff, Günther (eds), *Antonello da Messina-Der heilige Sebastian*, Dresden: Michael Sandstein Verlag, 2005.  \nMarx, Harald (ed), *Gemäldegalerie Alte Meister*, 2 vols, Köln: Buchhandlung Walther König, 2005/07: vol. 1, p. 44f., vol. 2, p. 91, gallery n. 52.  \nSkorupa, Thomas, *Antonello da Messina and his workshop. The master's legacy*, Berlin: Logos Verlag, 2015.","author":"Bettina Forger","copy_editor":"Janice Medina","keywords":["Anatolia","Bibel","Christianity","painting","Renaissance","carpet","Venice"],"materials":["Oil on wood","transferred to canvas"]},"893a4a5f-de0f-59f6-8769-67314920dd45":{"name":"*Concerto Grosso*","description":"Following the widespread international acceptance and recognition of the Portalegre Tapestry Manufacture in 1952, their tapestries began to be internationalized, attracting many foreign artists. One of the aims of the manufacturer has been to translate famous contemporary paintings into tapestries. The piece in question is a wool, handwoven wall tapestry after a painting (of the same name) by English practitioner Tom Phillips (1937), himself a multidisciplinary artist whose creative activities include writing, photography and music (both as a musician and composer).  \nSeveral of Philips’ music-themed paintings have been transposed into tapestries. *Concerto Grosso* is one such example, a representation of the dialogue between a set of soloists (*concertino*), usually two violins and a cello, and the remainder of the orchestra.  \nThe complexity of its formal language is owed to the multiplicity and accuracy of the draughtsmanship, as well as to the infinity of nuances present in its rich chromatic composition, itself enhanced by the Portalegre technique. The wider colour palette (with over 7,000 tones available) allows for high definition of small details and for the creation of very precise forms. *Concerto Grosso* was part of Tom Phillips’ solo exhibition *Tom Phillips – Woven Music*, held at the Galeria Tapeçarias de Portalegre, in Lisbon, in 2002.","type":"Textile; wall tapestry","holder":"Manufactura de Tapeçarias de Portalegre","owner":"Manufactura de Tapeçarias de Portalegre","dates":"2002","location":"Portalegre","dimensions":"H: 220cm, W: 263cm; knot density 2,500‒10,000/dm2","method_for_datation":"The date mentioned above is the date of production, 2002","provenance":"Portalegre, Portugal","obtention":"Produced by the Manufactura de Tapeçarias de Portalegre, and now forms part of its tapestry collection","bibliography":"Phillips, Tom, *Tom Phillips: Works and Texts*, London: Thames and Hudson, 1992.","workshop":"Manufactura de Tapeçarias de Portalegre, Portugal","author":"Maria João de Melo","translator":"Lily Chadwick","translation_copy_editor":"Mandi Gomez","keywords":["Manufactura de tapeçarias de Portalegre","Tom Phillips","Portalegre tapestries","Concerto Grosso"],"materials":["Cotton warp","cotton weft binding","hand-woven on a vertical loom using the Portalegre weaving technique where the decorative weft wraps around the warp. Chromatic composition of 671 colours","Australian wool weft"]},"89b49f74-0b20-58b1-a4a0-9699eb76d737":{"name":"Caucasian prayer rug","description":"In Caucasus there is a great variety of motifs due to artistic exchange among ethnic groups. Different classifications of carpets are based on the weaver's ethnicity and the geographic origin of the carpet or the carpet structure. No system of classification is based on design or motifs. Therefore it is difficult to establish the origins of this peculiar rug.  \nIn the prayer niche there is a diagonally placed polychrome (white, yellow, blue and green) of small hooked medallions on a red background. These medallions resemble an *aina kochak* motif. In the upper part of the *mihrab* (prayer niche) there are two larger medallions which resemble hooked diamond medallions. The central field is framed with three borders. The main border is a “floral vine” border in red, blue and green blossoms (possibly carnation) on a white background. This type of border can be found in Kuba, Seishour and other rugs of the Caucasus. It may be used as either the main or a minor border. Two minor borders are *laleh abbasi* (abbasi tulip).","type":"Carpet","holder":"Museum of Arts and Crafts","dates":"Second half 19th century","location":"Zagreb","dimensions":"H: 144cm, W: 93cm","method_for_datation":"By stylistic analysis","method_for_provenance":"By stylistic analysis","provenance":"Caucasus","obtention":"Unknown","author":"Andrea Klobučar","translator":"Petra Milovac","translation_copy_editor":"Daniel de la Vega","keywords":["medahil","prayer rug","Caucasus"],"materials":["knotted carpet","wool","symmetrical knots"]},"8a565cb4-5f00-5edf-8fb8-497e1fbd6e0d":{"name":"Medalion Carpet","description":"This carpet remains one of the finest examples of its type, despite numerous reweavings and fading. The complex pattern of floral motifs and arabesques, with two types of medallions in rows, testifies to the skill of the weavers.","type":"Carpet","holder":"Philadelphia Museum of Art","dates":"16th-17th century","location":"Philadelphia, Pennsylvania","dimensions":"520.7 x 297.2cm (17 feet 1 inches x 9 feet 9 inches)","provenance":"Ushak, Anatolia, Turkey, Asia","obtention":"The Joseph Lees Williams Memorial Collection, 1955","bibliography":"Ellis, Charles Grant, *Oriental Carpets in the Philadelphia Museum of Art*, Philadelphia: Philadelphia Museum of Art, 1988: cat. 21.","author":"Quintin Blumka","copy_editor":"Xena Wang","keywords":["rug","carpet"],"materials":["Wool and possibly goat hair"]},"8a7b4508-e3fd-5303-a123-f294b1fd40d5":{"name":"Silk Mamluk carpet","short_description":"Extant documents verify that knotted-pile carpets were produced and traded in Cairo between the second quarter of the 14th century and the first quarter of the 17th century. Apparently, silk pieces were also found among them. Nonetheless, this is the only preserved Mamluk silk carpet worldwide and one of the MAK Collection’s most famous exhibits. As its impressive size, materials, and design quality suggest, the carpet is a product of an accomplished court workshop and likely dates from the late period of the last Mamluk dynasty. The quantity of the colours used speaks for an earlier dating around 1500; the delicate vegetal border with leaf tendrils and the characteristic umbrella leaves rather points to a later dating. In 1517, the Ottomans conquered the Mamluk Empire, but Cairo’s carpet workshops still produced pieces until the mid-16th century in a post-Mamluk style.","type":"Mamluk carpet","holder":"MAK – Museum of Applied Arts","dates":"c. 1500 / first quarter of the 16th century","location":"Vienna","dimensions":"H: 547cm, W: 298cm; knot density 3,900/dm2","provenance":"Egypt, Cairo","obtention":"Assumption","bibliography":"Völker, Angela, *Die orientalischen Knüpfteppiche das MAK*, Vienna: Böhlau, 2001: 42–5.","catalogue_holding_link":"https://sammlung.mak.at/sammlung_online?id=collect-98327","author":"Martina Dax","copy_editor":"Mandi Gomez","keywords":["Mamluk","geometric patterns","silk","textile","carpet","Cairo"],"materials":["Silk warp","wool weft","asymmetrical knot","knotted"]},"8b89a466-d3b6-5240-867c-7b39739d1576":{"name":"Animal Carpet","description":"A 17th century Mughal Indian Lahore pile carpet showing an imaginary jungle scene with wild animals running about. The wine-red centre-field is framed by a dark blue border. Satisfyingly complete, though well worn, its scrolling vine and animal design is composed of a network of curving and intertwining vine branches and stems that cover the whole plane of the design, carrying a variety of flowers and palmettes - the large multi-layered palm-leaf shaped leaves. Several wild animals and birds are imposed on this network of scrolling vines. They include leaping tigers and rabbits; running cows, onagers and deer; lions in combat with bears, cheetahs catching gazelles, winged lions attacking antelopes; and cockerels and parrots. The designers of this carpet cleverly used their asymmetrical pattern to evoke a real wilderness in which these wild animals live. Wild as it may seem, the animal composition consists of a three fold repeat pattern. This pattern starts with a salmon-colour tiger in the bottom left corner of the carpet and ends with the lion in combat with a bear on the same side. This pattern is repeated a second time in the middle part of the carpet; and then lifted and flipped right to left, and repeated a third time, but this time the salmon-coloured tiger appears on the right side of the top third of the carpet. By doing so, the designers of the carpet cleverly create a more convincingly wild scene by avoiding symmetry in pattern, whether between right and left or top and bottom of the centre-field.  \n  \nWhile most of the animals are illustrated in a Mughal Indian style of figurative depictions, the border of this carpet and its large multi-coloured palmettes, as well as the scrolling vine system in the field, are in the Safavid Persian style. Not an untypical composition, as the art of pile-carpet-weaving was introduced by Iranian master weavers under the patronage of the Mughal court, which sought to emulate its rival the Safavid court of Iran.","type":"Carpet","holder":"Glasgow Museums - The Burrell Collection","dates":"17th century","location":"Glasgow, Scotland","dimensions":"H: 4750mm, W: 2007mm","method_for_datation":"Manufacturing techniques and stylistic analysis","method_for_provenance":"Stylistic analysis","provenance":"Pakistan, Lahore","obtention":"Gifted by Sir William and Lady Burrell to the City of Glasgow, 1944","workshop":"Lahore workshop (possibly royal workshop)","author":"Noorah Al-Gailani","keywords":["wild animal","jungle","hunting","animal decoration","Iranian influence","palmette","bird"],"materials":["wool pile","Cotton warp and weft"]},"8b9039c3-f010-523c-9cec-4f3c5d591596":{"name":"Shahar Khanum's Trees Carpet","description":"An 18th century west-Iranian pile carpet with multi-coloured weeping willows, blossoming trees and cypresses symmetrically lined up to fill the ivory coloured centre-field. The carpet’s border is red in background with a chain of alternating dark blue palmettes and pale blue serrated leaves. The name of its female weaver, Shahar Khanum, is discretely woven amongst the light green leaves of a large dark-blue tree with symmetrically extended branches. This dark-blue tree stands on the right side of the carpet close to its border, with its top edge, where the inscription is woven, is aligned to the centre line of the carpet. The three word inscription (‘Amal Shahar Khanum) state that it was made by Shahar whose honorific title is Khanum, indicating social seniority within her community.  \n  \nThe overall design of the centre field is known as a Bid Majnun design, and is found in Kurdish carpets from Bijar and in Heris / Heriz carpets from Azerbaijan province amongst other westerly locations.","type":"Carpet","holder":"Glasgow Museums - The Burrell Collection","dates":"18th century","location":"Glasgow, Scotland","dimensions":"H: 4597mm, W: 3251mm","method_for_datation":"Manufacturing techniques and stylistic analysis","method_for_provenance":"Stylistic analysis","provenance":"Western or north-western Iran","obtention":"Gifted by Sir William and Lady Burrell to the City of Glasgow, 1944","workshop":"Western or north-western Iran","author":"Noorah Al-Gailani","keywords":["tree motifs","maker","weeping willow","maker's name","inscription","Bid Majnun design","cypress"],"materials":["wool pile","Cotton warp and weft"]},"8bd5335a-9a4a-53d2-8954-6a840f501d11":{"name":"Pictorial Rug","description":"This carpet is decorated with chinoiserie scenes against a white background; a garden appears in the bottom third of it with a group of three figures holding a parasol situated among coloured flowers, leaved trees and exotic animals. Beside the garden is a building with a tower. In the middle, on the left, and in the upper third on the right are green islands with leaved trees and flowers; the left one shows a couple talking, while the right one depicts a building with small towers, flags, and a man smoking a pipe. The background is decorated with insects and flying birds that hold boughs with berries in their beaks. The dark brown border is filled with colourful flowery foliage and various kinds of birds. Opinions differ as to the place of manufacture. It was considered a French carpet in the literature up to 1980. Sándor Csermelyi was the first to mention in 1915 that, \"this kind of carpet served as a basis for French carpet making, with the works of Savonnerie as the model.\" Ferenc Batári, on the other hand, denies the French origin, and, based on motifs identical with tapestries and embroideries made in England in the late 17th-early 18th century, he supposes the carpet was made in England. Features of the Polish knotted carpets from the second half of the 17th century on— strict geometrical ornaments, a background of natural colour, sudden, striped shading and black outlines of the motifs — in many ways agree with this piece. However at this stage of our knowledge, the place of manufacture is still in question.","type":"Carpet","holder":"Museum of Applied Arts","dates":"Around 1700-1720","location":"Budapest","dimensions":"Height: 259cm, Width: 197cm, Knot density: 1,188/dm2","method_for_datation":"Stylistic analysis","method_for_provenance":"Stylistic analysis","provenance":"Poland or England (?)","obtention":"Purchased from the becquest of Henrik Egger in 1915","bibliography":"Batári, Ferenc, *Brit iparművészet az Iparművészeti Múzeum gyűjteményeiben a 17. századtól a 20. század elejéig (British Handicraft in the Budapest Museum of Applied Arts Late 17th and Early 20th Century)*, Budapest: Iparművészeti Múzeum, 1988: no. 56.  \nBatári, Ferenc, *Csomózott indiai, kelet turkesztáni, kínai, tibeti és európai szőnyege: Kiállítás a Miskolci Galériában a Budapesti Iparművészeti Múzeum gyűjteményéből (Knotted Rugs from India, Eastern-Turkestan, China, Tibet and Europe: Exhibition in the Miskolc Gallery from the Collection of the Budapest Museum of Applied Arts)*, Miskolc: Miskolci Galéria, 1980: no. 20 and figure.  \nSzilágyi, András, and Péter, Márta (eds), *Baroque and Rococco: An exhibition from the Collection of the Budapest Museum of Applied Arts, Periods in European Decorative Arts*, Budapest: Iparművészeti Múzeum,1990: 139, no 6.47. \\[Emese Pásztor\\].","author":"Emese Pásztor","copy_editor":"Valerie Pulsifer","translator":"Katalin Szilágyi","keywords":["chinoiserie","landscape","human figure","floral motifs","European rug"],"materials":["Symmetrical (Turkish or Ghiordes) knot","Weft: Cotton","Warp and pile: Wool"]},"8c3fe586-b83a-5c9f-b26a-29559e219944":{"name":"Star Ushak Rug","description":"This carpet’s pattern of eight-pointed star medallions and diamond forms makes it an especially attractive example of the Ushak weaver’s craft.","type":"Carpet","holder":"Philadelphia Museum of Art","dates":"Late 15th - early 16th century","location":"Philadelphia, Pennsylvania","dimensions":"Including modern kilims: 368.3 × 203.2cm (12 feet 1 inches × 6 feet 8 inches)","provenance":"Ushak, Anatolia, Turkey, Asia","obtention":"The Joseph Lees Williams Memorial Collection, 1955","bibliography":"Aslanapa, Oktay, *Turkish Art and Architecture*, New York: Praeger, 1971: illust.  \nEllis, Charles Grant, *Oriental Carpets in the Philadelphia Museum of Art*, Philadelphia: Philadelphia Museum of Art, 1988: cat. 22.  \nNoreika, Sarah, *Philadelphia Museum of Art: Handbook*, Philadelphia: Philadelphia Museum of Art, 2014: 28-29.  \nRaby, Julian \"Court and export: part 2: The Usak carpets\" in Robert Pinner and Walter B. Denny (eds) *Carpets of the Mediterranean countries 1400-1600*, London: Hali, 1986.  \nValentiner, Wilhelm R., *Catalogue of a Loan Exhibition of Early Oriental Rugs*, New York: MET, 1910: Western Asia Minor (Ushak), 16th century.","author":"Quintin Blumka","copy_editor":"Xena Wang","keywords":["rug","carpet"],"materials":["Wool and possibly goat hair"]},"8c4c25d1-c138-5454-9937-8a71723f3492":{"name":"Prayer rug","description":"The singular shape of the *mihrab* on Milas prayer rugs with its two side indentations can be traced back to 17th- and 18th-century Ottoman carpets. Here, a triangular indentation has been added at the bottom of the niche. The red ground of the *mihrab* is decorated with parallel rows of small red or white floral motifs. The inner side of the niche is edged all around with tiny blossoms. Different coloured stylised flowers identical in shape cover the white area of the spandrels. The rather unusual decoration of the wide border includes eight-pointed stars separated by red octagons. The warm colour scheme dominated by a strong red is typical of 19th-century Milas carpets.","type":"Prayer rug","holder":"The National Museum of Art of Romania","dates":"First half of the 19th century","location":"Bucharest","dimensions":"H: 160cm, W: 110cm; knot density ver. 42/dm; hor. 35/dm; 1,470/dm2","method_for_datation":"Stylistic analysis","provenance":"Turkey, southwestern Anatolia, Milas","obtention":"Purchased (art trade)","bibliography":"Dunca, Mircea, *Covoare turceşti, secolele XVII–XX*, Bucharest: Muzeul Național de Artă al României, 1994: cat. 42.  \nDunca, Mircea, *De la mihrab la grădina paradisului*, Bucharest: Muzeul Național de Artă al României, 2006: cat. 4.  \nTuna, Ali Riza, “Later Ottoman Rugs”, in Stefano Ionescu (ed.), *Antique Ottoman Rugs in Transylvania*, ed. II, Rome: Verduci Editore, 2007: 220–1.","author":"Mircea Dunca","translator":"Victoria Gheorghita","translation_copy_editor":"Mandi Gomez","keywords":["prayer rug"],"materials":["wool","knotted","symmetrical knot"]},"8d25f83f-18fd-5325-94b2-f08b80f825b7":{"name":"Pictorial Tapestry 'Woman in front of a Landscape'","description":"Johanna Schütz-Wolff (1896–1965) wove the pictorial tapestry “Woman in front of a Landscape” in 1954, creating it by assembling five separately woven pieces. The background is made of black-dyed thread and for the woman’s figure and the landscape she used untreated white and brown wool. The yellow hat and pink vase in the right corner of the motif give it a colorful accent. Otherwise, the piece is dominated by dark-light contrasts. In her early days, the artist worked as a graphic designer. She first began pictorial weaving in 1920. The influence of graphic design is evident in the composition of the figure into single, overlapping sections.  \nSchütz-Wolff pushed artistic boundaries with the woven artwork she created. She made pictorial textiles directly at the weaving loom without using colour templates or the traditional Gobelin technique, which only utilised the coloured weft thread to create the motif. Instead, she also integrated the warp thread into the process of creating a motif. She created fine gradient shading in her pieces by combining different ways of weaving the textile. Schütz-Wolff's pictorial tapestries first received public attention and acclaim in the late 1920s, yet in 1933 her promising career came to an abrupt halt. During the Third Reich, her art was deemed “unsuitable” and she was forbidden to exhibit it publicly or participate in art competitions. In 1938 she was forced to destroy most of her work to evade persecution by the Nazis. It was not until the end of the war, that she was able to resume her artistic career. In the 1950s she began exhibiting her work and competing in art contests. This wall hanging was awarded the gold medal at the 1954 Triennale in Milan.","type":"Wall hanging","holder":"GRASSI Museum of Applied Art","owner":"GRASSI Museum of Applied Art, Leipzig","dates":"1954","location":"Leipzig","dimensions":"H: 220cm, W: 450cm","method_for_datation":"Documented by  acquisition","method_for_provenance":"Documented by  acquisition","provenance":"Germany, Söcking near Starnberg","obtention":"Donation from the artist’s estate, 2010","bibliography":"GRASSI Museum für Angewandte Kunst Leipzig, *Ständige Ausstellung, Jugendstil bis Gegenwart*, Leipzig: Passage-Verlag, 2012: 162f.","author":"Stefanie Seeberg","translator":"Aminata Estelle Diouf","translation_copy_editor":"Daniel de la Vega","keywords":["wool","design","crafts","landscape","linen","human figure","wall hanging","embroidery","carpet","collection","geometric design","human representation","decorative arts","craftsmanship"],"materials":["five fabric bands pieced together","embroidered contours","linen and twill weave","wool"]},"8db210d7-0a0f-5187-a7b8-59e88115b5c5":{"name":"'Ghirlandaio' carpet","description":"This carpet design in all its complexity has survived worldwide exclusively through this example. But the most important motif is also known from other, mostly smaller carpets. The motif is a diamond, formed from overlapping leaf forms. In this carpet, the red-ground field is filled exclusively with densely arranged, offset diamonds. The centre of the diamond is covered by a rectangle, also with a red ground. The rectangle is filled with a yellow star, in whose centre is an octagon. In contrast to most carpets of this type, the motif is here arranged in an endless repeat. The depiction of a carpet with this motif by the painter Domenico Ghirlandaio (1449–1494) has induced carpet researchers to name this carpet type after him.","type":"Carpet","holder":"Museum of Islamic Art at the Pergamon Museum","dates":"AD 15th / 16th century","location":"Berlin","dimensions":"L: 326, W: 185","method_for_datation":"The carpet has been dated on comparison with carpets in paintings as well as on stylistic analysis of its pattern, due to its colours and knot-technique","method_for_provenance":"The carpet has been located on stylistic analysis of its pattern, due to its colours and knot-technique","provenance":"Western Anatolia","obtention":"Purchased by the Kunstgewerbemuseum, Berlin from the painter and art dealer Achille Glisenti, Flornece, Italy; 1956 transferred through the Kunstgewerbemuseum, Berlin","bibliography":"Beselin, Anna, *Geknüpfte Kunst. Teppiche des Museums für Islamische Kunst*, Berlin: Minerva, 2011.  \nSpuhler, Friedrich, *Oriental Carpets in the Museum of Islamic Art*, Munich: Smithsonian, 1987.","author":"Anna Beselin","keywords":["Domenico Ghirlandaio","painting","carpet"],"materials":["wool","knotted pile carpet","symmetrical knot"]},"8de9b633-bd8a-5dc3-8bc1-cea21fc40ec5":{"name":"Seljuq Rug","description":"This is an outstanding example of the “Konya Group”. It is considered one of the earliest Turkish rugs found in the Konya Aladdin Mosque in Anatolia. The main border bears large stylized green *kufic* letters which are contoured with white on a dark blue background. This design gives a monumental image to the rug. Such monumental *kufic*script borders are characteristic of Seljuq rugs. The thin border framing the main border inside and out has eight‒cornered dark blue crosses. The stylized double diamond infinity motifs are a dark red on a light red background. One end of the double diamond motif is open and looks like tongs. The motifs have blue dots in the middle.","type":"Rug","holder":"Museum of Turkish and Islamic Arts","dates":"13th century","location":"Istanbul","dimensions":"L: 285cm, W: 520cm","method_for_datation":"The analyses of the material and the technique used for weaving the rug and the motifs seen on main ground and borders.","provenance":"Middle Anatolia, Konya","obtention":"From the Konya Sultan Aladdin Mosque","bibliography":"Aslanapa, Oktay, *Türk Halı Sanatının Bin Yılı*, Istanbul: Eren Yayınları, 1987: 18.  \nDenny, Walter, and Tekeli, Gönül, *Anadolu Dokuma Mirası*, Istanbul: C.2, 2007, s.23, Kat.no.1.  \nErdmann, Kurt, *Seven Hundred Years of Orıental Carpets*, London: Faber and Faber Limited, 1970: 102.  \nKollektif, *Türk El Dokuması Halılar*, Ankara: Kültür ve Turizm Bakanlığı Yayınları, Cilt 1, Katalog no: 99.  \nŞahin, Seracettin, *Türk ve İslam Eserleri Müzesi: Emevilerden Osmanlılara 13 Asırlık Ihtişam*, Istanbul: Kaynak Yayınları, 2009: 131‒135.","author":"Deniz Kanberoğlu","copy_editor":"Lisa Kelman","keywords":["Konya","Seljuq Rug"],"materials":["Natural wool coloured with natural dyes","symmetrical knot","Gördes knot"]},"8eb182c4-306d-58fb-8c86-4ae38f3e70d0":{"name":"Medallion carpet","short_description":"Whilst the composition seems to follow the classical Persian medallion carpet there are, however, some special features which stand out: Primarily, this is because the carpet is comparatively large and exceeds the usual format for a main carpet in Persia during the 19th century. Such carpets were placed in the middle of the room and flanked by two narrow runners with another medium-sized head rug at the upper end of the room.  \n  \nFurthermore, in addition to traditional motifs, foreign elements such as tree branches, oak leaves and acorns catch the eye, as they decorate the inner medium blue field. Another unusual stylistic choice are the red cloud bands curling around the medallion and the black-brown split leaf scrolls in the four corner compartments. Although these are classical motifs, they have a slightly “rococoish” effect on the European observer.  \n  \nThe carpet is dated to the Persian New Year of 1313, i.e. 20 or 21 March 1896. It was made, as can be read in a cartouche, “by order of Shabestari”. It is therefore reasonable to assume that it was a New Year's gift.","type":"Carpet","holder":"Museum Rietberg","initial_owner":"Sir Linoel Philips (1855-1936); 1930s: Robert Akeret (1886-1972)","dates":"Hegira Noruz 1313 / 20-21. March 1896","location":"Zurich","dimensions":"Height: 336cm, Width: 255cm","method_for_datation":"Carpet is dated and carries name of customer who ordered it","provenance":"Iran, probably Teheran","obtention":"Gift from Robert Akeret","author":"Axel Langer","copy_editor":"Jonathan Turnbull","materials":["Wool (warp","weft and pile)"]},"8ed9a07e-c99d-5258-9787-4c342eb9d4c2":{"name":"Uşak Rug (Lotto type)","description":"This type of Uşak carpet, is known as a “Lotto carpet” because it appears in the paintings of the Italian artist Lorenzo Lotto. The main base is red and it is divided into squares, five along the width and eleven along the length. The inside of the squares are filled with stylized octagonal motifs in yellow. Characteristic of Lotto carpets, the composition is based on the notion of infinity from a cross at the connection of squares. The carpet has three borders. The main border is a blue ground, filled with yellow swastikas and stylized dragon motifs. The inner border is a thin band with wavy plant motifs on a blue base. The outer border is a line of plant motifs on a yellow base.","type":"Rug","holder":"Museum of Turkish and Islamic Arts","dates":"16th century","location":"Istanbul","dimensions":"L: 275cm, W: 518cm","method_for_datation":"The analyses of the material and the technique used for weaving the rug and the motifs seen on main ground and borders.","provenance":"West Anatolia, Uşak","obtention":"From Antalya Murat Paşa Mosque","bibliography":"Aslanapa, Oktay, *Türk Halı Sanatının Bin Yılı*, Istanbul: Eren Yayınları, 1987: 18.  \nDenny, Walter, and Tekeli, Gönül, *Anadolu Dokuma Mirası*, Istanbul: C.2, 2007: s.23, Kat.no.1. Erdmann, Kurt, *Seven Hundred Years of Orıental Carpets*, London: Faber and Faber Limited, 1970: 102. Kollektif, *Türk El Dokuması Halılar*, Ankara: Kültür ve Turizm Bakanlığı Yayınları, Cilt 1, Katalog no: 99. Şahin, Seracettin, *Türk ve İslam Eserleri Müzesi: Emevilerden Osmanlılara 13 Asırlık Ihtişam*, Istanbul: Kaynak Yayınları, 2009: 131‒135.","author":"Deniz Kanberoğlu","copy_editor":"Lisa Kelman","keywords":["West Anatolia","Lotto Type","Uşak rug"],"materials":["Natural wool coloured with natural dyes","symmetrical knot","Gördes knot"]},"8f36e403-6097-58ff-8669-eab997217fe7":{"name":"Spanish carpet.","description":"This large fragmented carpet belongs to a group of Spanish carpets from the AH 9th / AD 15th century that feature the coats of arms of the Enriquez family. The motifs used in the carpet, as well as its colours and entire appearance, indicate that it belongs to this group. They were probably made in the Spanish town of Letur in the second half of the AH 9th / AD 15th century. The Spanish knots in the weave are a typical characteristic of Spanish carpets, including this one.  \nIt was thought that carpets of this kind, known as Mudéjar carpets, were made by Oriental craftsmen for Spanish patrons. However, no further direct link can be made, as these Spanish carpets show big changes to the structural principles of carpet patterns in Islamic countries.  \nThe pattern within the central area is composed of consecutive rows of a single motif: a six-pointed star within a blue hexagon, repeated continuously. Birds and rosettes alternately occupy the diamond-shaped spaces in between. Four borders of different widths frame the central area. Starting from the inner border and moving outwards, the borders are composed of zigzags, interlinked plaited stars, rows of blossoms and, finally, an outer border of motifs recalling *kufic* script on a blue background. Long letters, embellished with hooks, alternate with pointed triangles. Animal motifs in a heraldic style (peacocks, ducks, lions. etc.) and geometrical motifs, such as diamonds decorated with hooks, fill the spaces in between.  \nIn Islamic countries, coats of arms knotted into carpets indicate that the carpet was commissioned. The coat of arms belonging to a bishop can be seen in an Ottoman carpet that was preserved in Sweden; other Ottoman carpets show the coats of arms of Genoese families. They are an important testimony to the widespread extent of Mediterranean trade.","short_description":"This carpet was once over five metres long. Its inner field has a small star pattern. The outer border, reminiscent of *kufic* inscriptions, is filled with animal motifs including lions and ducks, and is therefore a considerable contrast to Mamluk or Ottoman carpets.","type":"Carpet, wool","holder":"Museum of Islamic Art at the Pergamon Museum","owner":"Museum of Arts and Crafts, Berlin.","initial_owner":"Wilhelm von Bode.","dates":"Hegira second half of 9th century / AD second half of 15th century.","location":"Berlin","dimensions":"Length 410 cm, width 195 cm.","method_for_datation":"A group of carpets, to which this one belongs, has been classified according to the coats of arms of Spanish families, and can be dated to the mid and second half of the 9th / 15th century.","method_for_provenance":"The literature mentions the Spanish town of Letur, in the province of Murcia, as a possible place of manufacture of this group of carpets. The Spanish knot supports the hypothesis.","provenance":"Spain, probably Letur.","obtention":"Transferred as a long-term loan through the Museum of Arts and Crafts, Berlin.","bibliography":"Erdmann, K., *700 Jahre Orientteppich*, Herford, 1966, p.103, ill. 126.  \nFerrandis Torres, J., *Catalogo de la Exposición de Alfombras Antiguas Espanolas*, Madrid, 1933.  \nKühnel, E. and Bellinger, L., *Catalogue of Spanish Rugs: 12th Century to 19th Century*, Washington, D.C.: The Textile Museum, 1953.  \nSpuhler, F., *Die Orientteppiche im Museum für Islamische Kunst Berlin*, Berlin, 1987, pp.118–20, no.137.","author":"Jens Kröger","translator":"Maria Vlotides","translation_copy_editor":"Monica Allen","keywords":["six-pointed star","geometric patterns","kufic","knot-carpets","Spanish carpets"],"materials":["wool","knotted."]},"8ff19610-7179-5f91-98b9-6a0065997c52":{"name":"*Brieflesendes Mädchen am offenen Fenster (Girl Reading a Letter at an Open Window)*","description":"This painting was the first in a series of quiet interior scenes incorporating only a few figures, which became characteristic of Vermeer's art from the late 1650s onwards. In particular, the theme of a woman writing or reading a letter is to be found in a number of his works; probably as a consequence of the vogue for letter-writing which had spread in Holland since the middle of the century. At the front of the scene is a carpet, decoratively crumpled so as to form a kind of barrier in front of the viewer. Similar Oriental carpets are to be found in many other paintings by Vermeer, suggesting that the Delft artist may have owned one himself.","type":"Painting","holder":"Gemäldegalerie Alte Meister (Old Masters Picture Gallery), Dresden State Art Collections","dates":"1657/59","location":"Dresden","dimensions":"Height: 83cm, Width: 64.5cm","method_for_datation":"Research and documentary evidence","method_for_provenance":"Research and documentary evidence","provenance":"Dutch","obtention":"This painting was originally part of the Carignan collection in Paris, from which it was purchased for Dresden by De Brais in 1742.","bibliography":"Franses, Michael, “Orientalische Teppiche auf Gemälden Vermeers”, in U. Neidhardt (ed), *Der frühe Vermeer*, Berlin et al.: Deutscher Kunstverlag, 2010: 108–113.  \nMarx, Harald (ed), *Gemäldegalerie Alte Meister*, 2 vols, Köln: Buchhandlung Walther König, 2005/07: vol. 1, p. 499f., vol. 2, p. 569, gallery n. 1336.  \nNeidhardt, Uta (ed), *Der frühe Vermeer*, Berlin et al.: Deutscher Kunstverlag, 2010.  \nWheelock, Arthur K. Jr., *Johannes Vermeer*, New Haven: Yale University Press, 1995.","author":"Bettina Forger","copy_editor":"Janice Medina","keywords":["painting","carpet","genre painting"],"materials":["Oil on canvas"]},"90f24fd2-747c-586e-b28c-441b69be0537":{"name":"Textile fragment","description":"This fragment of silk velvet came from the tent of Süleyman the Magnificent (1520–1566). The tent would have been seized by the sultan’s troops during one of the campaigns the Ottomans conducted in Persia from 1534 to 1554. Like the other fragments of the tent that have survived, it shows the refinement of the Persian textile arts in the 16th century, as well as their close links with miniatures. The execution of the figurative and floral motifs is highly accomplished. The design derives from the famous story of Khusraw and Shirin told in the poet Nizami’s *Khamsa* and illustrated in a great many miniatures. In that scene, Khusraw, who does not appear here, is usually shown with his finger to his lips in a gesture calling for silence. Another fragment of the tent is in the Keir Collection at the Dallas Museum of Art. The Montreal Museum of Fine Art’s fragment shows Shirin bathing, her clothing hung on the branches of a tree and her saddled horse nearby. Unlike the other surviving fragments, the inscription “amal Ghiyāth Al-Dīn Djāmī” on the saddle enables the piece to be attributed to the celebrated Safavid weaver Ghiyāth Al-Dīn Djāmī. According to Ackerman, Djāmī was not only a virtuoso weaver, but also one of the masters of the royal library. Eight other pieces attest to the fact that the weaver was active during the second half of the 16th century.","type":"Textile fragment","holder":"Montreal Museum of Fine Arts","dates":"16th century","location":"Montreal, Quebec","dimensions":"31cm x 58cm","provenance":"Iran, Tabriz","obtention":"Purchase, D. W. Parker Fund  \nPurchased from Adolph Loewi, Los Angeles, in 1951, D. W. Parker Fund","bibliography":"Coulin Weibel, Adele, *Two Thousand Years of Textiles*, New York: Pantheon, 1952, no. 132.  \nSalam-Liebich, Hayat, *Art islamique: objets du quotidien / Islamic Art: Objects for Daily Use*, Montreal: Montreal Museum of Fine Arts, 1983: 62.  \nUpham Pope, Arthur, and Phyllis Ackerman, *A Survey of Persian Art*, London: Oxford University Press, 1964, vol. VI, 1938‒9.","author":"Shirin Shafiee","copy_editor":"Mandi Gomez","materials":["Silk with golden and silver threads"]},"9162fc12-a74b-5bea-9466-0cb933b226e4":{"name":"Asmalyk","description":"Turkmen organized in tribal groups, living nomadic and semi-nomadic lives in Central Asia. Their textiles, woven to be functional as well as decorative and ceremonial, were their most treasured possessions. Considering they travelled throughout the year with their herds, they used lightweight textiles for protection and transportation. A majority of their textiles were made by women on portable ground looms and were for their family’s consumption.  \n  \nAmong the Turkmen, it was customary for a girl of marriageable age to have woven or made all of the ceremonial items required for the wedding and her new home. These included the textiles used to decorate the camel on which she would ride from her family’s tents to that of the groom. The decorations included a pair of large weavings used to cover the flanks of the camel, one on each side. During the ride, the bride was concealed within a covered litter (palanquin) carried by a camel decorated with her work. The palanquin was roofed over with curved wooden rods and covered with a white curtain decorated with tassels. The decorations outside included a pair of large weavings used to cover the flanks of the camel, one on each side. This camel trapping not only advertised the bride’s dexterity and ability as a textile artist, which was considered a crucial asset in marriage negotiations, but also symbolized the transition to a new life as a wife.","type":"Rug","holder":"The George Washington University Museum and The Textile Museum","owner":"The Textile Museum","dates":"19th century","location":"Washington, D. C.","dimensions":"L: 128.25cm, W: 85.10cm","method_for_datation":"Stylistic analyses, comparative materials, and historical documentary evidence.","method_for_provenance":"Design analyses and comparison with carpets sharing similar design and structural characteristics.","provenance":"Turkmenistan","obtention":"Donated to The Textile Museum collection by Arthur D. Jenkins in 1980.","bibliography":"Bier, C., *An Introduction to Oriental Carpets: The Arthur D. Jenkins Collection*, Washington, DC: The Textile Museum, 1989.  \nMackie, L and J. Thompson (eds), *Turkmen: Tribal Carpets and Traditions*, Washington, DC: The Textile Museum, 1980.","workshop":"Anonymous","author":"Sumru Belger Krody","keywords":["Central Asia","wool","Turkmen"],"materials":["knotted pile rug","open right","wool","asymmetrical knot"]},"91ab6224-2ce2-5787-a444-869b675ead5e":{"name":"Camel cover","description":"Because of their comparatively low weight, their durability, multifunctionality and their versatility in design, flatweaves and pile weavings were of great importance for a nomadic or semi-nomadic lifestyle. Large tent bags, throws, or hangings were prominently displayed, especially on treks. This kilim belongs to a group of pieces that were used as camel covers. When thrown over a loaded animal, the large-patterned sections hang down on either side, while the solid red centre section envelops the humps and back. The surface design, coloration and patterning of the piece are characteristic of southwestern Anatolia and refer to the Fethiye region. A full description of how such pieces were used and their design was illustrated in detail by Harald Böhmer in 2004 (English edition 2008). The Dresden piece is in excellent condition. It shows a clear, skilful pattern and colour design and appealing, well-balanced details, such as the bright, lateral line pattern separating the zigzag of the red background and blue border.","type":"Animal trapping","holder":"Museum für Völkerkunde Dresden (Ethnological Museum Dresden), Dresden State Art Collections","dates":"20th century, first half, probably around 1930","location":"Dresden, Saxony","dimensions":"Length: 347cm, Width: 140cm","provenance":"South West Anatolian, Fethiye region","obtention":"Among other pieces from their private collection this camel cover was donated to the museum by Hans-Jörg Schwabl and Roland Steffan in 2011 in appreciation for more than 10 years of presentations and activities in the field of carpet and textile art.","bibliography":"Black, D. and Loveless, C., *The Undiscovered Kilim*, London: David Black Oriental Carpets, (1977): plate 10.  \nBöhmer, H., *Nomads in Anatolia: Encounters with a Vanishing Culture*, Ganderkesee: Remhöb-Verlag, 2008: 220f (see images pages 221, 222, 224).","author":"Simone Jansen","copy_editor":"Janice Medina","keywords":["animal decoration"],"materials":["wrapping wefts (contour thread)","slit tapestry weave","wool","interlock weave","floating wefts"]},"95668e33-c2a0-511f-8651-023745cf8bff":{"name":"Armorial carpet","description":"Inspired by Ottoman Anatolian carpets, this 17th century Spanish armorial pile carpet has a typical Oriental carpet’s layout with a large centre field and a wide arabesque border, both symmetrically laid out. The centre is dominated by a Spanish coat of arms (quarterly, first and fourth: Gules, fleur-d-lys Or; second and third: Or lion rampant Argent impaled with Gules three castles Or) crowned by a feathered helmet. Two pairs of blue lizard-like creatures with large eyes and yellow spots are positioned on the yellow field, a pair above and a pair below the coat of arms. In the four corners of the centre-field are quarter arabesque medallions. A large red carnation is positioned at each end of the centre-field and between the quarter medallions. These carnations are rendered in the Ottoman fashion for illustrating carnations on textiles. The boarder is filled with a series of yellow and red Chinese clouds alternating with white rosettes.  \n  \nAt least two carpet-history sources name the place of manufacture for this type of Spanish carpet as being the city of Cuenca in east-central Spain. This city was well known for its Moorish carpet weavers. The ones holding coats of arms were usually made to mark the marriages of the nobility. Further research is needed to determine the identity of the coat of arms on this armorial carpet. Some have suggested that it is the coat of arms of Castile and Leon, but this has not been proven.","type":"Carpet","holder":"Glasgow Museums - The Burrell Collection","dates":"17th century","location":"Glasgow, Scotland","dimensions":"H: 2616mm, W: 1295mm","method_for_datation":"Manufacturing techniques and stylistic analysis","method_for_provenance":"Stylistic analysis, coupled with the presence of the Spanish coat of arms","provenance":"Spain; possibly the city of Cuenca","obtention":"Gifted by Sir William and Lady Burrell to the City of Glasgow, 1944","workshop":"Possibly a Cuenca town workshop","author":"Noorah Al-Gailani","keywords":["fleur-d-lys","lizard","carnation","Ottoman influence","animal motifs","Spanish carpet","coat of arms","Heraldry","castle","cloud pattern","armorial carpet","Turkish influence"],"materials":["wool pile","Cotton warp and weft"]},"958f2e19-cf88-5446-b5c3-619ff5ee8038":{"name":"Rug.","description":"This is an outstanding example of a 'Konya rug', considered one of the earliest Turkish rug groups in Anatolia. Both warp and weft are wool. The weaving technique used is the 'Turkish double knot', known as the Gördes knot. The colours are red, dark-blue, blue, and beige. The main field of the rug has a geometric pattern with hooked red motifs on a light-red background. Triangles, octagons, hands-on-hip, and hook motifs form a repetitive geometric composition characteristic of Seljuq rugs. The decorative composition is dominated by the principle of 'infinity', as is typical with Turkish rugs. The design is repeated continuously. Between the repeating motifs are blue dots, which provide a strong contrast to the red background.  \n  \nThe field of the rug is surrounded by a narrow border of eight-pointed, dark-blue star motifs separated from each other by yellow-beige lines. The most striking feature of the rug is the wide border decorated with pseudo-*kufic* script. Bold, stylised, *kufic* letters in light-blue follow one another on a dark-blue background. The letters are divided by red bands outlined in beige. Such monumental *kufic*\\-script borders are characteristic of Seljuq rugs.  \n  \nThe decorative composition of the rug is completed by a narrow outer border decorated with red eight-pointed star motifs on a blue background. The rug is quite worn; much of the pile is gone. Areas of the outer border are missing, and there is a large tear in the middle.  \n  \nSeljuq rugs commonly were woven in large dimensions and decorated with plain geometric compositions consisting of a small number of colours in various shades contrasting with a wide *kufic* border.  \n  \nFound in the Alaaddin ('Ala' al-Din) Mosque in Konya, this is one of eight Seljuq rugs brought to the Museum and registered in the inventory on 30 Rabi' al-Awwal 1329 / 31 March 1911.","short_description":"This is the oldest known example of a 'Konya rug'. The rugs of this period are characterised by contrasting light and dark shades, repetetive geometric motifs in the ground representing the principle of infinity and a wide border with stylised *kufic* script, and were woven in Turkish (Gördes) double-knot technique.","type":"Wool, knotted, carpet","holder":"Museum of Turkish and Islamic Arts.","dates":"Hegira 7th century / AD 13th century.","location":"Sultanahmet, Istanbul.","dimensions":"Length 519 cm, width 294 cm.","method_for_datation":"The Seljuq sultans had many mosques built and it is known that they endowed Qur'ans, candlesticks, Qur'an-stands and rugs to furnish them. This rug is believed to have been woven specially for the Alaaddin Mosque by order of the Seljuq Sultan Alaaddin (Ala' al-Din) Keykubad I (r. 616–35 / 1220–37), who had the mosque enlarged in 618 / 1221. Stylistic analysis also dates the rug to the 7th / 13th century.","method_for_provenance":"Most high-quality rugs produced under the Anatolian Seljuqs come from Konya; the colours used in this rug are predominant in Konya rugs.","provenance":"Konya, Turkey.","obtention":"Eight rugs were spotted by the scholar, Marin in the Alaaddin ('Ala' al-Din) Mosque in Konya in 1322 / 1905 and the information was brought to the attention of Loydved, the German Consulate. The rugs were first published in 1325 / 1908 and were registered in the Museum in 1329 / 1911.","bibliography":"Erdmann, K., *Seven Hundred Years of Oriental Rugs*, London, 1970, p.42.  \n  \nErdmann, K., *Der Türkische Teppich des 15.Jahrhundert*, Istanbul, 1958.  \n  \nölçer, N., *et al, Museum of Turkish and Islamic Art*, Istanbul, 2002, p.145.  \n  \nölçer, N., *et al*., *Turkish Carpets from the 13th–18th Centuries*, Istanbul 1996, pp.4–5.  \n  \nönder, M., ”Selçuklu Devri Konya Halıları (Konya Rugs of the Seljuq Period)” *Türk Etnoğrafya Dergisi* 7–8 (1964–5), pp.46–50.  \n  \nRoxburgh, D. J. (ed), *Turks: A Journey of a Thousand Years, 600–1600*, London, 2005, p.402.","author":"Gönül Tekeli","translator":"Barry Wood","translation_copy_editor":"Mandi Gomez","keywords":["rug","geometric patterns","pseudo inscriptions","Gördes"],"materials":["woven with the Turkish double knot also known as the Gördes knot.","Wool on wool"]},"960d37b6-f360-5606-98af-30bf823e004f":{"name":"Fragment of a pile “Seljuq carpet”","short_description":"This fragment has traditionally been linked with a number of carpets found in Konya and dated to the 13th century. Nearly all of them have a *Kufi*\\-like border and simple, geometric main field. This is the youngest in the group, confirmed by carbon-14 dating.  \nAnatolian carpets were praised by travellers such as Marco Polo and Ibn Battuta in the late 13th and 14th century.","type":"Carpet, wool","holder":"The David Collection","dates":"Hegira c. 800 / AD c. 1400","location":"Copenhagen","provenance":"Anatolia","keywords":["wool","geometric patterns","Fragment","carpet","kufic"],"materials":["wool"]},"9689a417-7d8e-5c3e-bb23-afdd8da1ff34":{"name":"Carpet","description":"The rug’s red-background, three-part prayer niche (*mihrab*) is supported by slender columns set on footings and arranged in a 1+2+2+1 formation. A carnation representing a lamp hangs from the peak of the central, higher arch and from each of the two outer, three-peak arches. The blue spandrels above the arches are decorated on each side by two arabesque-like curved leaves leaning towards each other and one serrated rosette; in the middle, the palmette growing out of the peak of the *mihrab* is surrounded by serrated leaves. The horizontal band, the frieze above the arch is filled with arabesque-like motives alternating with each other on a red ground.  \nThe main border contains undyed and red serrated rosettes sting along an undulating stem on ochre ground. The inner secondary border consists of small flowers of alternating orientation and colours. The outer secondary border is a succession of rosettes alternating with tree-of-life on a red ground.  \n  \nThe provenance of the rugs is still uncertain, and so they are found referred to under a variety of names in the literature. Ernst Kühlbrandt, and later Emil Schmutzler mentioned this group of rugs as Säulenteppich (Kühlbrandt 1911, Schmutzler 1933), but later scholars, identifying their place of manufacture as the town of Ladik, designated them Ladik prayer rugs. In a 1968 publication, May H. Beattie called the Ladik origin into doubt and traced the six column type to 16th century Ottoman Court rugs, naming them, after the double column supporting the three-span vault, coupled column prayer rugs (Beattie 1968). Beattie classifies six column prayer rugs by the decoration in the spandrels above the arches. Ferenc Batári also considered there were insufficient grounds for asserting that the rugs came from the town of Ladik, he used the title ‘Ladik type prayer rugs’ (Batári 1994). Stefano Ionescu adopts the Beattie classification and maintains that the technical execution of the rugs is close to the other types found in Transylvania. He classifies column rugs by the number of columns, i.e. two, three, four, five and six column “Transylvanian” rugs (Ionescu 2007, p. 67–68). (Pásztor 2007, 137.).","type":"Prayer rug","holder":"Eszterháza Kulturális, Kutató- és Fesztiválközpont","owner":"Eszterháza Kulturális, Kutató- és Fesztiválközpont, Fertőd-Eszterháza","dates":"Hegira 11th century / AD 17th century","location":"Fertőd-Eszterháza","dimensions":"L: 189cm, W: 132cm, warp: 76/dm, weft: 38/dm; knot: 37/dm; knot density: 1406 /dm2","method_for_datation":"The six-column prayer rug, a version of Ottoman Turkish prayer rugs was very popular during the 17th century. Their general characteristic is a prayer niche (*mihrab*) whose background colour is red or ochre (and rarely ivory or blue), divided into three parts by slender columns in a 1+2+2+1 distribution.","method_for_provenance":"The carpet was exhibited at the 1914 Turkish Carpets from Transylvania exhibition in the Museum of Applied Arts in Budapest, it appeared under catalogue number 284. (Csányi 1914, 81). The carpet was published by Végh 1925, 24. Since then until xxxxxx the carpet's whereabouts were unknown. This carpet was the prototype of many  copies or forgeries made at  the Tuduc worshop in Rumania between 1925-1940. (Ionescu 2012, 94.)","provenance":"Turkey, Western Anatolia (Ladik ?)","obtention":"Purchased from XXXXX in XXXX. Formerly at the collection of Mrs József Keszler, née Irma Reich, Budapest","bibliography":"Csányi, K. (with Csermelyi, S. and Layer, K.), *Erdélyi török szőnyegek kiállításának leíró lajstroma* (Exhibition of Turkish Carpets of Transylvania. Descriptive catalogue), Budapest, Országos Magyar Iparművészeti Múzeum (National Hungarian Museum of Applied Arts) 1914, no. 284, p. 81.  \nVégh, J. - de-Layer, Ch., *Tapis Turcs provenant des eglises et collections de Transylvanie*, Paris n.d. (1925) pl. 24.  \nIonescu, S., *Handbook of Fakes by Tuduc *(World's most famous rug forger, Berlin: fourth edition published on the occasion of the Volkmann-Treffen Symposium, October, 2012, p. 94. Pásztor, E., *Ottoman Turkish Carpets in the Collection of the Budapest Museum of Applied Arts*, Budapest, Museum of Applied Arts 2007.**","author":"Emese Pásztor","keywords":["wool","prayer niche","prayer rug","Warp","Ottoman carpet"],"materials":["wool","Gördes knot"]},"9743f6aa-d6a5-5e28-9a16-365784151d17":{"name":"Rug *l'ahmal n'ibouli*","description":"Traditionally, Ait Ouaouzguite Berber rugs were flat-woven in natural white and brown wool with twining applied in the horizontal bands. In this rug, borders and horizontal bands are woven in knotted-pile technique in a palette of orange, red and yellow that is a result of the weavers’ exposure to urban weavings, Rabat carpets in particular. The tribe’s location on the trans-Atlas and trans-Saharan trade routes – through which goods moved from the Atlantic coast to Timbuktu (Mali) – made this cultural influence possible. These mixed knotted pile and flatwoven rugs were made long and narrow to conform to the room sizes typical of village architecture.","type":"Carpet","holder":"Textile Museum of Canada (TMC)","owner":"TMC","dates":"1920-1940","location":"Toronto, Ontario","dimensions":"L: 342cm, W: 135cm","method_for_datation":"By stylistic analysis","method_for_provenance":"By stylistic analysis","provenance":"Morocco, High Atlas Mountains, the Berber, Ait Ouaouzguite tribe","obtention":"Gift of Dr. Andrew M. Watson","bibliography":"Pickering, Brooke, *Moroccan Carpets, Chevy Chase*, MD: Hali Publications, 1994.  \nYohe, Ralph, “Rugs of Morocco”, *Hali*, 5.1 (1982): 23-32.","author":"Natalia Nekrassova","keywords":["wool"],"materials":["fringed","knotted pile","wool","weft-faced"]},"97d4beaa-5849-5058-abb5-afc6bdc006cd":{"name":"Tapestry ‘after the Indian Manner’","description":"A tapestry with a number of colourful scenes and figure groups arranged on small islands decorated with exotic birds and flowering plants on a dark brown ground. These include a couple standing under a canopy holding by servants in the centre, two girls standing in front of a zig-zag fence with a parrot at the upper left, a small pagoda and a group of a sitting and a standing man in the upper right, two musicians, one with a drum and the other with beaters (the musical instrument is missing) in the lower foreground, and a monkey sitting on a palm tree at the lower right corner. The borders are composed of garlands of flowers and fruit arranged in Chinese pots in the lower border, linked with bunches of a silk ribbon in the upper border, decorated with candlesticks (?) in the right and the left sides and parrots and herons at the corners.","type":"Wall tapestry","holder":"Eszterháza Kulturális, Kutató- és Fesztiválközpont","owner":"Eszterháza Kulturális, Kutató- és Fesztiválközpont, Fertőd-Eszterháza","dates":"Early 18th century","location":"Fertőd-Eszterháza","dimensions":"L: 175cm, W: 225cm; warp: 55/dm, weft: 90/dm; density: 5,5","method_for_datation":"John Vanderbank worked as the head of the Great Wardrobe workshop in London from 1689 to 1717. The cheaper versions of tapestries 'after Indian manner', made for commercial sale were woven in the later period of the Vanderbank's workshop.","method_for_provenance":"John Vanderbank as the head of the Great Wardrobe workshop in London from 1689 to 1717, provided tapestries woven with ‘chinoiserie’ designs inspired by Chinese and Indian sources, lacquer panels, printed textiles etc. for Queen Mary’s apartments at Kensington Palace in 1690. Later he produced a second series with similar designs, but less elaborate figures, as cheaper versions for commercial sale. Numerous examples of Vanderbank's less elaborate series are known from the early 1700s – including, within the National Trust's collection, a small panel at Nunnington Hall in Yorkshire (no. 980694). – which is very close to this tapestry. Another, more similar item from the L. V. Hart collection was sold at Christie’s, November 12, 1964, no. 162, and November 29, 1979, no. 107. (Standen 1980, 126, fig. 10.), which depicts the same arrangement of the island panels, the couple under a canopy, the musicians, the ladies standing in front of a zig-zag fence, the pagoda, a monkey sitting on a palm tree and is framed by the same border-design.","provenance":"London (?)","obtention":"Purchased from a private collection in xxxx","bibliography":"The tapestry is unpublished.  \n  \nStanden, E. A., “English Tapestries ‘After the Indian Manner’” , *Metropolitan Museum Journal*, 15 (1980): 119-142.","workshop":"Probably made in the Great Wardrobe tapestry workshop of John Vanderbank the elder, on Great Queen Street, Covent Garden in London","author":"Emese Pásztor","keywords":["Chinese influence","floral decoration","wool","\"Indian Manner - Chinoiserie\"","Indian influence","silk","exotic birds","Warp","decorative arts","figurative decoration","Exotic flowering plants"],"materials":["Warp: wool","silk","Weft: Wool"]},"9894288e-e20a-599a-a609-d59380647196":{"name":"Floor mosaic","description":"During refurbishment of the villa in the late 18th-century, commissioned by Marco Antonio IV Borghese, the architect Antonio Asprucci decided to entirely relay the floor of the “Room of the Hermaphrodite” with ancient mosaics, a popular custom at the time, and whose decorative impact was powerfully suggestive. In fact, for visitors, the interior of a room with its authentic “mosaic carpet” covering the floor, became both an integral part of the modern refurbishment and a museum object. For the assemblage, which took place in 1781, Asprucci used mosaics from the excavation of a large Roman thermal complex situated in Castellarcione, a property of the Borghese family, located on Via Tiburtina at Bagni di Tivoli, not far from the famous Villa Adriana. The most ancient part of the mosaic, “little stars” on a white background (constructed from four black tiles juxtaposed in a form similar to a star), is surrounded by a frame, reproducing a polychrome meander. At the centre of the room, a panel, produced later, depicts a fishing scene, surrounded by multiple frames of braid motifs with acanthus leaves in the corners. A second panel, from the same period and depicting another fishing scene, is placed on the step in the window recess. The fashion for using authentic mosaic tiles to recall Antiquity is characteristic of the last decades of the 18th century. This is demonstrated in various buildings of the era, such as the Pontifical Galleries (for example the famous Sala Rotonda of the Pio-Clementino Museum with mosaics of the 3rd century BC) and in aristocratic residences, such as in the noble Cabinet of Palazzo Altieri in Rome.","type":"Mosaic","holder":"Borghese Gallery","dates":"200 BC‒AD 300","location":"Rome","dimensions":"455cm x 685cm","method_for_datation":"Based on stylistic analysis, the part of the mosaic with “little stars” on a white background framed by a multicolour meander is from the 1st century BC; the “emblemata” with fishing scenes is from BC 200‒AD 300. The assemblage was made in 1781.","method_for_provenance":"The provenance is documented in the description of the Villa of 1796 (see Lamberti and Visconti, 1796).","provenance":"Excavations at Castellarcione near Bagni di Tivoli (Rome)","obtention":"The two panels with fishing scenes come from excavations carried out in the 18th century in Castellarcione near Tivoli, a property belonging to the Borghese family.","bibliography":"Guadalupi, Gianni, et al., “Villa Borghese”, *Grand Tour*, no. 30, Milan, 2002.  \nLamberti, Luigi, and Visconti, Ennio Quirino, *Sculture del Palazzo della Villa Borghese*, Rome, 1796.  \nMoreno, Paolo, and Viacava, Antonella, *I marmi antichi della Galleria Borghese: La collezione archeologica di Camillo e Francesco Borghese*, Rome, 2003.","author":"Marina Minozzi","copy_editor":"Mandi Gomez","materials":["Marble tiles"]},"995266f4-4a66-52c0-aca4-1b45c8cbf765":{"name":"Prayer rug *dhurrie*","description":"In the late 19th and early 20th century, cotton prayer rugs (*dhurrie*) were woven throughout India in rural communities and in town and jail workshops. Cotton was the preferable material as the hot and humid climate of the subcontinent discouraged the use of woollen rugs. Prayer rugs were used for prayer and featured architectural details associated with the mosque - arches, columns and niches that have powerful symbolic meaning, creating a sacred space to concentrate in prayer.  \nThis multi-arched rug (*saph*) features five architectural niches (*mihrab*) boldly outlined in white on the indigo and navy-blue background.","type":"Prayer rug","holder":"Textile Museum of Canada (TMC)","owner":"TMC","dates":"1930-1950","location":"Toronto, Ontario","dimensions":"L: 310cm, W: 116cm","method_for_datation":"By stylistic analysis","method_for_provenance":"By stylistic analysis","provenance":"India, Rajasthan","obtention":"From the Fitzgerald Collection","bibliography":"Ahuja, Shyam, *Dhurrie, Flatwoven Rugs of India*, Mumbai: India Book House Limited, 1999.  \nJustin, Valerie Sharif, *Flat-Woven Rugs of the World, Kilim, Soumak and Brocading*, New York: Van Nostrand Reinhold, 1980.","author":"Natalia Nekrassova","keywords":["prayer rug"],"materials":["cotton","weft-faced"]},"995abd79-4a58-5ec8-b765-a1346e8414b0":{"name":"Marby Rug.","description":"One of the few examples surviving in Sweden from a tradition of carpet–making in the early Ottoman period in Anatolia. In 1925, the so-called 'Marby rug', Sweden's oldest preserved oriental carpet, was found, cut in two pieces, at the abandoned church of Marby, a village in the province of Jämtland. Belonging to the group of animal carpets, it shows red, stylised birds standing symmetrically on either side of a tree set within octagons on an ivory ground. The birds and tree motif has been long known and very common in Central Asia.  \nTo judge from their presentations in Italian paintings of the 14th century, animal carpets with a tree flanked by two birds already seem to have been popular at this time. However, they reached the peak of their production and circulation during the first half of the AH 9th / AD 15th century. The provenance of this rug from a village in Jämtland in Sweden is important as it shows that the export was not restricted to Italy, but also reached the Baltic region. Animal carpets disappeared towards the end of the AH 9th / AD 15th century.  \nApart from the Marby rug, some fragments with the motif of birds flanking a tree from Fustat in Egypt are known and there are two completely preserved examples. The first was found in a church in Italy and is now in the Museum of Islamic Art in Berlin, Germany, and a second was acquired by the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York in 1990.","short_description":"Rug, called ‘Marby rug’ after the village where it was found. Its pattern shows stylised red birds standing symmetrically on either side of a tree. This motif was long known and very common in Central Asia.","type":"Wool, knotted, carpet","holder":"Museum of National Antiquities.","initial_owner":"Church of Marby, Jämtland.","dates":"Hegira 700–823 / AD 1300–1420.","location":"Stockholm","dimensions":"Height 160 cm, width 112 cm.","method_for_datation":"The rug was dated by radiocarbon (Carbon-14).","method_for_provenance":"The patterns of the border and the guard strips are characteristically Anatolian; the guard strips also appear in another group of early Ottoman carpets discovered in the 'Ala al-Din Mosque at Konya, Turkey.","provenance":"Anatolia, Turkey.","obtention":"Bought by the Museum of National Antiquities in 1925.","bibliography":"Ådahl, K., *Den Orientaliska Mattan i Sverige*, Stockholm, 1998, cat. no. 1.  \nErdmann, K., *The History of the Early Turkish Carpet*, London, 1977.  \nKing, D. and Sylvester, D., *The Eastern Carpet in the Western World: From the 15th to the 17th Century*, London, 1983, cat. no. 2.  \nLamm, C. J., *Carpet Fragments: The Marby Rug and Some Fragments of Carpets Found in Egypt*, reprint, Uddevalla, 1985.  \nSterner, M. and Kind, J., *Antika Orientaliska Mattor i Sverige*, Stockholm, 1937.","linkcatalogs":"IAM_TR_EN_001","author":"Friederike Voigt","copy_editor":"Monica Allen","keywords":["carpet","figurative decoration"],"materials":["wool","knotted."]},"998a912b-36fb-51e9-9d23-92392129a07c":{"name":"Prayer rug.","description":"A rug produced by peasant weavers in Ghiordes, Anatolia, famous for their tightly woven work with a short, silky wool pile. Ghiordes was one of the major carpet-making centres during the AH 13th / AD 19th century and both the design and colour scheme of this rug, a deep-blue niche framed with elaborate spandrels and borders, is typical of Ghiordes rugs. The niche confirms that this is a prayer rug, used to provide a ritually clean place for the five daily prayers. The niche reflects the *mihrab* or prayer niche in an Islamic mosque, indicating the direction to Mecca, towards which Muslims turn in prayer. It may also symbolise the gateway to Paradise. The ornament suspended in its apex may have a spiritual meaning.","short_description":"Every household in Ghiordes, Anatolia, had a handloom for the womenfolk and girls to weave small carpets and prayer rugs on. This prayer rug is decorated with an elaborate central niche reminiscent of the architectural prayer niche found in Anatolian mosques.","type":"Wool, Knotted, Carpet","holder":"St. Mungo Museum for Religious Life and Art, Glasgow Museums.","dates":"Hegira 13th century / AD 19th century.","location":"Glasgow, Scotland","dimensions":"Length 183 cm, width 119 cm.","method_for_datation":"Artistic analysis: both the layout and weave of this rug resemble several other 13th- / 19th-century prayer rugs of this type, attributed to Ghiordes in Anatolian Turkey in particular.","provenance":"Gördes, Anatolia, Turkey.","obtention":"Part of the collection given to the City of Glasgow by Sir William and Lady Burrell in 1944.","bibliography":"Bennett, I., *Rugs and Carpets of the World*, London, 1977.  \n  \nScarce, J. M., 'Oriental Carpets: The Burrell Collection', *Arts of Asia*, May–June 1990, p.136.","linkcatalogs":"IAM_TR_EN_001","author":"Noorah Al-Gailani","copy_editor":"Mandi Gomez","keywords":["floral decoration","religious objects"],"materials":["Wool (warp and weft and pile) with cotton in parts","woven on a handloom."]},"9a5f6ab0-8a7b-5628-869a-8623164a2cfe":{"name":"*Invasion of the French camp. The Swiss refuse to advance despite the interventions of their leaders*","description":"The famous series of seven Flemish tapestries depicting the Battle of Pavia entered the public collections as part of the 1862 bequest of Alfonso d’Avalos, who donated his family’s collection to the National Museum of Naples.  \nProduced to be given to Emperor Charles V by the Estates-General of Brussels, on the occasion of the latter’s meeting in Brussels in 1531, the decorative series of tapestries was designed to celebrate the victory of the imperial troops over those of the French, under the command of Francis I. This victory, which occurred on 24 February 1525, was fought in the environs of the Visconti Park, at the gates of Pavia.  \nWoven in Brussels, the tapestries were produced using designs by Bernard van Orley (now in the Louvre in Paris) in the workshop of William Dermoyen (or Van der Moyen), identified thanks to the presence of a weaver’s mark on the border of two tapestries in the series. Furthermore, the presence of the mark has allowed the years in which the series was produced to be established: that is, after 1528, the year in which a decree required tapestry workers to “sign” their products, and by the start of 1531, given that the tapestries would be presented to the Emperor in the March of that year.  \nRecently, an interpretation of the entire cycle has been proposed that aims to recreate sequentially the landscape depicted in the seven tapestries as a single, panoramic, overview (Paredes 2014).  \nThis tapestry depicts one of the decisive moments of the Battle of Pavia: the civilians are escaping from the French encampment, which is being attacked by the imperial troops, in the vicinity of the Vernavola river, through the breaches made in the wall of Visconti Park during the siege. The episode provides an opportunity to show everyday narratives: a soldier in the foreground runs away, carrying off with him a couple of chickens, while he looks towards the viewer, involving us in the scene; a woman in the distance carries a basket with two geese; a friar, frightened, is running. In the foreground, the Swiss infantry (recognisable by the flag with a white cross) who had fought with the French, proving their courage and valour, all hope of victory lost and surrounded on all sides, yield to the imperial cavalry, throwing their pikes to the ground, deaf to the cries of their officers, and try to seek safety in flight or surrender. In the foreground, amongst the soldiers one can make out a drummer, a piper and a standard bearer with a longsword, figures who often recur in military iconography. The figure in the centre of the tapestry has been identified as the Swiss captain Jean de Diesbach, who offers himself up to the sword of the enemy cavalier so he can die with honour (Casali 1993).","type":"Flemish tapestry","holder":"Museum of Capodimonte","owner":"Museum of Capodimonte","dates":"1528–1531","location":"Naples","dimensions":"H: 435cm, W: 880cm","method_for_datation":"Various sources and studies","provenance":"Brussels","obtention":"Bequest of Alfonso d’Avalos to the National Museum of Naples (the Italian State) in 1862","bibliography":"AA. VV (ed.), *Gli Arazzi della Battaglia di Pavia*, Milan: Bompiani, 1999.  \nArbace, Lucia, *Fasti d’Avalos: dagli Arazzi della Battaglia di Pavia alle Selle da parata*, Chieti: Litografia Botolini, 2012.  \nBuchanan, Iain, “The ‘Battle of Pavia’ and the Tapestry Collection of Don Carlos: New Documentation”, *The Burlington Magazine*, vol. 144, no. 1191 (2002): 345‒51.  \nCasali, Luigi, Fraccaro, Cristina, and Prina, Vittorio, *Gli Arazzi della Battaglia di Pavia del Museo di Capodimonte a Napoli*, Pavia: Edizioni ViGiEffe, 1993.  \nParedes, Cecilia, “The tapestries of the battle of Pavia” (2014), online publication.  \n“Pavia. La Battaglia, il futuro. ‘niente fu come prima’” (2015), online publication.  \nSansone, M. R., *Gli arazzi della Battaglia di Pavia: dalla Spagna di Carlo V alla Napoli dei d’Avalos, in 1525‒2015. Pavia, la Battaglia, il Futuro. Niente fu come prima* (publication to accompany the exhibition at the Visconti Castle, Pavia, 14 June‒15 November 2015).","workshop":"William Dermoyen atelier","author":"Maria Rosaria Sansone","translator":"Judith Forshaw","translation_copy_editor":"Mandi Gomez","keywords":["Battle of Pavia","Willem Dermoyen","preparatory cartoons","atelier","frames","Visconti Park","Fernando Francesco d’Avalos","drawings","National Archaeological Museum","Carlo V","Francis I","Francesco Fernando d’Avalos","Bernard van Orley","Flemish tapestries","Alfonso d’Avalos"],"materials":["silk and cotton","gold and silver thread","wool"]},"9a65414e-f0c8-5205-b98f-8298259490d3":{"name":"Small-Pattern \"Holbein\" Carpet with Closed Kufesque Border","short_description":"A so-called \"Holbein\" rug with a heavily stylized pseudo-*kufic* inscription around the border. The red field has a pattern of nine rows of small medallions alternately white and blue. Knotted bands in pink, red, and violet define the white medallions which enclose various rosettes in octagons in the above colors. The blue medallions are formed by arabesques in blue and green with cross motifs, in the above colors, within lozenges. The rug is bordered by interlaced angular bands, derived from *kufic* writing, in white, red, blue, and green on a violet or red ground. The inner and outer guard bands contain a ribbon design in red, blue, green, and violet on a yellow, and partly on a red ground.","type":"Textiles","holder":"Saint Louis Art Museum","dates":"Hegira Early 9th century / AD early 16th century","location":"Saint Louis","dimensions":"Length: 198.12cm x Width: 121.92cm","method_for_datation":"Scholarly review and/or comparison to similar objects from the period.","method_for_provenance":"Scholarly review and/or comparison to similar objects from the period.","provenance":"Probably western or west-central Anatolia, Turkey, Asia","obtention":"Gift of James F. Ballard, 1929","bibliography":"Denny, Walter and Farnham, Thomas, *The Carpet and the Connoisseur: The James F. Ballard Collection of Oriental Rugs*, Saint Louis: The Saint Louis Art Museum, 2016.  \nKing, Donald and Sylvester, David, *The Eastern Carpet in the Western World From the 15th to the 17th Century*, London: The Hayward Gallery, 1983.  \nPerkins, Zoe Annis, Brako, Jeanne and Mann, Robert, “Woven Traditions: The Integration of Conservation and Restoration Techniques in the Treatment of Oriental Rugs”, *The Textile Museum Journal*, Washington D.C.: The Textile Museum, 1991.","keywords":["wool","Anatolia","West-Central","Turkey","Ottoman","Holbein","Western","textile","carpet","Asia","pattern","Closed Border","Kufesque"],"materials":["raising the right warp of each pair","wool","pulled to left","symmetrical knot","approximately 36Vx31H per decimetre"]},"9a80618f-fbfd-5d5e-b4ee-f9684139776e":{"name":"Kirman carpet","description":"The name of Persia (modern Iran) is so intimately associated with oriental rugs that they are often referred to generically as “Persian”. The golden age of carpet weaving had been during the Safavid rule of the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. The dynasty collapsed in 1722/3 and the country remained in turmoil for decades. It is likely that with the fall of Safavids most urban based weaving diminished greatly or ceased. All that remained was local production on a much reduced scale. The revival of the Persian carpet trade dates from the 1860s and was mainly due to enterprising merchants of the north-western city of Tabriz.  \nKirman has long been one of the major carpet-producing areas of Persia. Development of the carpet industry is poorly documented in Kirman, although there is clear evidence that weaving occurred during the Safavid times. Some of the best wool in the country is grown around Kirman. Weaving was well-developed during much of the 19th century. The rugs of Kirman always display a brilliant variety of colours and the number of shades is enormous. The dyes are varied and imaginative. Insect dyes have traditionally been used for reds and indigo was used for blues, providing a variety of shades. Colours can range from ivory, blue magenta to more golden and saffron cast.  \nPersian workshops in the towns of Kirman, Tabriz and Kashan were the main producers of pictorial carpets. They portray humans and/or animals and illustrate historical and mythological stories. Sometimes the composition makes one or more characters that show famous people or events from the past.  \nThis pictorial carpet was a gift to the Museum of Arts and Crafts from Kemal Nanić and his family. The figural compositions depict the scenes from the famous Persian tragic romance *Khusraw and Shirin* written by the poet and writer Nizami Ganjavi (1141–1209). The poem describes the romance of the Persian king Khusraw II Perviz (590–628) and his wife Shirin, an Armenian Christian. The novel includes Khusraw's courtship of Shirin, their marriage and her romance with the architect Farhad. After a series of heroic romantic episodes, Shirin agrees to marry Khusraw who later built her a palace called Qasr-e-Shirin (the remains are visible even today). For the construction of palace architect Farhad was hired. Shirin then fell in love with Farhad, but their romance ended tragically.  \nThe central field of the carpet is divided into four horizontal rows. Each row has a mirror image of a group of human figures. They illustrate scenes from the poem *Khusraw and Shirin*, including a famous scene when Khusraw glimpses Shirin bathing. The central field is framed with four equally wide borders. The inner border is the *laleh abbasi* (abbasi tulip) border. The other three borders are a variation of the floral meander border.","type":"Carpet","holder":"Museum of Arts and Crafts","dates":"Second half 19th century / beginning of the 20th century","location":"Zagreb","dimensions":"H: 303cm, W: 270cm","method_for_datation":"By stylistic analysis","method_for_provenance":"By stylistic analysis","provenance":"Iran","obtention":"Donated by Kemal Nanić","bibliography":"Klobučar, Andrea, “Zbirka tekstila i mode”, in M. Bagarić *et al*. (ed.), *Akvizicije MUO 2003. - 2013*, Zagreb: Muzej za umjetnost i obrt, Zagreb, 2013: 146-161; 225-226.","author":"Andrea Klobučar","translator":"Petra Milovac","translation_copy_editor":"Daniel de la Vega","keywords":["Persia","pictorial rug","Kerman","pictorial carpet","medahil"],"materials":["asymmetrical knots","knotted carpet","wool","cotton"]},"9af64071-595d-57de-a710-92c27227476c":{"name":"*Antependium with the Tribute of Continents and Imperial Countries to the Holy Family*","description":"This colourful embroidery was executed as a “needle painting” and is set within an original gilded frame. An eventful scene opens out with a central motif of columned architecture with staircases and balustrades, and adoring female figures. At the bottom left, four girls kneel, with the coats of arms of the imperial Electors of the clergy who facilitated the foundation of the Franciscan Convent of St. Joseph in Brno. The Archbishops of Treves, Cologne and Mainz are represented by the coats of arms of Karel Kaspar von der Leyen (1652–1676), Maximilian Heinrich von Bayern (1650–1688) and Johann Philipp von Schönborn (1647–1673). Opposite, four girls kneel with the coats of arms of the imperial countries: Bavaria, Saxony, Brandenburg and Pfalz. In the centre are four female personifications of the continents, Asia, America, Africa and Europe, in precious attire. The women and a host of lay people of both sexes pay tribute to the Holy Family. The Virgin Mary is supervising the education of Jesus, while St. Joseph hands to the Pope – a personification of the Church – a sheet with the text *Ecclesiae Petenti Satisfiat*. The scene is crowned with the dove of the Holy Spirit. At the sides are monumental summerhouses with decorative vases and cartouches with the inscription *Ite ad Joseph* (Go to Joseph), while the Old Testament quotation (Gen 41:55) relates to the figure of St. Joseph of Nazareth. In combination with the text on the donated sheet, it elucidates the subject of the embroidered antependium emphasising the role of St. Joseph, patron saint of the Franciscan Convent of St. Joseph in Brno, as a righteous protector of the church and promoter of Divine will. Towards the horizon, various landscapes alternate on the antependium, valleys and hills dotted with dominant castles. The intricate layout of the embroidery may refer to a major event in the history of the Franciscan convent or it could commemorate the establishment and construction of the Convent Church of St. Joseph in 1651–1653.","short_description":"The subject of the technically and artistically remarkable antependium is derived from the legends of St. Joseph, a popular saint of the Baroque period. It is one of only a few examples of the use of figurative embroidery in sacred art during the first half of the 18th century, and a specimen of monastery art.","type":"Embroidery and painting in original gilded frame","holder":"Moravian Gallery, Brno","owner":"Czech-Moravian Province of the Roman Union of the Order of St. Ursula, Prague (OSU Prague)","initial_owner":"Franciscan Convent of St. Joseph, Brno","dates":"1710–1730","location":"Governor’s Palace, Brno, Moravia","dimensions":"h: 291 cm; w: 100 cm","place_of_production":"Brno","method_for_datation":"According to archival records, this embroidery – which is of extraordinary quality – was executed by Sister Marie Tekla Bittnerová of Glückstein who during 1705 and 1730 lived in the Franciscan Convent of St. Joseph, Brno, where she produced chasubles, as well as other antependia.","provenance":"Franciscan Convent of St. Joseph, Brno","obtention":"On long-term loan","bibliography":"Dana Stehlíková, in Jiří Kroupa (ed), *Dans le miroir des ombres. La Moravie à ľâge baroque 1670*–*1790,* Paris–Rennes–Brno, 2002, pp. 279–280, cat. 120.  \nDana Stehlíková*, Bohemia* *Sancta. Poklady křesťanského umění z českých zemí,* Caltanissetta–Syracuse–Prague, 2004.","author":"Andrea Husseiniová","copy_editor":"Zora Wörgötter","translator":"Irma Charvátová","translation_copy_editor":"Mandi Gomez","keywords":["Antependium","vegetal decoration","Christian themes","personification","garden","textile","embroidery","religious object","figurative decoration","zoomorphic imagery"],"materials":["decoration and painting in gouache on canvas and parchment.","silver lamellas). Embroidery in silk and metal lamellas","Repp (warp of silk and weft of cotton"]},"9b8e8571-d3d9-56e2-967b-03113caec98e":{"name":"Doily, *Parisian pattern*","description":"A Pirot doily (*šustikla*) with the *Parisian pattern* (*Pariska šara*) was used as a chair seat cover. The central field is filled with larger ornaments called *bombs* (*bombe*) and smaller ornaments called *bibice*, arranged alternately in rows or columns. The wide outer border (*ploča*) is decorated with the *Queens’s sleeve* (*kraljičin rukav*) ornament. The colours used are: red, green, blue, pink, black and white. According to tradition, the *Queens’s sleeve* ornament was created upon request of Queen Natalija of Serbia, modelled on the pattern found on the sleeve of her Wallachian folk shirt. Most probably, the ornament represents a stylized vine.","type":"Carpet","holder":"Museum of Applied Art","dates":"First half of the 20th century","location":"Belgrade","dimensions":"H: 58cm, W: 60cm","method_for_datation":"By stylistic analysis, material and technique","provenance":"Pirot","obtention":"Purchased in 1985","bibliography":"Vitković-Žikić, M., *Pirotski ćilimi = Les Kilims de Pirot*, Belgrade: Muzej primenjene umetnosti, 2001.  \nPetković, M., and Vlatković, R., *Pirotski ćilim* \\[Abstract in English\\], Belgrade: Srpska akademija nauka i umetnosti, 1996.  \nStojanović, D., *Pirotski ćilimi* \\[Summary in English\\], Belgrade: Muzej primenjene umetnosti, 1987.","author":"Draginja Maskareli","keywords":["weave","wool","Şarköy","Pirot","Kilim"],"materials":["weaving","wool"]},"9bd67ea8-6822-56f9-b47d-e269735e0352":{"name":"Panel of *azulejos* with a carpet composition","description":"The widespread use of *azulejos* ‒ that were initially produced in Seville during the first half of the 16th century ‒ in Portugal, allowed those involved in the placement of them in architectural settings many ways to experiment with a new decorative expression, giving an early original use to something that was previously foreign to Portuguese culture. In the 16th century, Spanish *azulejos*, like large tapestries with respect to the pattern, were used to create large walls expanses filled with the same motif.  \nIn the beginning, the Portuguese used the *azulejos* from Spain in the same way, but as time went on they started to become less concerned about the patterns in the *azulejos* and more interested in creating compositions. These compositions could be more architecturally related, like imitations of stained-glass windows, doors and *mihrab*s, or with the intention to re-create carpets, not by the repetition of the pattern, but by juxtaposing different decorations and thus creating something new, like this panel. This early and original understanding of the potential of *azulejo* became the basis for a tradition that has remained in Portugal to this day. This panel uses 16th-century *azulejos* in a composition that can be seen in the architecture of the church of Sé Velha in Coimbra.","type":"Tile; *azulejo*","holder":"National Tile Museum","owner":"National Tile Museum","dates":"1500‒1560","location":"Lisbon","dimensions":"H: 210cm, L: 132cm, W: 2.5cm","method_for_datation":"Stylistic analysis: in the 16th century, the *azulejos* in the techniques of *arista* or cuerda seca were imported to Portugal, because at that time there was no production of this type in Portuguese workshops.","method_for_provenance":"The National Tile Museum holds a large number of *azulejos* of unknown origin, many collected during the period of the destruction of the convents and palaces in the late 19th century, in the aftermath of the abolition of the religious orders in 1834.","provenance":"Unknown","obtention":"Probably salvaged during demolition of an unknown building where they had once been applied","bibliography":"Meco, José, *O Azulejo em Portugal*, Lisbon: Publicações Alfa, 1989.","workshop":"Seville, Spain","author":"Alexandre Pais","copy_editor":"Mandi Gomez","keywords":["azulejos","16th century","Spain","pattern"],"materials":["Ceramic"]},"9c62737c-6dfe-513f-9b6e-e4b3b16cd00f":{"name":"Carpet","description":"Carpets, with designs of yellow geometric split-leaf (*rumi*) lattice on a red ground, are among the most popular classical Anatolian carpets. Carpets with this design are called “Lotto” or “Lotto-style” carpets from their appearance in a well-known altarpiece by the 16th century northern Italian painter Lorenzo Lotto. The earliest examples of Lotto-style carpets use what is called the “calligraphic” kufesque border with clearly denoted “letter finials” recalling *kufic* script. Later examples such as this one, probably from the late 16thor early 17th century, show a wide variety of borders based on repeating multi-lobed cartouches or elongated medallions. Most of the early Lotto-style carpets were woven in large sizes such as this exceptionally well preserved example.","type":"Carpet","holder":"The George Washington University Museum and The Textile Museum","owner":"The Textile Museum","dates":"16th or early 17th century","location":"Washington, D. C.","dimensions":"L: 637.5cm, W: 264.75cm","method_for_datation":"This style of carpets appears in European paintings and is dated in approximation to the dates of these paintings.","method_for_provenance":"Design analyses and comparison with carpets sharing similar design and structural characteristics.","provenance":"Turkey, western Anatolia","obtention":"Purchased by The Textile Museum founder George Hewitt Myers in 1926 and donated to the Museum in 1928.","bibliography":"Bier, C., “Legacy of Collector George Hewitt Myers”, *Arts of Asia*, 26:1 (January/February, 1996), Hong Kong: 58-65.  \nEllis, C. G., *Oriental Carpets in the Philadelphia Museum of Art*, Philadelphia: Philadelphia Museum of Art, 1988.  \nDenny, W. B., *Oriental Rugs*, New York: Cooper-Hewitt Museum, The Smithsonian Institution, 1979.  \nMackie, L. W., *The Splendor of Turkish Weaving*, Washington, DC: The Textile Museum, 1973.  \nPope, A. U., *Catalog of a Loan Exhibition of Early Oriental Carpet*, Chicago: The Art Club of Chicago, 1926.","workshop":"Anonymous","author":"Sumru Belger Krody","keywords":["wool","geometric patterns","kufic script"],"materials":["Wool (warp","weft","knotted pile carpet","and pile)","symmetrical knot"]},"9db8337d-de5f-5f6f-a8e2-71d2e87cca1b":{"name":"Tent pole bag *igsalik*","description":"In Turkmenistan, textile bags were the main containers for food, clothing and household goods, both at seasonal camps and on migration. A pair of special bags (*igsalik*) was made for packing and carrying tent poles on the camel back when on migration to seasonal pastures. Felted or woven, and richly embellished with long tassels, they had a conical shape and cupped both ends of the bunch of tent poles tightly tight with braided bands. This bag is one of the pair of *igsalik*s made by a Yomud Turkmen weaver. In order to create a proper shape, she wove one of its ends in alternating pile and plain woven sections. Unstitched, it has a square shape, but if stitched properly, the plain woven sections would be hidden inside and only the pile sections would show, creating a desired conical shape. The bag features red, blue, brown and white, typical colours of Turkmen rugs.","type":"Bag","holder":"Textile Museum of Canada (TMC)","owner":"TMC","dates":"1900-1930","location":"Toronto, Ontario","dimensions":"L: 91cm, W: 46cm","method_for_datation":"By stylistic analysis","method_for_provenance":"By stylistic analysis","provenance":"Turkmenistan, the Yomud Turkmen","obtention":"Gift of Fred Braida","bibliography":"Mashkora, V.G., *Carpets of the People of Central Asia*, Tucson, AZ: George W. O’Bannon, 1996.","author":"Natalia Nekrassova","keywords":["Central Asia","wool"],"materials":["knotted pile","wool","plain woven"]},"9e869f84-6a4f-54c1-8712-e043b8b2ce6c":{"name":"Fachralo Kazak","description":"Kazak rugs were made in the south central Caucasus, between Tbilisi in Georgia and Erivan in Armenia. The area is bordered by the Ganja area to the northeast and Karabakh area to the southeast.  \nFachralo or Fekhraly is a town 40km southwest of Tbilisi. This decagon medallion is one of the most common Kazak motifs and it is often found in the prayer rug format.  \nThe colours on this rug are clear, bright and contrasting. The central red field has a green prayer niche. In the niche there is a red and white *fachralo* medallion. The prayer niche is decorated with medallions and framed by a border decorated with polychrome rectangular motifs on the white background. Three rectangular fields have the inscription of the year (Hegira 1317/AD 1898) and probably the master weaver. The central field is framed with three borders. The main border is a polychrome rhomboid motif on a white background. Minor borders are decorated with *laleh abbasi* (abbasi tulip) motif. The inner minor *laleh abbasi* border is in red and blue, and the outer is red and green.","type":"Prayer rug","holder":"Museum of Arts and Crafts","dates":"1898","location":"Zagreb","dimensions":"H: 180cm, W: 125cm","method_for_datation":"By stylistic analysis and inscripted year","method_for_provenance":"By stylistic analysis","provenance":"Caucasus","obtention":"Unknown","bibliography":"Ivoš, Jelena, “Zbirka tekstila”, u Anđelka Galić *et al*. (eds), *Skriveno blago Muzeja za umjetnost i obrt, Zagreb*, Zagreb: Muzej za umjetnost i obrt, 2005: 208-233.  \nIvoš, Jelena, “The Textiles Collection”, u Anđelka Galić *et al*. (eds), *Hidden Treasure of the Museum of Arts and Craft, Zagreb*, Zagreb: Muzej za umjetnost i obrt, 2005: 208-233.","author":"Andrea Klobučar","translator":"Petra Milovac","translation_copy_editor":"Daniel de la Vega","keywords":["medahil","Fachralo","Kazak","prayer rug","Caucasus"],"materials":["knotted carpet","wool","symmetrical knots"]},"9f376d69-2fed-50cf-81a4-5a918f774cdf":{"name":"Carpet","description":"Carpet of the Brocade series.  \nField: The field consists of a symmetrical axis that is composed of large leaf-palms in a specular array and interspersed with smaller flowers of the same height, which arise from a central stem that chains them longitudinally.  \nThese chains highlight depictions of small animals, birds and quadrupeds, which are presented between the chains on the blue background and frame stylised plant formations. The arrangement of all these elements is organised in a diamond pattern.  \nBorder: The border consists of a central valance of long stylised S shaped chains that is wedged between two narrow zigzagging bands against the blue background.  \nThe carpet relies on the Spanish knot technique with wool of varying blue, yellow, white and green shades.  \nThis carpet is part of a series that is inspired by Renaissance era brocaded carpets made in the Spanish city of Toledo within the 16th century.  \nOnly two carpets belonging to this particular series have such large dimensions. Aside from this one currently preserved in the National Museum of Decorative Arts, another was placed in the presbytery of the historic Cathedral of Cuenca and is currently in the Diocesan Museum of Cuenca.  \nSuch Renaissance era carpet designs continued during the 17th and well into the 18th century albeit with certain adjustments in production techniques, particularly the use of the Turkish knot as a replacement for the Spanish knot.  \nA similar carpet can be found in: FERRANDIS TORRES, José: Catalog Exhibition of Spanish Carpets (Madrid, 1933) page 117. nº 65 (lam. XLIV). Exhibition by the Ilmo Mr. Bishop of Cuenca in the exhibition of Spanish Ancient Carpets.","type":"Carpet","holder":"National Museum of Decorative Arts","dates":"c. 1660","location":"Madrid","dimensions":"Length: 680cm, Width: 345cm; Spanish knot?, Density: 700 knots/dm2","method_for_datation":"Through the stylistic and technical analysis of the piece.","method_for_provenance":"Through the record of purchase.","provenance":"Cuenca (Spain)","obtention":"Acquired in 1945","bibliography":"Campana, Michele, *Tappeti d´Occidente*, Milán: Fratelli Fabbri Editore, 1966: 38, fig. 14-15.","workshop":"Cuenca (Spain)","author":"Mª Dolores Vila Tejero","translator":"Asad Islam","keywords":["Cuenca"],"materials":["Weft: Wool","Warp: Hemp/Spanish knot","Taffeta [Ligament]"]},"9f627bca-ad6b-52e9-92bd-a5b9836c7242":{"name":"'The Little Tree' Hammersmith Rug","description":"Pieces known as \"Hammersmith\" carpets were made in W. Morris's workshop near his home in Hammersmith, and from 1881 at Merton Abbey Works (London) for the Morris & Co. \"The Little Flower\" and the \"Small Barr\" patterns were variants of \"The Little Tree\"; William Morris used the motifs and colours of Persian and Indian rugs with all three. A drawing about the pattern of the carpet is published by A. Vallance.  \n  \nThe border is surrounded by a green frame and decorated with alternating tulips and green pomegranates among flowery foliage, on a red ground. The dark blue base of the surface is filled with symmetrical plant motifs; beige and blue sunflower rosettes connected with curved, leafy tendrils, and small trees and foliage springing from blue rosettes on the two sides. There is knotted fringe at each end. A variation of the rug made around 1890 with identical decorations but a red central field and blue borders can be found in the collection of the Huntington Library, Art Museum, and Botanical Gardens.","type":"Carpet","holder":"Museum of Applied Arts","dates":"Design around 1880, made around 1890-1895","location":"Budapest","dimensions":"Height: 287cm, Weight: 128cm, Knot density: 400/dm2","method_for_datation":"Stylistic analysis","method_for_provenance":"Stylistic analysis","provenance":"Merton Abbey, Surrey, England","obtention":"Purchased from the Morris and Co, probably in 1895","bibliography":"Batári, Ferenc, and Vadászi, Erzsébet (eds), *Revival Styles in the 19th Century: An exhibition from the collection of the Budapest Museum of Applied Arts, Periods in European Decorative Arts*, Budapest: Museum of Applied Arts, 1992: no. 109 \\[Emese Pásztor\\].  \nBatári, Ferenc, *Brit iparművészet az Iparművészeti Múzeum gyűjteményeiben a 17. századtól a 20. század elejéig (British Handicraft in the Budapest Museum of Applied Arts Late 17th and Early 20th Century)*, Budapest: Iparművészeti Múzeum, 1988: no. 76.  \nBatári, Ferenc, *Csomózott indiai, kelet turkesztáni, kínai, tibeti és európai szőnyegek: Kiállítás a Miskolci Galériában a Budapesti Iparművészeti Múzeum gyűjteményéből / Knotted Rugs from India, Eastern-Turkestan, China, Tibet and Europe: Exhibition in the Miskolc Gallery from the Collection of the Budapest Museum of Applied Arts*, Miskolc: Miskolci Galéria, 1980: no. 22 and figure.  \nRadocsay, Dénes, and Farkas, Zsuzsanna (eds), *Az európai iparművészet remekei: Száz éves az Iparművészeti Múzeum 1872–1972*, Budapest: Iparművészeti Múzeum, 1972: no. 339 \\[Ferenc Batári\\].  \nValance, A., *William Morris: his Art, his Writings and his Public Life*, London, 1897: Plate II after page 108 \\[inv. no.2000.5.511\\].","workshop":"Merton Abbey Works, Surrey","author":"Emese Pásztor","copy_editor":"Valerie Pulsifer","translator":"Katalin Szilágyi","keywords":["Arts and Crafts","vegetal decoration","Hammersmith rug","European rug"],"materials":["Symmetrical (Turkish or Ghiordes) knot","Warp: Cotton","Weft: Jute","Pile: wool"]},"9f8c366b-751a-5e96-aa3d-860859207596":{"name":"Carpet","short_description":"This prayer rug with a silk pile on the ground brocaded with metal threads forms part of a prestigious set of Safavid Persian Niche rugs. Most of the preserved rugs of this group were intended as diplomatic gifts from the Safavid court to the Ottomans. The poetic inscription on the border is executed in *nasta\\`liq* script, in Persian verse and includes the name of Sultan Murad. Most probably it refers to the Ottoman Sultan Murad III (r. AH 982-1003/ AD 1574-1595).","type":"Rug","holder":"Museum of Islamic Art","dates":"Hegira 973-974 / AD 1566","location":"Doha","dimensions":"Height: 164.4 cm, width: 110.7 cm","provenance":"Central Iran, possibly Yazd","obtention":"Rudolf Martin (1864–1925), Zurich and Munich, reportedly bought from a Russian prince in the early 20th century; thence by family descent; Sotheby’s London, 7 October 2009, lot 276; sold to Qatar Museums","bibliography":"Gierlichs, Joachim and Chatziantoniou, Konstantinos, *Focus on 50: Unseen Treasures from the Museum of Islamic Art in Qatar*, Doha: Bloomsbury Qatar Foundation Publishing, 2010.  \n  \nGonnella, Julia, et al. *Museum of Islamic Art: The Collection. *London: Thames & Hudson, 2022.**","author":"Simone Struth","keywords":["Bahmanid","India","silk","cotton","Chess"],"materials":["silk","wool","cotton","metal thread","Weaving pile"]},"a0292759-10a9-5092-8afb-5b3e2db3b197":{"name":"*Presentation of the Child in the Temple*","description":"The production of knotted carpets in Portugal has been documented since the 14th century, mostly in association with the Moorish community. With the expulsion of the Muslims and Jews in 1496 by King Manuel I (1469‒1521; r.1495‒1521), the Portuguese carpet workshops were inevitably abandoned and the manufacturing tradition was lost. Aside from local production, Portuguese consumers imported high-quality items as well. This ensured the supply of luxury goods to the wealthier clientele. Despite that Spanish carpets were esteemed throughout the 15th century, according to representations in paintings, by the second quarter of the 16th century, they were replaced by Ottoman carpets produced in the regions of Anatolia and Uşak.  \nAlthough, surprisingly, there are no surviving examples of this type of carpet in Portugal, its presence in paintings, as well as in other documentary sources such as in inventories, confirms their presence in Portuguese interiors, thus enabling us to identify the patterns and original colours of the imported carpets. This is the case with this painting, where a Turkish carpet, placed on the floor near the altar, displays most probably a “small-pattern Holbein” design: it comprises a repeated pattern of alternating quatrefoils and octagonal medallions, with *kufic* script motifs represented in detail on the red border.","type":"Painting","holder":"National Museum of Ancient Art","dates":"1538","location":"Lisbon","dimensions":"H: 140cm, W: 95.5cm","method_for_datation":"Technical information provided by José Alberto Seabra de Carvalho","method_for_provenance":"Stylistic analysis and material dating","provenance":"Portugal, unknown location","obtention":"Transferred from the Convent of Santa Joana, Lisbon, Portugal, at an unknown date","bibliography":"Hallett, Jessica and Pereira, Teresa Pacheco, *The Oriental Carpet in Portugal: Carpets and paintings, 15th‒18th centuries*, Lisbon: MNAA, 2007.","workshop":"Unknown","author":"Ana Kol","translator":"Lily Chadwick","translation_copy_editor":"Mandi Gomez","keywords":["Presentation in the Temple","painting","Portugal","carpet","the Annunciation","Garcia Fernandes"],"materials":["Oil on oak panel"]},"a06054cf-1305-5f2c-b722-f5e5f3586c49":{"name":"Sivas Prayer Rug","description":"Less well known than other regions, Sivas was an important centre for rug production. Sivas rugs are famous for their detail, an intricate design is created with a high number of knots per inch. This prayer rug is a beautiful example of a Sivas rug. Niche corners are decorated with stylized clove motifs and the *mihrab* niche is framed with four borders, from inside to outside. Very detailed plant motifs, including leaves and flowers are used to decorate the four borders.","type":"Prayer rug","holder":"Ethnography Museum","dates":"19th century","location":"Ankara","dimensions":"L: 162cm, W: 110cm","method_for_datation":"The analyses of the material and the technique used for weaving the rug and the motifs seen on main ground and borders.","provenance":"Middle Anatolia, Sivas","obtention":"Donation of Turkiye Diyanet Foundation","bibliography":"Unpublished","author":"Mehmet Demir","copy_editor":"Lisa Kelman","keywords":["Middle Anatolian","prayer rug","Sivas"],"materials":["Natural wool coloured with natural dyes","symmetrical knot","Gördes knot"]},"a0ee7365-128d-5c65-8456-878c2ef46398":{"name":"*Fireworks After A Really Big Event*","description":"It is only on closer inspection that one realises this artwork is not a woodcut or a thickly layered painting. It is indeed a piece of red carpet into which the artist milled, cut and burned a graphic pattern that is typical of fireworks in the sky. The three-dimensional carpet and the white of the relatively thin underlying plastic material create a sculptural surface oscillating between image and object.  \nButh often uses red carpet as material for her artworks. As a prop inextricably linked to entertainment industry and political life, it has become a symbol for success, visibility, power and approval. *Fireworks After A Really Big Event* artistically deals with variants of power display used in many realms, including the art world itself. The object was acquired as a purchase made in support of artists by the Kulturstiftung des Freistaates Sachsen (Cultural Trust of the Free State of Saxony) for the Kunstfonds in 2007.  \nPeggy Buth (\\*1971 in Berlin) studied at Hochschule für Grafik und Buchkunst (HGB) Leipzig and at the Fine Art Department of Saint Martin’s College, London. She lives in Berlin. As of 2016/2017, she holds a professorship for Media Art at HGB Leipzig. Her works have been on display in Europe and North America.","type":"Carpet","holder":"Kunstfonds, Dresden State Art Collections","owner":"Kunstfonds, Dresden State Art Collections","dates":"2006","location":"Dresden","dimensions":"Height: 204cm, Width: 259cm","method_for_datation":"The date mentioned above is the date of production","provenance":"Germany","obtention":"Purchased by Kulturstiftung des Freistaates Sachsen via Galerie Amerika, Berlin","bibliography":"Bisky, Norbert and Koal, Stephan (eds), *Portfolio Berlin 01*, exhibition catalogue, Berlin: Distanz Verlag, 2010.  \nButh, Peggy et al., Württembergischer Kunstverein, *Ausstellung Peggy Buth: Desire in Representation*, exhibition catalogue, Leipzig: Spector Books, 2010.  \nButh, Peggy and Holschbach, Susanne, *Kunstsammlung Gera, Peggy Buth, Man sollte Forschungsreisen nach Europa antreten. Ausstellung Otto-Dix-Preis 2012. Junge Deutsche Gegenwartskunst*, exhibition catalogue, Gera, 2012.  \nRupp, Annette (ed), *Checkpoint California*, exhibition catalogue, Berlin: Distanz, 2015.  \nWagler, Silke et al., *Jetzt hier - Gegenwartskunst. Aus dem Kunstfonds = Now here - contemporary art. from the kunstfonds*, exhibition catalogue, Dresden: Staatliche Kunstsammlungen Dresden, 2013.","author":"Silke Wagler","keywords":["design","red","carpet","China","contemporary"],"materials":["Carpet with cuttings (worked on with a milling machine)","mounted on a wooden frame"]},"a115a071-a444-5017-9250-8a310369de51":{"name":"Vase design carpet","description":"An early 17th century Safavid Kirman pile carpet with a large wine-red centre-field and a narrow dark blue border. The centre-field is decorated with a symmetrically laid out arabesque lattice consisting of four layers of stem networks, three main baring a variety of multi-coloured palmettes, and one minor baring small rosettes and leaves. A dark blue pear-shaped vase is positioned in the centre at one end of the carpet. Out of this vase spreads one of the three main stem networks and the minor one. The dark blue narrow border contains a row of alternating multi-coloured palmettes, rosettes and multi-bud stems.  \n  \nA very busy carpet, that may seem confused to many a viewer. However, an analysis of the design structure shows a deliberate plan to overlay, almost too many, networks of stems and floral compositions. The designers / weavers then decided to keep the a symmetrical layout of the shapes that form the design but not their colours, so that the left and right sides of the carpet mirror each other in design but not in the colour combinations of the many large and small palmettes, rosettes, buds and leaves. Nevertheless, the non-symmetrical distribution of the colours is still balanced enough to give the carpet great visual charm. By contrast the carpet’s narrow border is simple and uniform in its repeat design with good symmetry between the left and right sides of the carpet, both in shapes and colours, and in the well planned and executed floral configurations of its four corners.","type":"Carpet","holder":"Glasgow Museums - The Burrell Collection","dates":"c. 1600","location":"Glasgow, Scotland","dimensions":"H: 3582mm, W: 1753mm","method_for_datation":"Manufacturing techniques and stylistic analysis","method_for_provenance":"Stylistic analysis","provenance":"Iran, Kirman","obtention":"Gifted by Sir William and Lady Burrell to the City of Glasgow, 1944","workshop":"Kirman workshop","author":"Noorah Al-Gailani","keywords":["vase","floral decoration","vegetal arabesque","Kerman","floral motifs","palmette"],"materials":["Cotton warp","wool pile","wool and cotton weft"]},"a121479e-8919-5e90-a0d8-1b27de5172e5":{"name":"Prayer rug","description":"This rug belongs to a distinctive group of Caucasian rugs that come from the northeast Azerbaijan and are known as Kuba-Shirvan rugs. They are named after the historic rug centres and regions of Azerbaijan where they were produced. These rugs are products of the cottage industry developed by the settled population of the area, woven in homes and small town workshops by women trained in rug weaving by their families and working within local rug weaving traditions. They are woven with the Turkish (symmetrical) pile knot and show angular, geometric and stylized floral patterns executed in vivid colours. The key-shaped *mihrab* niche of the rug is one of the oldest types known in Middle Eastern prayer rugs; it became popular in the Caucasus in the 19th century and was widely used in Kuba-Shirvan rugs. The rectangular motif within the arch is probably a Kerbala tablet. Both the design and colour compositions are typical for this area.","type":"Prayer rug","holder":"Textile Museum of Canada (TMC)","owner":"TMC","dates":"1860-1880","location":"Toronto, Ontario","dimensions":"L: 160cm, W: 136cm","method_for_datation":"By stylistic analysis","method_for_provenance":"By stylistic analysis","provenance":"Azerbaijan, Shirvan","obtention":"Gift of Fred Braida","bibliography":"Wright, Richard E., *Caucasian Carpets and Covers: the Weaving Culture*, London: Hali Publications, 1995.  \nNooter, Robert H., *Flat-woven Rugs and Textiles from the Caucasus*, Atglen, PA: Schiffer Publishing LTD., 2004.","author":"Natalia Nekrassova","keywords":["prayer rug"],"materials":["knotted pile","wool"]},"a208cebc-edec-52c5-8d53-248017055f09":{"name":"Memling Rug Fragments","description":"From the second half of the 15th century when Sunnite aniconism rejected naturalistic representation, carpet design changed and the *gul* (flower, rose) motifs, strongly geometrized symbols of the Central Asian nomadic Turkmen tribes, spread. Anatolian carpets with animal figures were replaced by carpets depicting strictly geometric patterns composed of squares adorned with simple or more intricate geometric designs. Early Ottoman carpets in the 15th–16th century were named after the painters whose pictures typically included variants of these designs. Hans Memling (c. 1430–1494) often painted throne carpets in his Madonna pictures containing rhomboids of hook shaped or stepped edges (Memling guls) placed into octagons.  \nOne of the earliest known specimens of such carpets with Memling guls is represented by these two fragments bought by the Museum of Applied Arts from the carpet collection of Emil Sigerus (1854–1947), a historian and ethnographer of Nagyszeben in 1917. The dominant pattern consists of Memling guls; stepped and hooked lozenges in an endless arrangement of white-grounded octagons. The centre of the lozenges contains eight-pointed stars and the triangular fields between the octagons are decorated by dark brown hooks on a red background. The main border is a chain of \"S\" motifs on a field of red flanked by similar chains on a field of ochre. Memling depicted such a rug in his *Donne Triptych* around 1485 (London, National Gallery) and on the back of his *Portrait of a Young Man at Prayer*, in *The Flower Still Life* of around 1485–1490 (Madrid, Museo Thyssen-Bornemisza).","type":"Carpet","holder":"Museum of Applied Arts","dates":"15th century","location":"Budapest","dimensions":"Height: 169cm, Width: 93cm (107.5cm x 93cm, 62cm x 93.5cm), Knot density: 675/dm2","method_for_datation":"Stylistic analysis; comparison with similar carpets depicted by Hans Memling","method_for_provenance":"Stylistic and technical analysis","provenance":"Anatolia, Turkey","obtention":"Purchased from the collection of Emil Sigerus, Nagyszeben (now Sibiu, Romania), 1917","bibliography":"Batári, Ferenc, *Ottoman Turkish Carpets: The Collection of the Museum of Applied Arts, Budapest I*, Budapest–Keszthely: Museum of Applied Arts, 1994: 37, no. 2 and 96, figure.  \nBatári, Ferenc, Az Iparművészeti Múzeum három oszmán-török 'Memling'-szőnyeg-e \\[Three Ottoman-Turkish \"Memling\" Rugs in the Museum of Applied Arts\\], *Ars Decorativa*, 10 (1991): 53–70.  \nÖlçer, N., Enderlein, V., and Batári, F., and Mills, J., *Turkish Carpets from the 13th–18th Centuries*, Istanbul: Ahmet Ertuğ, 1996: 82, plate 58 \\[Ferenc Batári\\].  \nPásztor, Emese, *Ottoman Turkish Carpets in the Collection of the Budapest Museum of Applied Arts: In Memoriam Ferenc Batári*, Budapest: Museum of Applied Arts, 2007: 52–53, no. 2 and figure.","author":"Emese Pásztor","copy_editor":"Valerie Pulsifer","translator":"Alan Campbell","keywords":["wool","Geometric pattern","Memling-gül","Ottoman rug","Memling-göl","Fragment"],"materials":["Symmetrical (Turkish or Ghiordes) knot","wool"]},"a223ba4c-72e4-5125-8f67-82e5f04a5794":{"name":"Beiriz rug","description":"Founded in Beiriz (near Oporto) in 1919, the Artisanal Carpet Factory of Beiriz is one of only a few factories in Portugal keeping alive the tradition of artisanal (handcrafted) carpets. The carpets are produced in pure wool using wooden handlooms that are entirely reliant on arm- and foot strength, as opposed to the mechanical shuttle. The knots used are the “star”, “Beiriz” and the “zagal”.  \nThroughout its history, the factory has produced both conservative designs and those that follow contemporary artistic tendencies. With reference to the carpet seen here, the pattern takes inspiration from the drip-painting techniques developed by the American painter Jackson Pollock (1912‒56), a major figure of Abstract Expressionism. The main effort in this carpet has been to combine the utility of the soft-feeling texture of this 1.6 pile-high rug ‒ that is, the human experience of the object ‒ with the design. Thus while it translates visually the free movement and an informal way of painting, also it expresses emotion and the psychological experience of the object.  \nThe resulting impression of fading brushstrokes or drips was achieved by using several shades of each colour in a gradient effect. Since overlapping colours is not possible in rugwork, 38 colours were used to achieve this visual effect. One square metre of this type and quality of carpet would take 68 hours to produce.","type":"Textile; carpet","holder":"Private collection","owner":"Private owner","dates":"2015","location":"Oporto","dimensions":"H: 200cm, W: 300cm; knot density 59,000/dm2","provenance":"Beiriz, Portugal","obtention":"Purchased by a private collector","bibliography":"Nascimento, João, “Tapetes de Beiriz. A consistência das paisagens”, in Ana Pires (scientific co-ordinator), *Fios. Formas e memórias dos bordados, rendas e tecidos*, Lisbon: Instituto de Emprego e Formação Profissional, 2009: 291‒93.","workshop":"Fábrica Artesanal de Tapetes Beiriz, Portugal","author":"Cátia Ferreira","translator":"Lily Chadwick","translation_copy_editor":"Mandi Gomez","keywords":["hand-knotted rug","Portugal","Beiriz"],"materials":["wool","hand-knotted"]},"a254f7c2-b126-5a1f-a57d-efb180d91b9e":{"name":"Vienna hunting carpet","short_description":"Due to its fineness, motifs, and size, the famous silk Vienna hunting carpet ranks among the world’s most exceptional carpets having been repeatedly publicised since the 19th century. Originating from the court of Shah Tahmasp I (r. 1524–76), the carpet’s design supposedly lay in the hands of the court painters working for the art-minded ruler. Comparable hunting scenes are found in miniature paintings, but also on fabrics of Safavid production. The middle of the balanced pattern forms a medallion with dragons and phoenixes – symbols of power brought over from China, found in the Iranian formal repertoire since the Ilkhanid period. The corners are marked by quarters of the main medallion. Safavid horsemen and prey in the surrounding fields form into one of the famous imperial hunts. *Peris* (angel-like beings) are depicted in front of dainty tendrils in the surrounding borders. How the Vienna hunting carpet entered into the possession of the Austrian Imperial Court is still not exactly ascertainable. Its extraordinary quality suggests it was a diplomatic gift.","type":"Carpet","holder":"MAK – Museum of Applied Arts","dates":"First half of the 16th century","location":"Vienna","dimensions":"H: 687cm, W: 331cm; knot density 14,330/dm2","provenance":"Central Iran, probably Kashan","obtention":"Assumption","bibliography":"Noever, Peter (ed), *Global Lab. Kunst als Botschaft. Asien und Europa 1500 - 1700. Ausstellung Museum für angewandte Kunst Wien, 03. Juni bis 27. September 2009*, Ostfildern: Hatje Cantz, 2009: cat. nr. 157 (97).  \nVölker, Angela, *Die orientalischen Knüpfteppiche das MAK*, Vienna: Böhlau, 2001: 198–203.","catalogue_holding_link":"https://sammlung.mak.at/sammlung_online?id=collect-98330","author":"Martina Dax","copy_editor":"Mandi Gomez","keywords":["peris/angels","floral decoration","figural design","hunting scene","geometric patterns","Safawid","hunting","animal decoration","silk","floral motifs","textile","carpet","floral design","Warp","hunters"],"materials":["Silk warp and weft","around silk core","part gilded","knotted","silk asymmetrical knot. Silver thread brocade"]},"a2b5fe1a-f5c9-5895-8b11-f75c5d9b9d7e":{"name":"Sewing needle","description":"A sewing needle shaped from ivory or bone. A large opening called the eye allows the thread to be pulled through the needle to prepare for sewing.","type":"Needle","holder":"Department of Antiquities","owner":"Department of Antiquities","dates":"3500 BC","location":"Amman","dimensions":"L: 10cm","method_for_datation":"Unknown","provenance":"Unknown","obtention":"Excavation/unknown","bibliography":"Ibrahim, Moawiyah, *et al.*, *Museum of Jordanian Heritage*, Amman-Jordan: Yarmouk University, 1988.","author":"Samia Khouri","copy_editor":"Lisa Kelman","materials":["Ivory / bone"]},"a33cdc01-fc3e-5d40-b2cd-2e6102071211":{"name":"‘Lotto’ carpet","description":"Anatolia, with Uşak as the textile centre, was one of the most productive carpet regions, as travellers of different origins reported. It is proven that exemplars of various qualities and sizes were knotted there in the late 15th century. Many of them were exported to Europe, where they have been preserved up to today in numerous historical collections. Their depiction in contemporary Italian paintings as of the second decade of the 16th century facilitates their dating. However, the earliest illustration of a so-called “Lotto” carpet is not to be found in a painting of the eponymous Italian painter Lorenzo Lotto (1480–1557), but in a portrait by Sebastiano del Piombo (1485–1547) from the year 1516. The pattern of the carpet field, an endless rapport, consists of two rows of geometric, yellow tendrils and is structurally reminiscent of the patterns of silk fabric. The dimensions of the pattern units is constant in all Lotto carpets, even if the size of the examples changes.","type":"Carpet","holder":"MAK – Austrian Museum of Applied Arts / Contemporary Art","dates":"After the mid-16th century","location":"Vienna","dimensions":"H: 264cm, W: 165cm; knot density 1,200/dm2","method_for_datation":"Research and documentary evidence","method_for_provenance":"Research and documentary evidence","provenance":"Turkey, western Anatolia, Uşak","obtention":"Obtained in 1908, acquisition of Benjamin Grünblatt, Hermannstadt/Sibiu, Romania","bibliography":"Völker, Angela, *Die orientalischen Knüpfteppiche das MAK*, Vienna: Böhlau, 2001: 74–5.","author":"Angela Völker","copy_editor":"Mandi Gomez","keywords":["wool","Ottoman","textile","carpet","geometric design"],"materials":["Wool warp and weft","knotted","symmetrical knot"]},"a39d81ca-880b-5f76-bd0e-f66467bc22be":{"name":"*Shadda*","description":"A *Shadda* woven entirely consistently, with the motifs on the horizontal plain in the central field matching the border ornament.","type":"Carpet","holder":"Azerbaijan National Museum of Art","owner":"Azerbaijan National Museum of Art","dates":"Date unknown, purchased by the Museum in the 19th century","location":"Baku","dimensions":"H: 239cm, W: 142cm","method_for_datation":"The date is not certain, but research and documentary evidence suggests a maker in Garabagh","method_for_provenance":"Information offered by the seller has been further researched and corroborated by experts at the Museum","provenance":"Garabagh, Cabrayil, Azerbaijan","obtention":"Purchased in the 19th century","bibliography":"Rasim Efendiyev, *Azărbai̐jan khalg sănăti / Folk Art of Azerbaijan*, Azerbaijan, Baku: Ishyg, 1984 (text in Azerbaijani, English and Russian).","author":"Emin Suleymanov","copy_editor":"Mandi Gomez","keywords":["Cabrayil","Shadda","Azerbaijan","carpet"],"materials":["Wool warp and weft","plain weave"]},"a45839e2-37d8-5fb0-8ec9-90569c5bc248":{"name":"Floor mat","description":"An almost complete mat has perimetrical bands with lozenge designs and triangular motifs. It combines brocaded decoration with self-patterned elements such as the beaded medallions in the centre. Two parallel lines of inscriptions are included in the composition and repeat the same word *baraka* (blessing) in a poorly executed *kufic* script. Geniza records describe how such reed mats were used to cover the floor surface and how detailed descriptions might be given to weavers in order to fill every available space. Based on this information, this small mat could be part of a larger commission, used to fill specific recesses or the entrance of a room.","type":"Prayer rug","holder":"Benaki Museum","dates":"10th century","location":"Athens","dimensions":"57 x 45 cm","method_for_datation":"The form of the repetitive word in the *kufic* script places it to this period","method_for_provenance":"Geniza records describe how such mats were used to cover the floor surface and how detailed descriptions might be given to weavers in order to fill every available space. Based on this information, this small mat could be part of a larger commission, used to fill specific recesses or the entrance of a room.","provenance":"Tiberias","obtention":"Acquired in Egypt","bibliography":"Published in Moraitou, M., \"Early islamic Textiles\", *Hali*, 156 (summer 2008): 62-64.","author":"Mina Moraitou","keywords":["inscription band","geometric","kufic script","Floor mat"],"materials":["fringe along one edge","Plain weave with brocaded decoration","hemp and bast fibre"]},"a4a5eb77-13a0-5a5c-9e6a-16dc9862a0fb":{"name":"‘Transylvanian’ rug","description":"The term “Transylvanian” rug does not relate to the area of production but to the geographical region where many such rugs were preserved, that is, Transylvania. Rugs belonging to this group could be found mainly in Transylvanian churches. They were made in the villages of Anatolia during the 17th and 18th centuries.  \nSize wise, Transylvanian rugs are rather small. Their most distinctive feature is a border filled with elongated, polygonal cartouches; however, sometimes, these are substituted by a row of simplified rosettes. The majority of so-called Transylvanian rugs are decorated with the double prayer niche, created from two *mihrab* niches in mirror image. They are mainly red, but some white-ground examples are known. “Transylvanian” rugs were very popular in Poland and many of them form part of Polish collections.  \nThe Kraków rug was probably made in Uşak. On the red field of the double niche, an indigo-blue cartouche of Uşak type joins with the pointed tops of the niches with flowering stems. The presence of such a medallion also suggests the place of origin of the rug. The lozenge-shape cartouche is decorated with a four-lobed motif inscribed within a double diamond, two palmettes situated on the vertical axis, and motifs of carnations and tulips as well. Placed along the edges of the cartouche are rows of graceful, small white flowers. The spandrels are decorated with lanceolate leaves and roses. The main border is filled with a row of rosettes and the outside borders with trefoil motifs.","type":"Prayer rug","holder":"National Museum in Kraków","dates":"End of the 17th century","location":"Kraków","dimensions":"H: 160cm, W: 125cm; knot density 1,326/dm2","method_for_datation":"Stylistic analysis of the rather geometrised ornament suggests this rug dates to the end of the 17th century","method_for_provenance":"The “Uşak-style” central medallion allows us to presume that the prayer rug was made in Uşak, Anatolia","provenance":"Anatolia, Uşak (?)","obtention":"Bequest of Feliks Jasieński in 1929","bibliography":"Biedrońska-Słotowa, Beata, *Kobierce wschodnie. 1. Kobierce tureckie*, Kraków: The National Museum in Kraków, 1983: 48, 153, cat. 12.  \nBiedrońska-Słotowa, Beata, *Leksykon sztuki kobierniczej* (Lexicon of carpet art), Kraków: Radamsa publications, 1999: 182‒3.  \nBiedrońska-Słotowa, Beata, *Sarmatyzm: sen o potędze* (Sarmatism: A dream of power), Kraków: The National Museum in Kraków, 2010: 137, cat. 104.  \nGrzybkowska, Teresa, and Żygulski, Zdzisław, junior (eds), *Cuda Orientu* (Wonders of the Orient), Gdańsk: National Museum of Gdańsk, 2006: 32, cat. 2.  \n*War and Peace: Ottoman‒Polish relations in the 15th‒19th centuries*, exhib. cat., Istanbul: Museum of Turkish and Islamic Arts, 1999: 239, cat. 132.","author":"Joanna Regina Kowalska","copy_editor":"Mandi Gomez","keywords":["Anatolia","mihrab","Uşak","Ushak","prayer rug","Transylvania","‘Transylvanian rug’"],"materials":["symmetrically knotted pile (Turkish knot)","Wool (warp","weft","pile)"]},"a4cc2ed5-ef19-5a77-af21-2099f0b17875":{"name":"‘Molla Narsaddin’","description":"The central area of the carpet is taken up with a part of the plot from a “Molla Nasreddin” story , hence the name of this carpet. Designed to be read from right to left, there is a house on a white background, and representations of birds, donkeys and peasant motifs, all woven around “Molla Nasreddin”. Stylised flowers decorate the edges. Above Nasreddin’s head, “Molla Nasreddin” is written, and on each of the four sides of the central area within the white border the Arabic alphabet is written in black thread.","type":"Carpet","holder":"Azerbaijan National Museum of Art","owner":"Azerbaijan National Museum of Art","dates":"Date unknown, purchased by the Museum in 1909","location":"Baku","dimensions":"H: 200cm, W: 144cm","method_for_datation":"The date is not certain, but research and documentary evidence suggests a maker in Garabagh","method_for_provenance":"Information offered by the seller has been further researched and corroborated by experts at the Museum","provenance":"Garabagh, Azerbaijan","obtention":"Purchased in 1909","bibliography":"Rasim Efendiyev, *Azărbai̐jan khalg sănăti / Folk Art of Azerbaijan*, Azerbaijan, Baku: Ishyg, 1984 (text in Azerbaijani, English and Russian).","author":"Emin Suleymanov","copy_editor":"Mandi Gomez","keywords":["‘Molla Nasraddin’","Azerbaijan","carpet","narrative carpet","folklore"],"materials":["Wool warp and weft","symmetrical knot"]},"a6414cb5-5350-5e05-b2b9-dd437603d22a":{"name":"Kilim, *shuttles*","description":"One of the Pirot kilims’ ornaments is named *shuttle* (*soveljka*) after a tool used in the weaving process. The kilim shows a typical disposition of a *shuttle* motif: a larger *shuttle* in the middle of the central field, and four smaller in the corners. The central field is also filled with the motif of *amajlike*. Inner border is filled with *almonds* (*bademčići*), while the wide border (*ploča*) is decorated with a hooked ornament named *čendjeli*. The colours used are: blue, red, green, yellow, white, brown and black.","type":"Carpet","holder":"Museum of Applied Art","dates":"Last quarter of the 19th century","location":"Belgrade","dimensions":"H: 159cm, W: 111cm","method_for_datation":"By stylistic analysis, material and technique","provenance":"Pirot","obtention":"Purchased in 1985","bibliography":"Cvetković, M., *Igra šarenih niti: Kolekcija pirotskih ćilima Etnografskog muzeja u Beogradu*, Belgrade: Etnografski muzej, 2008.  \nVitković-Žikić, M., \"Odsek za tekstil i kostim\", in I. Zorić (ed.), *55 godina Muzeja primenjene umetnosti: 1950–2005*, Belgrade: Muzej primenjene umetnosti, 2005: 97–121.  \nVitković-Žikić, M., *Pirotski ćilimi = Les Kilims de Pirot*, Belgrade: Muzej primenjene umetnosti, 2001.  \nPetković, M., and Vlatković, R., *Pirotski ćilim* \\[Abstract in English\\], Belgrade: Srpska akademija nauka i umetnosti, 1996.  \nStojanović, D., *Pirotski ćilimi* \\[Summary in English\\], Belgrade: Muzej primenjene umetnosti, 1987.","author":"Draginja Maskareli","keywords":["weave","wool","Şarköy","Pirot","Kilim"],"materials":["weaving","wool"]},"a668e314-0656-59ea-9a3c-9d85d601356f":{"name":"Carpet","description":"Fragment of a carpet that preserves part of the decoration of the field and the border.  \nField: The field contains thistle bundle motifs that are alternately distributed and form a series of rhombuses. In the openings, geometric motifs surround two small birds that face each other with surrounding six-petalled flowers, which in turn make a false cruciform division.  \nBorder: A single blue line separates the field and the border, of which only one valance is preserved. This depicts continuous waves that support two types of palmetto stems.  \nSome motifs that show different profiles appear, some in blue and others in sandy yellow hues.  \nThe warp and weft are of a dark brown wool and woollen knot consists of yellow, orange, green, turquoise, ultramarine and mauve shades.  \nThis fragment is valuable in that it indicates a carpet belonging to the so-called Thistle series, of which very few specimens have been preserved. The reference copy of this type is preserved in the Valencian Institute of Don Juan.  \nThe motifs of the field and the disposition of the decorative motifs of the border, evoke textile designs from the beginning of the 17th century. It could be said that this specimen is coarser than the one preserved in the Valencia Institute of Don Juan. The piece has suffered some degradation of its fibres.","type":"Carpet (fragment)","holder":"National Museum of Decorative Arts","dates":"First half of the 17th century","location":"Madrid","dimensions":"Width: 37cm, Length: 43cm","method_for_datation":"Through the stylistic and technical analysis of the piece.","method_for_provenance":"Through the stylistic and technical analysis of the piece.","provenance":"Alcaraz (Old Kingdom of Murcia)","workshop":"Workshops of Alcaraz (Albacete)","author":"Mª Dolores Vila Tejero","translator":"Asad Islam","keywords":["Alcaraz","Cardos"],"materials":["Warp: wool","Weft: Wool","Spanish knot [Warp: 4 knots/cm Weft: 4 knots/cm. Two weft threads past each half]"]},"a6aab42c-ba5f-5be5-a713-8a411fbb8fd8":{"name":"Circular Mamluk-style carpet","description":"There exists a unique group of carpets made throughout the late 15th and early 16th centuries of the Mamluk period in Egypt, the colours and overlapping geometrical patterns of which are often likened to those seen through a kaleidoscope. These carpets were made in workshops in Cairo for the royal court, and additionally as export items to Europe, in particular Venice. Despite the overthrow of the Mamluk Sultanate by the Ottomans in 1517, production of these carpets continued and those made from this period on can be referred to as 'Mamluk-style' carpets.  \nMIA’s carpet is thought to have made during the second quarter of the 16th century in Cairo, and thus can be classified as ‘Mamluk-style’. Earlier carpets generally included a palette of five to seven different colours, while later versions have a lesser range such as this example bearing red, blue, green and yellow. This carpet is in good condition and contains a centralized arrangement of a circle set within an octagonal star, which in turn is framed by a wide circular border. Stylised vegetal motifs in addition to circular and polygonal patterns cover the field of the carpet, while the border consists of alternating cartouches and circles alongside further vegetal and geometric designs.","type":"Carpet","holder":"Museum of Islamic Art (MIA)","dates":"Mid-16th century","location":"Doha","dimensions":"H: 282cm, W: 270cm","method_for_datation":"This carpet has been dated based on stylistic comparisons with other known Mamluk and Mamluk-style carpets from Cairo","method_for_provenance":"This carpet has been stylistically attributed to Cairo based on comparisons with further extant examples","provenance":"Egypt, Cairo","bibliography":"Thompson, Jon, “Late Mamluk Carpets: Some New Observations”, in D. Behrens-Abouseif (ed.), *The Arts of the Mamluks in Egypt and Syria: Evolution and Impact*, Goettingen: V & R unipress, 2012: 115–139.  \nFranses, Michael, “A Museum of Masterpieces: Iberian & East Mediterranean Carpets in the Museum of Islamic Art, Qatar”, *Hali*, 157 (Autumn 2008): 69–95.  \nSpuhler, Friedrich, *Carpets from Islamic Lands*, Ch.2, London: Thames & Hudson, 2012: 22–39.","author":"Julia Tugwell","keywords":["geometric decoration","Mamluk","Circular carpet","Ottoman","Cairo"],"materials":["pile weave","wool"]},"a70edf46-1e11-58a2-b84b-c323d16e494e":{"name":"Carpet (fragment)","description":"The Museum of Applied Arts ‒ MAK ‒ owns a unique collection of Mamluk carpets from the 15th and 16th centuries. This carpet – consisting of five larger and seven smaller fragments, of which the outer border is missing – is the oldest one in the entire inventory. Its dating to the late 15th century, the late heyday of Mamluk art under Sultan Qaytbay (1416/18–1496), can be explained, among other things, by the use of five colours, as well as by the absence of umbrella and lancet-shaped leaves regarded as typically post-Mamluk. Despite considerable gaps in the lower third portion, the overall design can be reconstructed. The carpet belongs to the group of Mamluk carpets with three octagons that define the field. It remains unclear why the carpet was cut up in this manner, but that the remnants were preserved.","type":"Carpet","holder":"MAK – Austrian Museum of Applied Arts / Contemporary Art","dates":"After the mid-15th century","location":"Vienna","dimensions":"H: 550cm, W: 227cm; knot density 1,600/dm2","method_for_datation":"Research and documentary evidence","method_for_provenance":"Research and documentary evidence","provenance":"Egypt, Cairo","obtention":"Obtained in 1922, formerly in the Imperial House of Habsburg","bibliography":"Völker, Angela, *Die orientalischen Knüpfteppiche das MAK*, Vienna: Böhlau, 2001: 36–41.","author":"Angela Völker","copy_editor":"Mandi Gomez","keywords":["wool","Mamluk","textile","carpet","geometric design"],"materials":["Wool warp and weft","asymmetrical knot","knotted"]},"a7c9b5ba-4e98-57ae-ae0f-0118a136e091":{"name":"Garden carpet","description":"Earthly gardens in the culture of Islamic countries represent an image of paradise as promised by God. These gardens were rectangular and divided into four parts by water channels representing heavenly rivers of water, honey, wine and milk. At the intersection of the water channels, a square or polygonal pool was situated, often together with a pavilion. Walking along the paths one would smell a strong fragrance from the flowers and blooming trees. Such a garden was called *chahār-bāgh* – four gardens.  \nRepresentations of gardens are also found on Persian carpets. Usually they reflect the layout of *chahār-bāgh* from a bird’s-eye view. The oldest and the most beautiful example is a garden carpet in the Jaipur Albert Hall collections (1622‒32). The Kraków carpet is not as sophisticated, but we can recognise on it all the elements of a classical Persian garden harmoniously arranged. In the centre, there is a square pool with an island on which there is a pavilion. Four channels divide the “garden” into four parts, each with four flowerbeds: in two of these there are octagons with flowering shrubs, in one there is a bird sitting on a leafy branch and in another there is a small stream and flowers. Along the big channels are rows of cypresses, pairs of birds sitting atop shrubs and small vases with flowers on a dark-blue ground. The rippled surface of the water is represented by a turquoise and emerald-green pattern of wavy stripes. In the water-channels are pairs of fishes, and in the pool, ducks. The border is decorated with the *medachyl* pattern.  \nStylistically, the Kraków garden carpet closely resembles the carpet from the al-Sabah Collection, Kuwait, and it has similarities to a carpet in the collections of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York.","type":"Carpet","holder":"National Museum in Kraków","dates":"End of the 17th century","location":"Kraków","dimensions":"H: 205cm, W: 164cm; knot density 1,450dm2","provenance":"Iran, Isfahan (?)","obtention":"Purchased from the botanist Professor Józef Rostafiński in 1911","bibliography":"Biedrońska-Słotowa, Beata, “Kobierce ogrodowe – funkcja i znaczenie” (Garden carpets – purpose and significance), in Ewa Chojecka (ed.), *Sztuka a natura. Materiały XXXVIII Sesji Naukowej Historyków Sztuki przeprowadzonej 23–25 listopada 1989 roku w Katowicach* (Art and Nature: Materials of the 38th Scientific Session, 23‒25 November 1989, in Katowice), Katowice: The Upper Silesian Branch of the Association of Art Historians, 1991: 149–61.  \nEkhtiar, Maryam (ed.), *Masterpieces from the Department of Islamic Art in The Metropolitan Museum of Art*, New York: Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2011: 270. (Analogy)  \nLutz, Albert, and Trotha, Hans von (eds), *Gärten der Welt. Orte der Sehnsucht und Inspiration*, Cologne: Museum Rietberg Zürich, 2016: 63. (Analogy)  \nMajda, Tadeusz, *Arcydzieła sztuki perskiej ze zbiorów polskich* (Masterpieces of Persian art in Polish collections) Warsaw: National Museum in Warsaw, 2002: 65, 92, cat. 48.  \nSpuhler, Friedrich, *Carpets from Islamic Lands*, London: Thames & Hudson, 2013: 112–15. (Analogy)","author":"Joanna Regina Kowalska","copy_editor":"Mandi Gomez","keywords":["Persia","laleh abbasi","chahār-bāgh","garden","Garden carpet","Iran","Isfahan"],"materials":["asymmetrically knotted pile (Persian knot)","Cotton (warp and weft)","wool (pile)"]},"a878caed-2598-567c-80a3-7ec37561865b":{"name":"Seljuq Rug","description":"Carpets from the 13th century Aladdin Mosque in Konya are known as the “Konya Group”. They were identified in 1906 as the first finds from this period. These carpets are of key importance in the history of World Carpet Art. This example was specially woven to be used in a mosque. It is decorated with religious motifs and*kufic*writing. A light blue eight‒pointed star design on a dark blue background covers the entire central field. The main border is divided into square sections with stylised*kufic* characters arranged back‒to‒back in light red on a dark red ground. On the small borders, bird motifs are stylized to form leaves on branches.","type":"Rug","holder":"Museum of Turkish and Islamic Arts","dates":"13th century","location":"Istanbul","dimensions":"L: 240cm, W: 320cm","method_for_datation":"The analyses of the material and the technique used for weaving the rug and the motifs seen on main ground and borders.","provenance":"Middle Anatolia, Konya","obtention":"From the Konya Sultan Aladdin Mosque","bibliography":"Aslanapa, Oktay, *Türk Halı Sanatı’nın Bin Yılı*, Istanbul: Eren Yayınları, 1987: 16‒19.  \nDenny, Walter, and Tekeli, Gönül, *Anadolu Dokuma Mirası*,Istanbul: C.2, 2007, 26, Kat.no.4.  \nErdmann, Kurt, *Seven Hundred Years of Orıental Carpets*, London: Faber and Faber Limited, 1970: 41‒43.  \nKollektif, *Türk El Dokuması Halılar*, Ankara: Kültür ve Turizm Bakanlığı Yayınları, Cilt 1, Katalog no: 4.  \nÖlçer, Nazan ve Öte., *Türk ve İslam Eserleri Müzesi*, Istanbul: Akbank Yayınları, 2000: 144.","author":"Deniz Kanberoğlu","copy_editor":"Lisa Kelman","keywords":["Konya","Seljuq rugs"],"materials":["Natural wool coloured with natural dyes","symmetrical knot","Gördes knot"]},"a8e1aee3-51aa-5dd1-bf6b-39ba4456b248":{"name":"Carpet Fragment with Hunting Animals","description":"Despite the frail condition of this sixteenth-century carpet fragment, the very fine design may still be read and enjoyed. The section comes from the one side of the original carpet, with the dark green border on the right, and the main field in dark red. The central design is filled with hunting animals, stalking or pouncing upon their prey: lions, tigers, leopards, lynxes, foxes and wolves, all of them hunting after deer. These creatures are not depicted in a natural landscape though, but placed within two spiralling systems of flowering plant scrolls, against a vibrant red background. The largest flowers are lotus blossoms, drafted with bright colours and complex forms, and sometimes outlined against a large lotus leaf. The dark green borders are also filled with spiralling plant scrolls, with long-tailed birds perched on the curving stems.  \n  \nEven fragments of historic carpets were widely traded in late nineteenth-century Europe, among artists, designers, scholars and private collectors unable to afford the huge market prices reached by whole carpets from sixteenth or seventeenth century Iran. Deeply admired, such fragments could reveal just enough of the design and structure to be of value to a specialist. Two known fragments of this carpet are in design museums (this example in the V&A, and another in Paris at Musee des Arts Decoratifs). The V&A fragment was bought in Italy, from the estate sale of one William Wentworth Buller, in 1884. Buller researched textile history, and collaborated briefly with the British designer William Morris. He had built up a significant study collection of both European and Middle Eastern textiles (including carpets). He bought this beautiful fragment just before his death in 1883, from the auctioned estate of the painter Attilio Simonetti in Rome. Unable to pay for his carpet fragment straightaway, Buller had deposited it with the art-dealer Castellani: he died before he could take possession of it. Simonetti in turn had used his carpet fragment as a prop in at least one of his paintings: it is depicted in a scene (“The Musical Interlude”) laid out as a table carpet. Noticeably Simonetti has depicted the fragment, perhaps with wishful artistic licence, as a whole carpet.  \n  \n[V&A online catalogue link](http://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O67199/carpet-fragment-unknown/)","type":"Carpet","holder":"Victoria and Albert Museum","dates":"1550-1600","location":"London","dimensions":"Metric. L: 1.95m, W: 1.06m","method_for_datation":"Carpets in this type are usually attributed to the second half of the sixteenth century, because their refined designs relate to contemporary manuscript-painting, and because the group fits a proposed chronological development of Safavid carpets. None of this group is dated, however.","method_for_provenance":"The carpet is attributed to Iran because of its design and technical structure, which fits with sixteenth-century production.","provenance":"Iran","obtention":"Purchased in 1884 from the estate of William Wentworth Buller.","bibliography":"Klose, Christine, “Imperial Puzzle. Sixteenth-Century Persian Spiral Vine Carpets with Animals”, *Hali* , 170 (2011): 76-85.  \nCarey, Moya, *Persian Art*, London: V&A, 2018.","author":"Moya Carey","keywords":["lotus flowers","red","leopards","hunting","lions","birds","Safavid","Iran","animals"],"materials":["warp and weft. Wool pile on silk foundation","knotted pile","depressed warps","silk","wool","asymmetrical knots open to the left."]},"a960600c-6d33-5a1f-b1b5-49c72e60ea00":{"name":"Ground loom","description":"Ground loom used for weaving strips for tent walls.","type":"Ground loom","holder":"Department of Antiquities","owner":"Department of Antiquities","dates":"Early 20th century","location":"Amman","dimensions":"L: 1.5m, W: 2m","method_for_datation":"Early 20th century treadle loom weavers from Syria and Palestine settled in Jordan. They produced rugs, saddle bags and more.","provenance":"Amman","obtention":"Purchased","bibliography":"Rashid, Abdallah, *Traditional life in Amman from 1878-1948*, Amman: Ministry of Culture and Youth, 1983.","author":"Samia Khouri","copy_editor":"Lisa Kelman","materials":["Wood"]},"a99de48f-5471-5f11-b9a5-a352553d63e9":{"name":"Spiral vine carpet","description":"This fragment, at first glance unimpressive, must have been part of a very large carpet. Measuring almost two metres, it shows a short section of the right border, a small area of the white-ground field and a part of a brown medallion, presumably a corner medallion, truncated by the border. The preserved motifs suffice to assign the carpet to the early Safavid period. Thus, for example, the brown medallion lies on top of the red vines of the field, meaning that both pattern levels are perceived separately from each other – a perception that is later lost. The apricot-coloured forked leaves in the field are arranged in parallel with their vertical edges. They lie on the red vines and give rhythm to the field design. This ornamentation is frequently found in the 15th and early 16th century in Timurid book art (1370–1507). The geometric-looking design of the large forked leaf in the brown medallion speaks in favour of an early dating. The filigree design of the border is also traditional in the carpet depictions of the Timurids. But since no Timurid carpets have been preserved, it would be only with caution that this can be ascribed to the artistic work of the Timurids.","type":"Carpet fragment","holder":"Museum of Islamic Art at the Pergamon Museum","dates":"AD 1st half of the 16th century","location":"Berlin","dimensions":"L: 185, W: 101","method_for_datation":"The carpet has been dated on stylistic analysis of its pattern, due to its colours and knot-technique","method_for_provenance":"The carpet has been located on stylistic analysis of its pattern, due to its colours and knot-technique","provenance":"Northwest Persia","obtention":"Purchased 1889 by the Kunstgewerbemusem, Berlin from Franz Bock; 1969 transferred through the Kunstgewerbemuseum, Berlin","bibliography":"Beselin, Anna, *Geknüpfte Kunst. Teppiche des Museums für Islamische Kunst*, Berlin: Minerva, 2011.","author":"Anna Beselin","keywords":["Fragment","Franz Bock"],"materials":["wool","cotton","knotted pile carpet","asymmetrical knot"]},"aa65e43b-2697-5ab6-8268-8bf7323bae3c":{"name":"Qashqa´i kilim","description":"In the 11th century, the Turkic peoples immigrated from Central Asia to Persia and probably lived first in northwestern Persia. It is unknown when the Qashqa´i moved to the southwest, but certainly at the latest when Turkmen conquered the Fars region in the middle of the 15th century. Many ethnic groups in southern and southwestern Persia, including several non-Turkmen, produced pile weavings and flatweaves. We have mainly come across works dating from the end of the 19th century to the first third of the 20th century. Due to confederations, pattern transfers and other considerations, it is not always possible to make a clear tribal attribution, especially with flatweaves. Some pieces are called \"Qashqa´i\" to indicate the outstanding quality of the work. The colour canon, pattern and shape, as well as material and fineness of this piece, suggest that it is a work of the Darashuri (sub-tribe of the Qashqa´i). The infinite repetition of colour-changing diamonds in free succession, often filled with diamonds and smaller cross shapes, appears both cheerful and unconstrained as well as powerfully determined. With its free, lively design, this flatweave is a characteristic example of a slit tapestry by southwestern Persia nomads.","type":"Carpet/cover/hanging","holder":"Museum für Völkerkunde Dresden (Ethnological Museum Dresden), Dresden State Art Collections","dates":"Late 19th century–early 20th century","location":"Dresden, Saxony","dimensions":"Length: 260cm, Width: 150cm","provenance":"South West Persian, Fars region","obtention":"Purchased from a Dresden private household in 1984.","bibliography":"Opie, J., *Tribal Rugs*, Portland, London: Laurence King Publishing, 1992: 116, plate 7.14.  \nPetsopoulos, Y., *Der Kelim*, Munich: Prestel, 1980: no. 388, 391.  \nRippon Boswell & Co., *Katalog Nr. 40. Große Frühjahrsauktion*, Wiesbaden: Rippon Boswell & Co, 1994: no. 172.  \nSadighi, H. and Hawkes, K., *Kelims der Nomaden und Bauern Persiens*, Berlin: Galerie Neiriz, 1990: plate 37, 39, 40.","author":"Simone Jansen","copy_editor":"Janice Medina","keywords":["Tribal"],"materials":["slit tapestry weave","wool"]},"aac59dc1-2358-5b8f-bfbe-7471da6800c9":{"name":"Floral Rug","description":"One of the very few Mughal carpets the Budapest Museum of Applied Arts owns dates from the late 17th century and was probably made in Lahore. The museum bought it from an unknown person for 15,000 crowns between 1915 and 1924 and showed it at the 1924 exhibition together with two other Indian carpets. The central field features the small scrolling vine-and-blossom pattern common on *Herat* carpets, while the ornamentation and colouring bears the traits of Mughal carpets; sickle-shaped wisteria among flowers and palmettes and *ton-sur-ton* colouring (areas lighter than the ground without contours). The main border consists of red, undyed and ochre round and oblong cartouches with little floral decorations on a dark blue ground. There is an analogue of the irregular cartouches on a late 16th-century or early 17th-century Lahore carpet from the collection of Vojtech Blau, Inc., New York City, formerly in the von Pannwitz Collection, Heemstede. The Lahore carpet is the same size and with similar ornamentation, but earlier, from the second quarter of the 17th century. It was formerly held in the collection of the Corcoran Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C., William A. Clark Collection (26.297). The carpet was auctioned in 2013.","type":"Carpet","holder":"Museum of Applied Arts","dates":"Late 17th century","location":"Budapest","dimensions":"Height: 203cm, Width: 141.5cm, Knot density: 1,755/dm2","method_for_datation":"Stylistic analysis","method_for_provenance":"Manufacturing techniques and stylistic analysis","provenance":"Lahore, North India (now Pakistan)","obtention":"Acquisition unknown","bibliography":"Batári, Ferenc, *Csomózott indiai, kelet turkesztáni, kínai, tibeti és európai szőnyegek: Kiállítás a Miskolci Galériában a Budapesti Iparművészeti Múzeum gyűjteményéből / Knotted Rugs from India, Eastern-Turkestan, China, Tibet and Europe: Exhibition in the Miskolc Gallery from the Collection of the Budapest Museum of Applied Arts*, Miskolc: Miskolci Galéria, 1980: no. 2 and figure.  \nCsányi, Károly (ed), *Magyar Szőnyegkedvelők Egyesületének régi keleti szőnyegkiállítása az Orsz. Magyar Iparművészeti Múzeumban/Early Oriental Carpet Exhibition of the Hungarian Carpet Collectors' Association in the National Hungarian Museum of Applied Arts*, Budapest: Iparművészeti Múzeum \\[Museum of Applied Arts\\], 1924: 32, no. 149.  \nLedács Kiss, Aladár and Szüts, Béláné, *Ismerjük meg a keleti szőnyegeket/Let's Get to Know the Oriental Carpet*, Budapest: Gondolat, 1977: figure T.96.  \nLayer, Károly (ed), *Régi perzsa szőnyegek kiállítása, leíró-lajstrom/Early Persian Carpets Exhibition. Descriptive List*, Budapest: Iparművészeti Múzeum \\[Museum of Applied Arts\\], 1936: no. 40.  \nPásztor, Emese, Budapest's Best-Kept Secrets, *HALI*, 185 (Autumn 2015): 72, figure 3.  \nSotheby’s Important Carpets from the William A. Clark Collection, *Corcoran Gallery of Art*, 5 June 2013: Lot. 24.  \nWalker, Daniel, *Flowers Underfoot, Indian Carpets of the Mughal Era. The Metropolitan Museum of Arts*, New York: Metropolitan Museum of Art, 1997: 70, fig. 64 (cat. no. 15).","author":"Emese Pásztor","copy_editor":"Valerie Pulsifer","translator":"Alan Campbell","keywords":["floral decoration","wool","Mughal rug","cotton"],"materials":["Warp: Undyed cotton","3 shoots","depressed","Weft: Pink cotton","Pile: wool","Asymmetric knot","Open to the left"]},"aad32718-fb08-549a-94e5-925277ba5ba9":{"name":"Pile carpet fragment","description":"This long, narrow fragment appears to comprise approximately one-eighth of a small carpet-cushion, whose original dimensions were approximately 42cm square, as indicated by the two surviving outer selvedges which establish its width. The few small patterns found in the narrow main border (width 7.5 cm.) – bands, lozenges, and white cotton dots – are the standard form of decoration on small carpet-cushions. There was originally a perimetric *tiraz*, as evidenced by the word *Allah* which is woven in undyed cotton, as in Benaki 16151. The thickness of the pile is 4-5 mm and microscopic examination shows it to have been roughly handled, as with Benaki 16148. A possible explanation is that the carpets underwent a scraping in a fuller’s workshop.","type":"Carpet-cushion","holder":"Benaki Museum","dates":"8th-10th century","location":"Athens","dimensions":"5.5x41.5 cm","method_for_datation":"It belongs to a group of fragments attributed to Egypt and their dating between the 8th and the 11th century. In addition, the form of the *kufic* inscription belongs to this period","method_for_provenance":"Factors that determine the provenance: 1. The use of linen, which is the basic Egyptian fibre, for both warps and wefts; 2. The left-twisting (S) spin of the materials is also an Egyptian feature. Linen warps S-spun, Z-plied are found in Coptic fabrics of the 9th-10th century. Right-twisted spinning (Z) is rarely found in Group A; 3. The technique of weaving with cut-pile loops which continues the long-standing Egyptian tradition of weaving with a pile made of loops; 4. The pattern, colouring and techniques of this group fragments bear a close resemblance to contemporaneous Coptic textiles. 5. The fragments display similarities to certain inscribed and non-inscribed fragments from Fustat.","provenance":"Egypt","obtention":"Purchased from Fokion Tanos","bibliography":"Published in Theologou, J., Ozoline, A., Sartzetakis, Y., \"Fustat Carpet Fragments\", *Hali*, 156 (summer 2008): 65-71.","author":"Mina Moraitou","keywords":["wool","Fustat fragment","inscription band","geometric","linen","kufic script"]},"aaed4a61-bb16-58f5-a602-11699296667c":{"name":"The Dietrichstein Carpet","description":"An 18th century, or possibly 19th century, Iranian pile carpet with a large lobbed pink medallion dominating the centre of a dark blue field, framed by a yellow ground border. The central medallion is decorated with an ivory arabesque scroll amongst which are multi-coloured flowers joined by a network of blue stems. The centre-field is crammed with rows of large palmettes, some of which have sharply cerates edges so much so that they look like flames. Between the palmettes are pairs of elongated and wavy Chinese cloud bands in various colours. The border is decorated with three different sizes of multi-coloured palmettes spread in a repeat pattern on a scrolling network of vegetal stems.  \n  \nThe Dietrichstein carpet came from a princely castle that belonged to the Bohemian and Austrian Dietrichstein family, whose seat was in the city of Nikolsburg in southern Moravia and near the Austrian border (known today as Mikulov in the Czech Republic). A descendent of the Dietrichsteins, and the man who sold it in 1929, claimed that the carpet had lain in the throne room of Nikolsburg Castle up to then. The Dietrichsteins were an important noble family during the 17th and 18th centuries, with connections and positions in the Austrian court. When the carpet was sold in 1929 by the then incumbent Prince Alexander Dietrichstein (1899 – 1964), he claimed that the carpet had been a gift to one of his ancestors by the Empress Maria Theresa (r. 1748 – 1780), who had in turn received it as a gift from the Shah of Persia. This story is now thought to be most probably fanciful family lore.","type":"Carpet","holder":"Glasgow Museums - The Burrell Collection","dates":"18th century (possibly 19th century)","location":"Glasgow, Scotland","dimensions":"H: 4877mm, W: 2236mm","method_for_datation":"Manufacturing techniques and stylistic analysis","method_for_provenance":"Stylistic and structural analysis","provenance":"Iran, Tabriz (possibly)","obtention":"Gifted by Sir William and Lady Burrell to the City of Glasgow, 1944","workshop":"Iran, Tabriz (possibly)","author":"Noorah Al-Gailani","keywords":["vegetal arabesque","diplomatic gift","medallion","palmette","cloud pattern"],"materials":["wool pile","Cotton warp and weft"]},"ab2ad44c-568d-5824-b3c4-9961e9edec7a":{"name":"Ceramic Floor","description":"One of the oldest and rarest ceramic floors in Portugal, possibly dating from the building campaign promoted by King Afonso V (r.1438‒81), in the mid-15th century.  \nTradition has it that King Afonso VI (r.1656‒83) wore down the floor as he walked back and forth from his bed to the window overlooking the Sintra mountains. The truth, however, is that this floor was already more than two centuries old when he was imprisoned here, between 1674 and 1683, by order of his brother, King Pedro II (r.1683‒1706).  \nThe rare and valuable floor in this room presents a composition that combines various types of ceramic techniques and decorative styles, imbuing the tile set with dynamism, colour and originality.  \nThis is one of the oldest rooms in the palace and the only compartment of the palace that has an iron-barred window. The Palatine Chapel’s ceramic floor may date from the same period as this one.","type":"Ceramic floor-surface covering","holder":"National Palace of Sintra","owner":"Portuguese State","dates":"15th century","location":"Sintra","dimensions":"Approx. H: 5.50m, W: 5.30m (approx 30m2)","method_for_datation":"Other art historians have dated the Palatine Chapel ceramic floor to the 15th century, probably contemporary with King Afonso V (1432‒81; r. 1438‒81). This monarch was born and died at the Royal Palace of Sintra and resided there frequently, as demonstrated by the countless documents signed by him here. Like King Duarte (1391‒38; r. 1433‒38), his father, King Afonso V seems to have held a special affection for the Palace at Sintra and carried out various improvements. He undertook the expansion and embellishment of the Palatine Chapel, probably from the mid-15th century (possibly between 1448 and 1476).  \nThe absence of cobalt blue in the ceramic floor reinforces the theory about its age.","method_for_provenance":"Stylistic analysis and documents","provenance":"Iberian Peninsula","obtention":"In situ, commissioned by the king","bibliography":"Meco, José, *O Azulejo em Portugal*, Lisbon: Publicações Alfa, 1989.  \nSabugosa, Conde de, *O Paço de Cintra*, Lisbon: Imprensa Nacional, 1903.  \nSantos, Reinaldo dos, *O azulejo em Portugal*, Lisbon: Editorial Sul Limitada, 1957.  \nSimões, J. M. dos Santos, *Azulejaria em Portugal nos Séculos XV e XVI: Introdução Geral*, Lisbon: Fundação Calouste Gulbenkian, 1990.  \nTrindade, Rui André Alves, *Revestimentos Cerâmicos Portugueses: Meados do século XIV à primeira metade do século XVI*, Lisbon: Edições Colibri, 2007.","workshop":"Mudéjar","author":"National Palace of Sintra","translator":"Lily Chadwick","translation_copy_editor":"Mandi Gomez","keywords":["ceramic","alicatado","tiles","Hispano-Muslim","mosaic","Mudéjar","15th century","Portugal","Royal Palace","Afonso V"],"materials":["Glazed clay tiles","alicatado and cuerda-seca tile composition"]},"ab4e426c-8d5c-55f7-aabf-1a580562cf9b":{"name":"Prayer hanging","short_description":"Pieced together from numerous embroidered fabric scraps, this cotton hanging is suggestive of a mihrab, or prayer niche. The arched \"niche\" form at center is formed by juxtaposing light fabrics against dark reds. In the Qur'an, God (Allah) is likened to the presence of a lustrous lamp in a niche. Hence, lamps are often placed in niches in mosques and, similarly, they are depicted in niches on tile panels and textiles. In this textile, two stylized lamps extend outward from the top of the arch.","type":"Islamic, Indian & Southeast Asian works of art; Moroccan cotton textile","holder":"Shangri La, Doris Duke Foundation for Islamic Art","dates":"Hegira c. 1214 / AD 1800","location":"Honolulu, Hawai'i","dimensions":"Overall: 224.8 x 171.5 cm","provenance":"North Africa (Morocco or Algeria)","keywords":["floral decoration","rug","geometric motifs","mihrab","North Africa","cotton","carpet"],"materials":["cotton"]},"ac82d495-0ecf-5ced-bc7a-791a0ede9ca4":{"name":"Milas Prayer Rug","description":"This prayer rug was woven in the Milas region, one of the most important rug producing centres of Anatolia. It differs from typical Milas prayer rugs because it is without a *mihrab*. Rather, the design uses a central rectangle in place of the *mihrab*. The rug borders are decorated with rosettes, dragons and stylized clove strings arranged from outside to inside. The same motifs are repeated in the main ground.","type":"Prayer rug","holder":"Ethnography Museum","dates":"19th century","location":"Ankara","dimensions":"L: 174cm, W: 104cm","method_for_datation":"The analyses of the material and the technique used for weaving the rug and the motifs seen on main ground and borders.","provenance":"West Anatolia, Muğla, Milas","obtention":"Acquisition unknown","bibliography":"Unpublished","author":"Mehmet Demir","copy_editor":"Lisa Kelman","keywords":["West Anatolian","Milas Prayer Rug"],"materials":["Natural wool coloured with natural dyes","symmetrical knot","Gördes knot"]},"acea7b6c-81a3-5243-a0e8-bd0919e565b5":{"name":"Compartment Rug","description":"Although faded, this rug is beautiful and ornate. Inspired by older Egyptian Mamluk rugs it contains floral, star, and geometric motifs. The field of this carpet is divided into six compartments by its inner most frame. In each compartment is a hexagon filled with symmetrical decoration, centering around a star. This carpet was cut in half and was resewn together. The design on the Weld of this carpet—hexagons placed in a continuous grid of rectangular compartments—as well as the border design, is thought to be inspired by the older Mamluk rugs of Egypt.","type":"Carpet; Floor coverings","holder":"Philadelphia Museum of Art","dates":"Early 17th century","location":"Philadelphia, Pennsylvania","dimensions":"186.7 x 137.2cm (6 feet 1 1/2 inches x 4 feet 6 inches)","provenance":"Syria, Asia (possibly made in Damascus)","obtention":"The Joseph Lees Williams Memorial Collection, 1955","bibliography":"Ellis, Charles Grant, *Oriental Carpets in the Philadelphia Museum of Art*, Philadelphia: Philadelphia Museum of Art, 1988: cat. 41.  \nValentiner, Wilhelm R., *Catalogue of a Loan Exhibition of Early Oriental Rugs*, New York: MET, 1910: Western Asia Minor, mid-16th century.","author":"Quintin Blumka","copy_editor":"Xena Wang","keywords":["rug","carpet"],"materials":["Wool and possibly goat hair"]},"ae562d58-2b83-5553-b963-06580bd6fc01":{"name":"Tree & Shrub Cartouche Carpet","description":"An 18th century north-west Iranian “tree-and-shrub-cartouche” pile carpet, with a multi-coloured centre-field containing more than fifteen small gardens, one in each of its cartouches. Each of the centre-field’s geometrical cartouches has a different coloured background including red, green, yellow, turquoise and dark blue gardens. The slightly distorted cartouches would have been originally eight-pointed star compartments. Each compartment holds a miniature garden with a variety of flowering shrubs and trees and a small pond or a stream at the foot of the main tree. The carpet is framed by a narrow ivory and dark blue border that contains a repeat arabesque motif.  \n  \nThe multi-garden design of this carpet is inspired by earlier carpets of the “Wagner Garden” carpet type, which is also owned by the Burrell Collection. See carpet no. 9.2.","type":"Carpet","holder":"Glasgow Museums - The Burrell Collection","dates":"18th century","location":"Glasgow, Scotland","dimensions":"H: 6121mm, W: 2108mm","method_for_datation":"Manufacturing techniques and stylistic analysis","method_for_provenance":"Stylistic analysis","provenance":"Northwest Iran","obtention":"Gifted by Sir William and Lady Burrell to the City of Glasgow, 1944","workshop":"Northwest Iran workshop","author":"Noorah Al-Gailani","keywords":["river","floral motif","shrub","cartouche","geometric compartment","garden","water","tree motif","cypress"],"materials":["wool pile","Wool warp and weft"]},"ae7c4ab2-69d3-5454-816e-13b25357dc86":{"name":"Multiple-niche prayer kilim (*saf*)","description":"The multiple-niche prayer carpets, called *saf* (from the Arabic word for “row”), are sometimes improperly referred to as “family” prayer rugs. They were used in mosques, their particular design allowing several people to pray one next to the other. Here, the uneven colour areas in the *mihrab* field, the somewhat irregular shape of the arches, and the stylised vegetal motifs are indicative of its tribal, probably Kurdish, provenance. Unlike most large Anatolian kilims, made of two narrow bands, this one is made of only one piece. The Arabic inscriptions and the fact that the carpet was dated make it all the more valuable.","type":"Prayer kilim","holder":"The National Museum of Art of Romania","dates":"Dated Hegira 1253 / AD 1837–1838","location":"Bucharest","dimensions":"H: 219cm, W: 323cm","method_for_datation":"Dated; stylistic analysis; dye analysis; presence of metal strip","provenance":"Turkey, eastern Anatolia, Malatya","obtention":"Purchased; formerly in the Dr Iosif N. Dona Collection","bibliography":"Dunca, Mircea, *Islamic Art at the National Museum of Art of Romania*, Bucharest: Muzeul Naţional de Artă al României, 2015: no. 13.","author":"Mircea Dunca","translator":"Victoria Gheorghita","translation_copy_editor":"Mandi Gomez","keywords":["saf","Kurdish"],"materials":["metal strip","wool","kilim weave"]},"aeca6cc5-9faf-56c7-b2d1-f951f8663c0e":{"name":"Kilim, *Smyrna pattern*","description":"*Smyrna pattern* (*smirjanska šara*) is a very popular Pirot kilim pattern. The horizontal division of kilim surface through the use of rectangular boxes (*kuveri*) is characteristic for this pattern. The boxes contain rows of rhomboid ornaments, with *bibice* ornaments inside the shape and hooks on the outer borders. The borders of the boxes are decorated with *octopus* (*oktapod*) ornament, flanked with feathers. Between the boxes runs a frieze composed of *glasses* (*očila*) motif. A wide border (*ploča*) contains alternately *turtle* (*kornjača*) and *čurlinjak* ornaments. The colours used are: red, white, blue, green, brown and orange.","type":"Carpet","holder":"Museum of Applied Art","dates":"Late 19th century","location":"Belgrade","dimensions":"H: 267cm, W: 271cm","method_for_datation":"By stylistic analysis, material and technique","provenance":"Pirot","obtention":"Purchased in 1981","bibliography":"Cvetković, M., *Igra šarenih niti: Kolekcija pirotskih ćilima Etnografskog muzeja u Beogradu*, Belgrade: Etnografski muzej, 2008.  \nVitković-Žikić, M., *Pirotski ćilimi = Les Kilims de Pirot*, Belgrade: Muzej primenjene umetnosti, 2001.  \nPetković, M., and Vlatković, R., *Pirotski ćilim* \\[Abstract in English\\], Belgrade: Srpska akademija nauka i umetnosti, 1996.  \nStojanović, D., *Pirotski ćilimi* \\[Summary in English\\], Belgrade: Muzej primenjene umetnosti, 1987.","author":"Draginja Maskareli","keywords":["weave","wool","Şarköy","Pirot","Kilim"],"materials":["weaving","wool"]},"aecdf245-c267-5f1f-8bd4-3d182a56e623":{"name":"Loom weight","description":"Early loom weights found in the ancient city of Assoss, today known as Behramkale, a small historically rich town in the Ayvacık district of the Çanakkale Province, Turkey. These provide evidence the textile industry existed in the region since the Chalcolithic Period and the Bronze Age. Loom weights prevented tangling by weighting to give tension on individual yarns to enable weaving.","type":"Loom weight","holder":"Department of Antiquities","owner":"Department of Antiquities","dates":"3000-2500 BC","location":"Amman","dimensions":"Dia: 5-8cm","method_for_datation":"Excavation team in Amman Citadel","provenance":"Amman Citadel","obtention":"Excavation/Amman Citadel","bibliography":"Ibrahim, Moawiyah, *et al.*, *Museum of Jordanian Heritage*, Amman-Jordan: Yarmouk University, 1988.","author":"Samia Khouri","copy_editor":"Lisa Kelman","materials":["Clay / mud"]},"aed82efb-32d2-5811-bb33-9c50bdadf8ac":{"name":"Textile fragment","description":"This fragment is an exceptional example of Buyid dynasty (945–1055) textiles from both a historical and an aesthetic viewpoint. The frieze is adorned with two-headed eagles carrying a winged creature and with stylized trees. The light-brown motifs are embellished with epigraphs that are particularly noticeable on the tops of the trees and on the band bordering the textile’s upper edge. The fragment’s style and iconography are similar to those of a group of four textiles discovered in the ancient necropolis of Nakhara Khanah, near Rayy. It remains to be determined whether this textile was designed to serve as a shroud or was selected from the belongings of the deceased.","type":"Textile fragment","holder":"Montreal Museum of Fine Arts","dates":"11th century","location":"Montreal, Quebec","dimensions":"21cm x 51.5cm","method_for_datation":"The date was attributed by Gaston Wiet, *Soieries persanes*, Cairo: Imprimerie de l’Institut français d’archéologie orientale, 1948: pp. 35–41, no. 4. Two comparable examples are in the collection of the Cleveland Museum of Art (nos. 55.52 and 62.264).","provenance":"Iran, Rayy","obtention":"Gift of F. Cleveland Morgan  \nGift of F. Cleveland Morgan in 1946, purchased from the Iranian Institute in New York the same year","bibliography":"Coulin Weibel, Adele, *Two Thousand Years of Textiles*, New York: Pantheon, 1952: 107.  \nGrube, Ernst J., *The World of Islam*, Toronto: McGraw-Hill, 1966: 42.  \nSalam-Liebich, Hayat, *Art islamique: objets du quotidien / Islamic Art: Objects for Daily Use*, Montreal: Montreal Museum of Fine Arts, 1983: 64.  \nSalam-Liebich, Hayat, “Masterpieces of Persian Textiles from the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts Collection”, *Iranian Studies*, 25.1–2 (1992): 19–29, 19, fig. 1.  \nShepherd, Dorothy G., “Medieval Persian Silks in Fact and Fancy”, *Bulletin de liaison du CIETA (Centre internationale d'étude des textiles anciens)*, 39‒40 (1974): 1–135.  \nUpham Pope, Arthur, *Masterpieces of Persian Art*, New York: Dryden Press, 1945: 72.  \nWiet, Gaston, *Soieries persanes*, Cairo: Imprimerie de l’Institut français d’archéologie orientale, 1948: 10.","author":"Shirin Shafiee","copy_editor":"Mandi Gomez","keywords":["Persian textile","silks","epigraphs","Buyid art","Islamic textile"],"materials":["silk"]},"af528e34-709f-5115-84f5-d579ab9b2848":{"name":"*Tekke* Turkmen Main Carpet with Nine Rows of Four Major Tribal *Guls* in Repeat","short_description":"A large rectangular knotted pile carpet of a type known as \"main carpets,\" the primary floor covering used in Turkmen tents. It is decorated with nine rows of four major tribal *guls* in repeat, with 36 *guls* in the main field and a traditional palette, with a range of reds, cream, black, and dark blue. This carpet can be attributed to the *Tekke* subgroup of the Turkmen nomads based on the specific form of the *gul* motifs, which are unique to each tribal unit.  \nThe red field of the carpet has a repeat pattern of lobed, elongated medallions arranged in four vertical rows. Blue lines, running through the centers of the medallions, divide the field into rectangular compartments. Each medallion with an orange-red or a white section encloses a star motif in red and green, or red and blue, with a smaller star-shaped form in red and white. Stylized floral forms in red and brown issue from the star motifs. Between the medallions are cross-shaped designs in white, blue, orange, and red. The border contains a row of octagonal medallions alternately in white, red, blue, or green. Each octagon encloses rosettes or star motifs in red and blue or green. The medallions are separated by bands with various geometrical designs. The guard bands, running only on three sides, are divided into narrow stripes in white, yellow, red, blue, and green. The guard stripes have a chequered pattern.","type":"Textiles","holder":"Saint Louis Art Museum","dates":"Hegira Early 12th to early 13th century / AD 19th century","location":"Saint Louis","dimensions":"Length: 245.1cm x Width: 205.7cm","method_for_datation":"Scholarly review and/or comparison to similar objects from the period.","method_for_provenance":"This carpet can be attributed to the Tekke subgroup of the Turkmen nomads based on the specific form of the *gul* motifs, which are unique to each tribal unit.","provenance":"Central Asia, Turkmenistan, Asia","obtention":"Gift of James F. Ballard, 1930","bibliography":"Denny, Walter and Farnham, Thomas, *The Carpet and the Connoisseur: The James F. Ballard Collection of Oriental Rugs*, Saint Louis: The Saint Louis Art Museum, 2016.","keywords":["Turkmenistan","wool","Central","Tekke","Turkman","textile","carpet","Asia","Turkmen"],"materials":["open right","wool","approximately 68Vx36-37H per decimetre","asymmetrical knot"]},"af7f5194-49a0-5f8a-ab0a-57d05311dec3":{"name":"*Shadda*","description":"The cells are completely separated from the central area by a yellow stripe. Each cell is decorated with diamond shape elements. The borders on both sides are also made up of small diamond shaped elements.","type":"Carpet","holder":"Azerbaijan National Museum of Art","owner":"Azerbaijan National Museum of Art","dates":"Date unknown, purchased by the Museum in the 19th century","location":"Baku","dimensions":"H: 290cm, W: 130cm","method_for_datation":"The date is not certain, but research and documentary evidence suggests a maker in Garabagh","method_for_provenance":"Information offered by the seller has been further researched and corroborated by experts at the Museum","provenance":"Garabagh, Azerbaijan","obtention":"Purchased in the 19th century","bibliography":"Rasim Efendiyev, *Azărbai̐jan khalg sănăti / Folk Art of Azerbaijan*, Azerbaijan, Baku: Ishyg, 1984 (text in Azerbaijani, English and Russian).","author":"Emin Suleymanov","copy_editor":"Mandi Gomez","keywords":["Shadda","Azerbaijan","carpet"],"materials":["Wool warp and weft","plain weave"]},"b0443bbb-eb01-54f9-8118-65a65bdd2b41":{"name":"Carpet","description":"Besides imports, carpets were produced locally in Portugal for domestic consumption. Persian carpets, specifically, greatly influenced the embroidered carpets in the workshops in Arraiolos, in the Alentejo region of Portugal, from the late 16th century onwards. This testifies to the esteem to which these carpets were held and to the high demand for them by various strata in Portuguese society, especially during the 17th century. In the Arraiolos wool-embroidered versions, which incorporated the Arraiolos-stitch or *ponto de Arraiolos*, knotted-pile carpets underwent a real metamorphosis.  \nThis carpet derives from the “vine scroll” carpets, the largest group of Iranian knotted-pile examples in the National Museum of Ancient Art’s collection. It is an excellent example of the creative process of the transposition of Oriental carpet pattern-design, through embroidery, which characterised the manufacture at Arraiolos during the early 17th century. Its decorative composition closely follows that of contemporary Iranian sources with its distinctive palmettes, lotus flowers and S-shaped cloud scrolls (*tchi*) on a green background. Simultaneously, new motifs were introduced, such as small birds, a heart-shape with three keys and three initials at the centre of the field, and four deer in the corners of the field.","type":"Textile; carpet","holder":"National Museum of Ancient Art","dates":"First third of the 17th century","location":"Lisbon","dimensions":"H: 340cm, W: 213cm","method_for_datation":"Technical information provided by Teresa Pacheco Pereira","method_for_provenance":"Stylistic analysis and material dating","provenance":"Portugal, Arraiolos","obtention":"Transferred from the Convent of Santa Helena do Calvário, Évora, Portugal, in 1889","bibliography":"Leite, Maria Fernanda Passos, “Tapetes de Arraiolos”, in *Artes decorativas portuguesas no Museu Nacional de Arte Antiga: Séculos XV‒XVIII*, Lisbon: MNAA, 1979: 145‒65.  \nMendonça, Maria José de, “Tapetes de Arraiolos”, in Barreira, João (ed.), *Arte Portuguesa – Artes Decorativas*, Lisbon: Excelsior, n.d.  \nPereira, Teresa Pacheco, *Tapetes de Arraiolos*, Lisbon: SILVIP, 1991.","workshop":"Arraiolos, Portugal","author":"Ana Kol","translator":"Lily Chadwick","translation_copy_editor":"Mandi Gomez","keywords":["17th century","Arraiolos stitch","ponto de Arraiolos","Slavic cross-stitch","embroidery","Portugal","Arraiolos","carpet"],"materials":["embroidered","oblique or Slavic cross-stitch (known as ponto de Arraiolos)","Linen and wool"]},"b049bda5-eeb5-5e1b-97c2-cbcd748804fc":{"name":"Arraiolos carpet","description":"The existence of this and of other Arraiolos carpets in the collections of Portuguese museums mainly results from the transfer of assets and portable heritage into the public domain after the abolition of the religious orders and convents in Portugal (1834). Such a reality helps better to understand the contexts of use correspondent to these carpets: apart from the private domestic domain, to which their origin is associated, the Arraiolos carpets had the same function as other imported carpets and served as ornamentation in sacred spaces as well.  \nThis example, embroidered in a very small stitch, shows vegetal and floral decoration inspired by the classic motifs of oriental carpets, namely the Persian *herati* design, with a field dominated by a central medallion and border. Complementing the medallion, which stands out due to its dimensions, with a diameter of 114 cm, and colouring, the remaining field shows palmettes, cloudbands, lotus flowers and giant open flowers, interconnected by geometrising ramifications. The border stands out due to the notability of its curvilinear design, winding into a volute – interrupted, at each of its corners, by wide, palmette motifs – which appears in opposition to the more simple designs that tend to be characteristic of these elements in Arraiolos carpets.  \nThe predominant tones are brown, yellow, green, blue, red (almost entirely faded) and ivory.","type":"Textile; carpet","holder":"National Museum Machado de Castro","dates":"17th century (1677‒1700)","location":"Coimbra","dimensions":"H: 363cm, W: 182.5cm; stitch density 756 (27 x 28)/dm2","method_for_datation":"According to bibliographic sources, the initial date of 1677 marks the transfer of the Clarissas community to the new Monastery of Santa Clara-a-Nova","provenance":"Monastery of Santa Clara-a-Nova (Order of Saint Claire), Coimbra, Portugal","obtention":"Transferred from the Monastery of Santa Clara-a-Nova, Coimbra. The transfer from the Monastery of Santa Clara-a-Nova, Coimbra, is documented.","bibliography":"Mendonça, Maria José de, “Tapetes de Arraiolos”, in João Barreira (ed.), *Arte Portuguesa ‒ As Artes Decorativas*, Lisbon: Excelsior, n.d.  \n*Museu Machado de Castro ‒ Secção de tecidos, bordados, tapeçarias e tapetes. Catálogo-guia*, Coimbra: Coimbra Editora,1943, p. 91, cat. no. 16 (1).  \nOliveira, Fernando Baptista de, *História e Técnica dos Tapetes de Arraiolos*, Lisbon: Fundação Calouste Gulbenkian, 1973.  \nPereira, Teresa Pacheco, *Tapetes de Arraiolos*, Lisbon: SILVIP, 1991.","workshop":"Arraiolos, Portugal","author":"Pedro Miguel Ferrão","translator":"Lily Chadwick","translation_copy_editor":"Mandi Gomez","keywords":["palmettes","Arraiolos","carpet","flowers","herati design","central field","border"],"materials":["Burlap","oblique or Slavic cross-stitch (known as ponto de Arraiolos)","wool","embroidery"]},"b0ceeddd-b46f-5341-8b89-7b905eabd03a":{"name":"Bordjalou Kazak","description":"Kazak rugs were made in the south central Caucasus, between Tbilisi in Georgia and Erivan in Armenia. The area is bordered by the Ganja area to the northeast and Karabakh area to the southeast.  \nKazak rugs from the Bordjalou district south of Tbilisi have a characteristic double-hooked, zig-zag border. In some rugs, the zig-zag line is doubled or tripled. Medium blue and red are typical colours.  \nRectangular central field is decorated with 5 by 3 rows of polychrome *kochak* (ram's horns) medallions on red ground. A distinctive feature is a wide frame of double hooked zig zag border.","type":"Carpet","holder":"Museum of Arts and Crafts","dates":"c. 1880","location":"Zagreb","dimensions":"H: 204cm, W: 156cm","method_for_datation":"By stylistic analysis","method_for_provenance":"By stylistic analysis","provenance":"Caucasus","obtention":"Unknown","author":"Andrea Klobučar","translator":"Petra Milovac","translation_copy_editor":"Daniel de la Vega","keywords":["Bordjalou","Kazak","Caucasus"],"materials":["knotted carpet","wool","symmetrical knots"]},"b2648886-b553-5399-8946-93cb4e8f1c49":{"name":"‘Transylvanian’ prayer rug","description":"The term “Transylvanian” rug is used to designate 17th- and 18th-century rugs preserved in large numbers in the Saxon churches of Transylvania, whose provenance, considered once to be Transylvanian, is, in fact, western Anatolian. Some of these rugs feature the *mihrab* design, typical of prayer rugs; in most cases though, the prayer niche becomes a purely decorative element devoid of its original meaning, a fashionable motif popular with carpet buyers outside the Islamic world. Here, the plain red field of the *mihrab* contrasts with the main border richly decorated with alternating rosettes and palmettes encircled by lancet-shaped leaves – a simplified version of the classical court rug border. The flower on the pointed top of the *mihrab* symmetrically divides the composition with highly stylised carnations and serrated leaves represented in the yellow and blue spandrels; as such, different coloured spandrels are rather unusual.","type":"Prayer rug","holder":"The National Museum of Art of Romania","dates":"Late 17th century","location":"Bucharest","dimensions":"H: 160cm, W: 117cm; knot density ver. 28/dm; hor. 34/dm; 952/dm2","method_for_datation":"Stylistic analysis","provenance":"Western Anatolia","obtention":"Purchased from the owner","bibliography":"Dunca, Mircea, *Covoare turceşti, secolele XVII–XX*, Bucharest: Muzeul Naţional de Artă al României, 1994: cat. 12.  \nDunca, Mircea, *Islamic Art at the National Museum of Art of Romania*, Bucharest: Muzeul Naţional de Artă al României, 2015: no. 3.  \nIonescu, Stefano (ed.), *Antique Ottoman Rugs in Transylvania*, ed. II, Rome: Verduci Editore, 2007: 201.  \nZigura, Alexandra, *Covoare turceşti din colecţia muzeului*, Bucharest: Muzeul de Artă al Republicii Socialiste România, 1966: 30–1.","author":"Mircea Dunca","translator":"Victoria Gheorghita","translation_copy_editor":"Mandi Gomez","keywords":["Transylvanian rug","prayer rug"],"materials":["wool","knotted","symmetrical knot"]},"b38891de-f49d-5dd2-b4f0-dec5aad2f1bf":{"name":"Carpet-Qajar Portrait","short_description":"This wool rug depicts fifty-one prominent personalities across history in an assemblage portrait. Like many Iranian carpets in the 19th century, this textile reflects the emergence during the Qajar dynasty of pictorial carpets displaying religious, historical or literary scenes.  \nAmong prophets like Moses, Solomon, and Jesus, are men known throughout Asian history such as Genghis Khan and Confucius. In addition, Socrates, Christopher Columbus and Napoleon Bonaparte contribute to this group portrait.  \n  \nThe border, an essential element in Persian carpets, frames the scene of famous people with floral patterns and a legend with the names of individuals. Interestingly, the numbers appear mirrored, suggesting that the carpet maker was illiterate or unfamiliar with Arabic numbers, leaving his mark within the thread.","type":"Carpet; Rug","holder":"FBQ Museum","owner":"Sheikh Faisal Bin Qassim Al Thani","dates":"19th century","location":"Doha","dimensions":"Length: 249.6cm, Width: 155.8cm","method_for_datation":"Date and origin were derived from material, colour, pattern and knot examination.","method_for_provenance":"Date and origin were derived from material, colour, pattern and knot examination.","provenance":"Iran","obtention":"Purchase","bibliography":"Ahani, L., Yaghoubzadeh, A., and Vandshoari, A., \"A Presentation and Classification of Pictorial Carpets of Qajar Era\", *Journal of History Culture and Art Research*, 6 : 2 (2017): 123-137.  \nRashadi, H. and Marasi, M., \"A Study on the Status of Borders in Pictorial Carpets of Qajar Era\", *goljaam*, 7 : 20 (2012): 57-72.  \nSchulz, Vera-Simone, \"Portraits, Photographs, and Politics in the Carpet Medium: Iran, the Soviet Union and Beyond\", *Konsthistorisk tidskrift/Journal of Art History*, 83 : 3 (2014): 244-265.","author":"Sarah Schroeder","copy_editor":"Valerie Pulsifer","keywords":["rug","carpet","Qajar"],"materials":["wool","Senneh knot"]},"b3ac404d-9f7e-54b9-a43e-8f0f1e36045d":{"name":"Kuba carpet","description":"The town of Kuba and its surrounding area have a long tradition of carpet-weaving. In the late 19th century, Kuba was a district town on the Kudial River northwest of Baku. Rugs from this town and surrounding villages were very finely woven with short pile and complex designs.  \nThe central field is framed with four borders. The main border is the compound border. Although it has been described as a stylized eagle's head or beak, it may very well derive from the split leaf border. Two minor borders are “running dog” on red and blue backgrounds. The waveform of the this motif has various frequencies and amplitudes; the Vitruvian scroll described it as “running dog” and it was often used in ancient Roman architecture. The outer border is the S border. The central field is decorated with derivate *afshan* motifs (“scattered” in Persian) The *afshan* motif consists of right-angle flower calyxes, palmettes and rosettes. Calyx in this field repeat is more geometricized and given a sawtooth edge. Palmettes are converted to stepped polygons. There are also zoomorphic and dragon motifs as field repeats.","type":"Carpet","holder":"Museum of Arts and Crafts","dates":"19th century","location":"Zagreb","dimensions":"H: 271cm, W: 153cm","method_for_datation":"By stylistic analysis","method_for_provenance":"By stylistic analysis","provenance":"Caucasus","obtention":"Unknown","author":"Andrea Klobučar","translator":"Petra Milovac","translation_copy_editor":"Daniel de la Vega","keywords":["Kuba","leaf elements","Caucasus"],"materials":["knotted carpet","wool","symmetrical knots"]},"b3d75056-35c3-5258-acbf-bbe88d25a45b":{"name":"Panel of *azulejos* with a carpet composition","description":"Although many people believe the word *azulejo* derives from the Portuguese word *azul* (blue), this is a misconception. The use of this colour in *azulejos* can be limited to a very narrow timeline of approximately 60 years (c. 1690‒1750) in a larger history of more than 500 years of uninterrupted use in Portugal.  \nNevertheless, there are some exceptions for the single use of blue in Portuguese *azulejos* outside this chronology, one of which can be seen in this panel. In this complex pattern of 6 x 6 *azulejos*, 36 pieces are required to obtain a single motif that can be reproduced to infinity, whereby its intertwined double four-lobe design has a lighter dimension on account of the monochromatic use of blue. Although complex, the blue gives a subtlety to the design of this motif, and in this way focuses the attention rather than tiring the senses.  \nBy contrast, the frame uses a different kind of composition. Instead of the motif in blue over the white background, it opens the decoration in white over a dense blue using a decoration that can be compared to woodcarving or some jewellery of this period. By this, the contrast between a very dense frame and the motif is lightened by a less compact pattern, creating equilibrium between elements, which provides the viewer a harmonious sense of beauty.","type":"Tile; *azulejo*","holder":"National Tile Museum","dates":"1650‒1680","location":"Lisbon","dimensions":"H: 200cm, L: 145cm, W: 1.5cm","method_for_datation":"Stylistic analysis: 17th-century production of *azulejos* in Portugal, of this intense blue, was accomplished only by the Lisbon workshops","method_for_provenance":"The National Tile Museum holds a large number of *azulejos* of unknown origin, many gathered during the period of the destruction of the convents and palaces in the late 19th century, in the aftermath of the abolition of the religious orders in 1834.","obtention":"Probably salvaged during demolition of an unknown building where they had once been applied","bibliography":"Matos, Maria Antónia Pinto (ed.), *Um gosto português, O uso do azulejo no século XVII*, exhib. cat., Lisbon: Museu Nacional do Azulejo/Athena, 2012.  \nMeco, José, *O Azulejo em Portugal*, Lisbon: Publicações Alfa, 1989.  \nSimões, João Miguel dos Santos, *Azulejaria em Portugal no século XVII*, 2 vols, Lisbon: Fundação Calouste Gulbenkian, 1971.","workshop":"Lisbon, Portugal","author":"Alexandre Pais","copy_editor":"Mandi Gomez","keywords":["17th century","Faience","azulejos","pattern"],"materials":["Ceramic: faience"]},"b3fd9abb-aa85-59f0-a82c-3e714538514a":{"name":"\"Lotto\" Rug","description":"Lorenzo Lotto was a Northern Italian painter (1480-1557) who included richly woven carpets in his paintings. Carpets corresponding to these designs are popularly known as Lotto Carpets.  These carpets are defined by their wine-red background and golden and black ornamentation.","type":"Carpet; Floor coverings","holder":"Philadelphia Museum of Art","dates":"Early 16th century","location":"Philadelphia, Pennsylvania","dimensions":"233.7 x 142.2cm (7 feet 8 inches x 4 feet 8 inches)","provenance":"Asia (most likely Turkey, possibly made in Konya, Anatolia)","obtention":"The John D. McIlhenny Collection, 1943","bibliography":"Ellis, Charles Grant, *Oriental Carpets in the Philadelphia Museum of Art*, Philadelphia: Philadelphia Museum of Art, 1988: cat. 8.  \nVolpi, Elia (ed), *American Art Association Auction Catalogue of the Elia Volpi Collection, November 1916*, New York: American Art Galleries, 1916: item # 260. (Measurements don't quite agree - cat. has 7' 6 3/8\" x 4' 7 1/16\": FF 11/29/1972.)","author":"Quintin Blumka","copy_editor":"Xena Wang","keywords":["rug","carpet"],"materials":["Wool and possibly goat hair"]},"b461bebe-c5d3-55da-8d06-a7c6d2700115":{"name":"Rug: Boucherouite (Rag rug)","short_description":"In the central High Atlas of Morocco, Berber carpets are hardly woven any more in the traditional manner. Discarded synthetic fibres from second-hand fabrics and artificial materials have replaced sheep's wool and goat hair. The young weavers have forgotten how to spin a uniform thread. After the spinning work is done, the warp threads are no longer ritually \"cut off\" from the weaving stool. More recently, the weavers have also been employing recyclable and non-tear able plastic bags of polypropylene, in which they embroider their patterns. Small-format rugs and saddlecloths are produced, at first for their own use. Later they appear out of thin air in the carpet bazaar in Marrakesh, where they are given the label *Boucherouite* (\"rags\"). By now, they are offered for sale in Europe and the United States in the relevant art and textile galleries for a great deal of money.","type":"Textile; rug","holder":"Weltmuseum Wien","dates":"End of the 20th/early 21st century","location":"Vienna","dimensions":"L: 229cm, W: 139cm","method_for_datation":"Personal documentation by the curator.","method_for_provenance":"Personal documentation by the curator.","provenance":"Morocco; Berber","obtention":"Purchased 2010 in Marrakesh by Dr Axel Steinmann, curator at the Museum für Völkerkunde, during his fieldwork in Morocco.","bibliography":"Steinmann, Axel and Blazek, Gebhart, *Boucherouite, exhibition catalogue*, Graz: Blazek, 2009.  \nSteinmann, Axel, \"Waste\", in Christian Schicklgruber (ed), *Weltmuseum Wien, exhibition catalogue*, Vienna: Weltmuseum Wien, 2017: 18-21.","materials":["Second-hand materials"]},"b4e72974-c00c-5720-9454-206dc84e1405":{"name":"Pashmina Niche Rug","description":"The new carpet style in the time of Mughal ruler Shah Jahan (1628-1647) was the flower style, featuring the naturalistic depiction of flowering plants. The refined elegance of the decorations, the use of expensive silk and pashmina and the high knot count are characteristic of the luxury carpets of this period. The silk warp was frequently dyed in bands. The flower style lived on in the works of the post-Shah Jahan workshops.  \n  \nIn the field, the ivory-coloured *mihrab* (prayer niche) with lobed arch is adorned on both sides by a crimson half cypress growing from a finely delineated column base. From the apex of the *mihrab* hangs a trapezoidal lamp; in the centre below, a three-branched floral bush grows from the bottom of the *mihrab*. Faint glimmers of the colourful bands (ivory, yellow, crimson, blue and green) can be seen in the plain ivory surface. The crimson spandrel is adorned on both sides with symmetrical floral patterns – vines, leaves and poppy blossoms. As is typical of flower style rugs, the major border of the rug contains lotus flowers against a dark blue ground and is enclosed in ivory field minor borders.","type":"Carpet","holder":"Museum of Applied Arts","dates":"Third quarter of 17th century","location":"Budapest","dimensions":"Height: 151cm, Width: 104.5cm, Knot density: 5,893/dm2","method_for_datation":"Stylistic analysis","method_for_provenance":"Manufacturing techniques and stylistic analysis","provenance":"Kashmir or Lahore, North India or Pakistan","obtention":"Purchased from Adolf Roger, an art dealer of Budapest, 1895","bibliography":"Batári, Ferenc, *Csomózott indiai, kelet turkesztáni, kínai, tibeti és európai szőnyegek: Kiállítás a Miskolci Galériában a Budapesti Iparművészeti Múzeum gyűjteményéből / Knotted Rugs from India, Eastern-Turkestan, China, Tibet and Europe: Exhibition in the Miskolc Gallery from the Collection of the Budapest Museum of Applied Arts*, Miskolc: Miskolci Galéria, 1980: no. 1 and figure.  \nCsányi, Károly (ed), *Magyar szőnyegkedvelők egyesületének régi keleti szőnyegkiállítása az Orsz. Magyar Iparművészeti Múzeumban \\[Early Oriental Carpet Exhibition of the Hungarian Carpet Collectors' Association in the National Hungarian Museum of Applied Arts\\]*, Budapest: Iparművészeti Múzeum, 1924: 33, no. 151.  \nGombos, Károly, *Régi keleti imaszőnyegek*, Szolnok: Damjanich János Múzeum, 1979: no. 96.  \nLayer, Károly (ed), *Régi perzsa szőnyegek kiállítása: leíró-lajstrom \\[Early Persian Carpets Exhibition. Descriptive List\\]*, Budapest: Iparművészeti Múzeum, 1936: no. 42 and figure.","workshop":"Imperial workshop","author":"Emese Pásztor","copy_editor":"Valerie Pulsifer","translator":"Lara Strong","keywords":["Mughal rug","mihrab","cotton","Pashmina"],"materials":["3 shoots","Pile: Pashmina wool","asymmetrical (Persian or Senneh) knot","Weft: Beige cotton","red","yellow and green silk in stripes","Warp: Ivory","alternates moderately depressed","Open to the left"]},"b5d98077-c404-5849-b74b-cc9708d159d7":{"name":"Kilim","description":"This superbly preserved kilim, considered to be one of the finest surviving flatwoven rugs from Iran, still retains its vibrant colours, metallic sheen and wonderfully animated imagery that visually communicates the classic design favoured by the opulent Safavid court under the patronage of Shah Abbas I (1588–1629).  \n  \nThe design arrangement of a central medallion with quarter medallions in the corners framed by a border of alternating cartouches and small lobed-medallions was developed in the *kitābkhāne* (royal design atelier), initially for book bindings and illuminated manuscript pages, and then adapted for use in architectural decorations and the decorative arts, which included textiles.  \n  \nOrnamental motifs of the kilim consist of floral elements, birds, and quadrupeds popular in the decorative arts of the time. Several of these elements, such as the dragon and phoenix in the centre and qilin with flaming shoulders and haunches in the corners, are Chinese in origin, but had been absorbed in the Persian ornamental vocabulary. The dragon and phoenix as visual symbols, however, assumed new meanings in the art of Iran and were adapted to conform to the age-old animal combat iconography of the Middle East.  \n  \nThe craftsmanship apparent in planning, drawing, and execution of this kilim is quite extraordinary. The precisely laid-out design was executed using the finest materials available at that time. Silk tapestry weave is an exacting textile-making technique. The craftsmen who produced this textile were highly skilled and respected masters in their chosen craft, possibly the best craftsmen in Iran. Their training and apprenticeship would have taken decades before they reached a sufficiently high level of mastery to be selected to work on a project like this. Someone at the court of Shah Abbas I, or Shah Abbas I himself with his great human and financial resources, could have commissioned a kilim with such high quality as this one.","type":"Kilim","holder":"The George Washington University Museum and The Textile Museum","dates":"Late 16th -early 17th century","location":"Washington, D. C.","dimensions":"L: 131cm, W: 229.25cm","method_for_datation":"Stylistic analyses, comparative materials, and historical documentary evidence.","method_for_provenance":"Design analyses and comparison with carpets sharing similar design and structural characteristics.","provenance":"Iran, Kashan (?)","obtention":"Purchased by The Textile Museum founder George Hewitt Myers in 1926 and donated to the Museum in 1928.","bibliography":"Bier, C (ed.), *Woven from the Soul, Spun from the Heart: Textile Arts of Safavid  \nand Qajar Iran 16th-19th Centuries*, Washington, DC: The Textile Museum, 1987.  \nEllis, C. G., “The Strengths of The Textile Museum's Oriental Carpet Collection”,  \n24 (1985), *The Textile Museum Journal*, Washington, DC: 1986: 60-73.  \nWelch, A., *Shah 'Abbas and the Arts of Isfahan*, New York: The Asia Society, 1973.  \nReath, N. A. and E. B. Sachs, *Persian Textiles: Persian Textiles and Their Technique from the Sixth to the Eighteenth Centuries Including a System for General Textile Classification*, New Haven: Yale University Press, 1937.  \nPope, A. U., *Catalog of a Loan Exhibition of Early Oriental Carpets*, Chicago: The Art Club of Chicago, 1926.","workshop":"Anonymous, possibly a court workshop","author":"Sumru Belger Krody","keywords":["Chinese influence","Persia","silk","floral motifs","imaginary animal"],"materials":["metallic-wrapped silk thread (weft)","Silk (warp and weft)","tapestry weave with dovetailing"]},"b79db95f-a5f3-5cd7-a129-ce4e759fa1fe":{"name":"Polonaise Carpet","short_description":"This silk-knotted rug depicts voluminous floral and leaf-vine patterns in pastel green, pink, and blue adorned with gold and silver thread. This textile falls under the rare “Polonaise Carpets”. Contrary to the name, these rugs originate from Iran during the 16th and 17th centuries, when Shah Abbas I introduced lively patterns and soft colours. The Safavid capital Isfahan and the silk city of Kashan soon become celebrated production centres for the carpets, desired by the Persian elite.  \n  \nWhile attempting to please the European palate, royals of Poland would commission numerous Polonaise carpets, contributing to the ambiguous origin behind their name. The shimmering designs and pastel hues still influence contemporary carpet-making.","type":"Carpet; Rug","holder":"FBQ Museum","owner":"Sheikh Faisal Bin Qassim Al Thani","dates":"17th century","location":"Doha","dimensions":"Length: 210cm, Height: 150cm","method_for_datation":"The date and origin were derived from an examination of material and technique in a research comparison with similar carpets.","method_for_provenance":"The date and origin were derived from an examination of material and technique in a research comparison with similar carpets.","provenance":"Iran, Tabriz","obtention":"Auction","bibliography":"Hajizadeh, M., Khosravi Bijaem F., and Mehrvarz, A., \"Form Analysis of a Number of Safavid Carpets Called Polish (Polonaise) Carpets\", *Negarineh Islamic Art*, 2 : 6 (2015): 84-97.  \nSardar, M., “Shah ‘Abbas and the Arts of Isfahan”, *Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History*, New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2003.","author":"Sarah Schroeder","copy_editor":"Valerie Pulsifer","keywords":["rug","carpet","Polonaise","Safavid"],"materials":["silk","gold thread","silver thread","Senneh knot"]},"b7f46ff9-52a1-5495-80f5-c075d3bfc0da":{"name":"*Defeat of the French cavalry. The imperial infantry seize the enemy’s artillery*","description":"The famous series of seven Flemish tapestries depicting the Battle of Pavia, which are displayed in a large room in the Museum of Capodimonte, entered the public collections as part of the 1862 bequest of Alfonso d’Avalos, who donated his family’s collection to the National Museum of Naples.  \nProduced to be given to Emperor Charles V by the Estates-General of Brussels, on the occasion of the latter’s meeting in Brussels in 1531, the decorative series of tapestries was designed to celebrate the victory of the imperial troops over those of the French, under the command of Francis I. This victory, which occurred on 24 February 1525, was fought in the environs of the Visconti Park, at the gates of Pavia.  \nWoven in Brussels, the tapestries were produced using designs by Bernard van Orley (now in the Louvre in Paris) in the workshop of William Dermoyen (or Van der Moyen), identified thanks to the presence of a weaver’s mark on the right-hand border of the fabric; this mark can also be observed on another tapestry in the series. The presence of the weaver’s mark has also allowed the years in which the series was produced to be established: between 1528, the year in which a decree required tapestry workers to “sign” their products, and the start of 1531, given that the tapestries would be presented to the Emperor in the March of that year.  \nRecently, an interpretation of the entire cycle has been proposed that aims to recreate sequentially the landscape depicted in the seven tapestries as a single, panoramic, overview (Paredes 2014). According to this perspective, the tapestry examined here should be read in close continuity with the subject represented in *Advance of the imperial troops*. In fact, by juxtaposing the two tapestries one can reconstruct, as C. Paredes suggests, the landscape and the troop movements on the battlefield. In particular, in the foreground one can recognise the group of imperial arquebusiers, led by their commander, Fernando Francesco d’Avalos, who is identified by the letters “MAR. DE PES” (an abbreviation of “Marquis of Pescara”) on the neck of his horse. In the centre, further writing, “MARQ.IS DU VASTE”, indicates the presence on the battlefield of Alfonso d’Avalos, Marquis of Vasto. On the right is depicted the ferocious battle between the imperial landsknechts, led by Georg von Frundsberg, distinguished by their white and red sashes, and the mercenary troops of the “Banda Nera”, in the service of the French. Noting the detail of the capture of the French artillery in the panoramic overview extending into the preceding tapestry, as mentioned above, it is possible to discern that the French canons have stopped firing to avoid striking the back of their King, who, breaking through the ranks, throws himself at the enemy, just as sources describe.  \nThis tapestry, along with three others in the series, still has its original border, with decorative motifs in which flowers, fruit, birds and animals are depicted. However, according to a description from the 1770s, the lower borders originally introduced decorative motifs with tritons and sea horses, similar to those that appear in the *Hunts of Maximilian*, another series of tapestries produced for Charles V by the same workshop from designs by van Orley, and today in the Louvre. Hence, the entire lower strip, detached some time after the 1770s and subsequently reassembled, appears to have been re-sewn using parts of the borders of other tapestries, which now are missing them, and which were originally intended to adorn the vertical edge of the fabric (Buchanan 2002).","type":"Flemish tapestry","holder":"Museum of Capodimonte","owner":"Museum of Capodimonte","dates":"1528–1531","location":"Naples","dimensions":"H: 439cm, W: 867cm","method_for_datation":"Various sources and studies","provenance":"Brussels","obtention":"Bequest of Alfonso d’Avalos to the National Museum of Naples (the Italian State) in 1862","bibliography":"AA. VV (ed.), *Gli Arazzi della Battaglia di Pavia*, Milan: Bompiani, 1999.  \nArbace, Lucia, *Fasti d’Avalos: dagli Arazzi della Battaglia di Pavia alle Selle da parata*, Chieti: Litografia Botolini, 2012.  \nBuchanan, Iain, “The ‘Battle of Pavia’ and the Tapestry Collection of Don Carlos: New Documentation”, *The Burlington Magazine*, vol. 144, no. 1191 (2002): 345‒51.  \nCasali, Luigi, Fraccaro, Cristina, and Prina, Vittorio, *Gli Arazzi della Battaglia di Pavia del Museo di Capodimonte a Napoli*, Pavia: Edizioni ViGiEffe, 1993.  \nParedes, Cecilia, “The tapestries of the battle of Pavia” (2014), online publication.  \n“Pavia. La Battaglia, il futuro. ‘niente fu come prima’” (2015), online publication.  \nSansone, M. R., *Gli arazzi della Battaglia di Pavia: dalla Spagna di Carlo V alla Napoli dei d’Avalos, in 1525‒2015. Pavia, la Battaglia, il Futuro. Niente fu come prima* (publication to accompany the exhibition at the Visconti Castle, Pavia, 14 June‒15 November 2015).","workshop":"William Dermoyen atelier","author":"Maria Rosaria Sansone","translator":"Judith Forshaw","translation_copy_editor":"Mandi Gomez","keywords":["Battle of Pavia","Willem Dermoyen","preparatory cartoons","atelier","frames","Visconti Park","Fernando Francesco d’Avalos","drawings","National Archaeological Museum","Carlo V","Francis I","Francesco Fernando d’Avalos","Bernard van Orley","Flemish tapestries","Alfonso d’Avalos"],"materials":["silk and cotton","gold and silver thread","wool"]},"b8862166-9876-528c-ab02-49ee6cc50168":{"name":"Kilim","description":"Delicate colouring and fine weave account for the widespread popularity of the kilims produced in Senneh (Sanandaj), the capital of the Kurdistan province in northwestern Iran. Those dating from the second half of the 19th century were probably made in urban workshops, and were destined to cater to a demanding clientele. Their predominantly floral patterns recall the ornamental repertoire of knotted carpets produced in the same area, but are also reminiscent of the Qajar embroideries. The design usually involves a central medallion surrounded by tiny floral motifs; other Senneh kilims, such as the present one, feature a central field decorated with *herati*\\-type patterns – rosettes inscribed in lozenges encircled by lancet-shaped leaves.","type":"Kilim","holder":"The National Museum of Art of Romania","dates":"Second half of the 19th century","location":"Bucharest","dimensions":"H: 182cm, W: 130cm","method_for_datation":"Stylistic analysis","provenance":"Northwestern Iran, Senneh","obtention":"Purchased; formerly in the Dr Iosif N. Dona Collection","bibliography":"Dunca, Mircea, *Islamic Art at the National Museum of Art of Romania*, Bucharest: Muzeul Naţional de Artă al României, 2015: no. 11.","author":"Mircea Dunca","translator":"Victoria Gheorghita","translation_copy_editor":"Mandi Gomez","keywords":["herati pattern","Kilim"],"materials":["cotton weft","Wool warp","kilim weave"]},"b8c5288f-fd29-51c6-b180-287defa99c74":{"name":"Small Pattern Holbein Rug","description":"Early Ottoman carpets with endless geometric designs of the kind found on paintings by the German painter Hans Holbein Jr. (1497/8–1543) are called \"Holbein\" Rugs. The small pattern version of the Holbein Rug is more common. This rug is one of the Museum’s earliest 19th century acquisitions. The rug is one of those few small pattern Holbein Rugs which have survived almost completely intact.  \nA special feature of the Holbein Rug is the red central field, used instead of the usual blue or green. The field contains star-centred Holbein guls on an ivory field strung along two axes in the longitudinal direction. The area between the guls is occupied by blue and green arabesque medallions forming crosses and arranged into an almost continuous lattice. A closed *kufic* band, ivory on a dark red ground, forms the main border with a narrow secondary border of \"S\" motifs on each side. Its well-balanced pattern and harmonious colour pairing, the red of the field in the bright frame complementing the green of the arabesque lattice, results in a tranquil, balanced effect.","type":"Carpet","holder":"Museum of Applied Arts","dates":"Early 16th century","location":"Budapest","dimensions":"Height: 194.5cm, Width: 115cm, Knot density: 1,092/dm2","method_for_datation":"Stylistic analysis","method_for_provenance":"Stylistic and technical analysis","provenance":"West Anatolia, Turkey","obtention":"Purchased from Ferenc Dávid, Budapest, 1889","bibliography":"Batári, Ferenc, *Ottoman Turkish Carpets: The Collection of the Museum of Applied Arts, Budapest I*, Budapest–Keszthely: Museum of Applied Arts, 1994: 47, no. 5 and 98, figure.  \nÖlçer, N., and Enderlein, V., and Batári, F., and Mills, J., *Turkish Carpets from the 13th–18th Centuries*, Istanbul: Ahmet Ertuğ, 1996: 72, plate 49 \\[Ferenc Batári\\].  \nPásztor, Emese (ed), *'Transylvanian ' Turkish Rugs: Tracing the Ottoman Rugs from the 1914 Exhibition in the Budapest Museum of Applied Arts*, Budapest: Museum of Applied Arts, 2020: no. 3, 108.  \nPásztor, Emese, *Ottoman Turkish Carpets in the Collection of the Budapest Museum of Applied Arts: In Memoriam Ferenc Batári*, Budapest: Museum of Applied Arts, 2007: 56–57, no. 3.  \nWaterhouse, Rupert (ed),*In Praise of God: Anatolian Rugs in Transylvanian Churches 1500–1750*, Istanbul: Sakıp Sabancı Museum, 2007: 134, no. 4 and figure \\[Michael Franses\\].","author":"Emese Pásztor","copy_editor":"Valerie Pulsifer","translator":"Alan Campbell","keywords":["wool","Geometric pattern","Holbein-gül","Holbein-göl","Ottoman rug"],"materials":["Symmetrical (Turkish or Ghiordes) knot","wool"]},"b90b0508-6a6c-59c8-8ed1-50f4877c3f38":{"name":"Carpet","description":"This superbly preserved carpet is a type known as “animal carpet” variant. It probably dates to somewhere between the late 16th and the first half 17th century. So-called animal carpets comprise a well-known Persian carpet group dating to the 16th century with patterns of flowers/palmettes, cloud bands, and animals including mythical beasts on a background of spiraling tendrils/vines. The place of manufacturing of animal carpets and their variants are not clear, but Herat, Isfahan, and Kashan were given in literature as possible manufacturing centres. The most famous carpets in this group is the pair which once belonged to the Hapsburg Emperors The carpets are called “emperor carpets”; now one is in New York Metropolitan Museum of Art and the other is held by the Vienna Museum Fur Angewandte Kunst.  \n  \nFashion for compositions filled with both real and imaginary animals appears to emerge, first in illuminations, in the second quarter of the 15th century in Shiraz and Herat simultaneously. By the early 16th century the style was embraced by the court artists in Tabriz and soon as almost epitomized the decorative arts of the time. Animals on these carpets are drawn in the style favoured at the court of Shah Tahmasp in the mid-16th century and possibly the works of these court artists were the original inspiration for the animal motifs seen on these carpets. With the accession of Shah Abbas I in 1587 a subtle change occurred in the style of decorative arts. Animal style gave way to more abstract designs.  \n  \nThe style of spiraling tendrils and animals on carpets continued to develop, creating variant groups. This carpet fits well with a variant group that can be distinguished by the addition of a medallion, the increase and dominance of animal representation, the retreat of floral elements (palmette) and spiraling tendrils, and the total disappearance of the cloud bands.","type":"Carpet","holder":"The George Washington University Museum and The Textile Museum","owner":"The Textile Museum","dates":"17th century","location":"Washington, D. C.","dimensions":"L: 224cm, W: 146cm","method_for_datation":"Stylistic analyses, comparative materials, and historical documentary evidence.","method_for_provenance":"Design analyses and comparison with carpets sharing similar design and structural characteristics.","provenance":"Iran","obtention":"Donated to The Textile Museum collections by an anonymous donor in honor of Bruce P. Baganz and Mark D. Baganz in 2015.","bibliography":"Not published","workshop":"Anonymous","author":"Sumru Belger Krody","keywords":["wool","Safawid","silk","floral motifs","imaginary animal","Safavid"],"materials":["knotted pile carpet","asymmetrical knot","open left","Silk (warp and weft)","wool (pile)"]},"b9813c91-11bd-5dfd-8733-543744724e66":{"name":"Kilim, *paws*","description":"The earliest preserved Pirot kilims date from the late 18th century. Early Pirot kilims were decorated with the so-called *endless pattern*, by repeating the same motif on the whole surface of the kilim. The motif of *paws* (*kostenice*) was used most often for the *endless pattern* creation. Early examples of kilims decorated with the *endless pattern* didn’t have a border. The border on the kilim indicates that it dates from the later period. The colours used are: red, blue, green, violet, yellow, orange and white.","type":"Carpet","holder":"Museum of Applied Art","dates":"Second half of the 19th century","location":"Belgrade","dimensions":"H: 167cm, W: 124cm","method_for_datation":"By stylistic analysis, material and technique","provenance":"Pirot","obtention":"Purchased in 1980","bibliography":"Cvetković, M., *Igra šarenih niti: Kolekcija pirotskih ćilima Etnografskog muzeja u Beogradu*, Belgrade: Etnografski muzej, 2008.  \nVitković-Žikić, M., *Pirotski ćilimi = Les Kilims de Pirot*, Belgrade: Muzej primenjene umetnosti, 2001.  \nPetković, M., and Vlatković, R., *Pirotski ćilim* \\[Abstract in English\\], Belgrade: Srpska akademija nauka i umetnosti, 1996.  \nStojanović, D., *Pirotski ćilimi* \\[Summary in English\\], Belgrade: Muzej primenjene umetnosti, 1987.","author":"Draginja Maskareli","keywords":["weave","wool","Şarköy","Pirot","Kilim"],"materials":["weaving","wool"]},"ba073291-56dc-5c61-928a-6aa29df0d409":{"name":"Carpet with compartments; so-called ‘Clam-Gallas’ carpet","description":"Towards the end of the 16th century, figural depictions went out of fashion. Since the quality of the carpets was adapted to international buyers both in Europe and India, pieces with less dense knotting were produced. The middle field is mirrored in quarters around a centre, which is – unobtrusively – formed by a darker quatrefoil element. Chinese-inspired cloudbands, pairs of birds and blossom combinations, appearing like beds in a geometrically laid out garden, are featured on the variously adorned fields of shields and quatrefoils. Unfortunately, no complete carpet whose field design constitutes a parallel to the MAK Collection’s carpet has been preserved. Despite the dating to the late 16th century, the compartment system is reminiscent of carpets that are depicted on Timurid miniatures at the close of the 15th century. Numerous Indian Mughal carpets produced afterwards exhibit a comparable grid system.","type":"Carpet","holder":"MAK – Austrian Museum of Applied Arts / Contemporary Art","dates":"Late 16th / early 17th century","location":"Vienna","dimensions":"H: 540cm, W: 273cm; knot density 2,900/dm2","method_for_datation":"Research and documentary evidence","method_for_provenance":"Research and documentary evidence","provenance":"Iran","obtention":"Obtained in 1941, formerly the property of the Count Clam-Gallas family","bibliography":"Völker, Angela, *Die orientalischen Knüpfteppiche das MAK*, Vienna: Böhlau, 2001: 238–41.","author":"Angela Völker","copy_editor":"Mandi Gomez","keywords":["Safawid","compartments","silk","textile","carpet","floral design"],"materials":["Cotton warp","wool weft","knotted"]},"ba6c8502-cadb-520d-9309-2837470156db":{"name":"Yağcıbedir rug","description":"This rug is an example of a “Yağcıbedir” rug named after a semi‒nomadic tribe called the “Yağcıbedir”. These rugs were mostly woven in Sındırgı and Bigadiç, villages of Balıkesir province. The motifs for this type of rugs are varied and have a nonverbal communication property. This rug is decorated with stylized apple and apple blossom motifs. According to the early Anatolian beliefs, these are symbols of plenty. Key motifs are symbolic of marriage. It is believed this carpet was woven by a young lady presaging a life of prosperity.","type":"Rug","holder":"Antalya Museum","dates":"19th century","location":"Antalya","dimensions":"L: 95cm, W: 110cm","method_for_datation":"The analyses of the material and the technique used for weaving the rug and the motifs seen on main ground and borders.","provenance":"West Anatolia","obtention":"Purchased","bibliography":"Kollektif, *Türk El Dokuması Halılar*, Ankara: Kültür ve Turizm Bakanlığı Yayınları, Cilt 1, Katalog no: 66.","author":"Mustafa Samur","copy_editor":"Lisa Kelman","keywords":["West Anatolia","İzmir rug"],"materials":["Natural wool coloured with natural dyes","symmetrical knot","Gördes knot"]},"ba8fded9-1679-518f-9ec9-6179d462f308":{"name":"Prayer rug","description":"The composition of the central field recalls the triple-arch design of certain Ottoman court rugs; only this time the lateral niches are merely suggested and the columns are made up of decorative floral bands. The column bases also feature floral patterns, and, instead of the lamp evoking Sura An-Nur (“The Light”), a flower garland is hanging from the apex of the centre niche. The main border of alternating palmettes and rosettes is reminiscent of classical carpet borders (16th–17th centuries). Compared to these, the layout of the present rug is lacking in accuracy, which accounts for the incomplete motifs in the bottom left corner. The rug is however remarkable for the balanced palette of warm and cool hues and its exquisite workmanship, qualities not to be found in later Kula carpets which will resort to a more subdued colour range and a rather coarse weave.","type":"Prayer rug","holder":"The National Museum of Art of Romania","dates":"Early 19th century","location":"Bucharest","dimensions":"H: 190cm, W: 130cm; knot density ver. 43/dm; hor. 37/dm; 1,591/dm2","method_for_datation":"Stylistic analysis","provenance":"Turkey, western Anatolia, Kula","obtention":"Purchased; formerly in the Dr Iosif N. Dona Collection","bibliography":"Dunca, Mircea, *Covoare turceşti, secolele XVII–XX*, Bucharest: Muzeul Naţional de Artă al României, 1994: cat. 20.  \nDunca, Mircea, *Islamic Art at the National Museum of Art of Romania*, Bucharest: Muzeul Naţional de Artă al României, 2015: no. 4.","author":"Mircea Dunca","translator":"Victoria Gheorghita","translation_copy_editor":"Mandi Gomez","keywords":["prayer rug","triple-arch design"],"materials":["wool","knotted","symmetrical knot"]},"bb57306e-d345-5a2a-8cde-6b5779e15174":{"name":"Chequerboard carpet","description":"The Ottoman province of Syria had historic textile production at its disposal, to which this carpet also attests. Approximately 30 so-called chequerboard carpets are known, one-third of these are of a small size like the Viennese example. Although they are related to 16th-century Mamluk carpets in technique, as they likewise show asymmetric knots, a chronological classification of them is problematic. This piece was purchased in 1966 for the MAK from the Kuefstein family of Lower Austria and is said to originate from the estate of Count Johann Ludwig of Kuefstein (1587–1657), who was an imperial envoy at the Sublime Porte in Istanbul between 1627 and 1630.","type":"Carpet","holder":"MAK – Austrian Museum of Applied Arts / Contemporary Art","dates":"16th century","location":"Vienna","dimensions":"H: 196cm, W: 140cm; knot density 1,170/dm2","method_for_datation":"Research and documentary evidence","method_for_provenance":"Research and documentary evidence","provenance":"Syria","obtention":"Obtained in 1966, formerly the property of the Count of Kuefstein family","bibliography":"Völker, Angela, *Die orientalischen Knüpfteppiche das MAK*, Vienna: Böhlau, 2001: 70–1.","author":"Angela Völker","copy_editor":"Mandi Gomez","keywords":["wool","Ottoman","textile","carpet","geometric design"],"materials":["Wool warp and weft","asymmetrical knot","knotted"]},"bb7952b6-4d91-5465-865c-1ced864ef922":{"name":"Painted wall-hanging: The Day of Judgement (*Ruz-e mahshar*)","short_description":"A painted wall-hanging depicts the *Day of Judgement* from a Shi'ite perspective in Isfahan. The main theme is the reward given in paradise to the martyrs who fell at Kerbala on 10 October 680, corresponding to the Islamic date 10 Muharram 61, and the agonies of their enemies on Judgement Day. Elements of Christian iconography are present. There is the trumpeting angel who blows into the bugle at the Last Judgement; the receiving of the arisen into heaven; the two angels who attend to the weighing scale of the souls; the chosen ones who await their entry into paradise; the blood witnesses who in advance enjoy the delights of paradise; and finally those of different faiths and traitors, who, already condemned, stand before the infernal ground. There are also new elements: the prophet of Islam is now an established, important figure, and Christ, the judge of the world, assumes the part of a precursor-prophet.","type":"Textile","holder":"Weltmuseum Wien","dates":"Late 19th century","location":"Vienna","dimensions":"H: 350cm, W: 370cm","method_for_datation":"Entry in the general inventory and archival documents.","method_for_provenance":"Entry in the general inventory book.","provenance":"Iran, Isfahan","obtention":"Catalog entry: \"Purchased from Saeed Motamed, Frankfurt am Main, 1958.\"","bibliography":"Steinmann, Axel, \"The Day of Judgement, Ruz-e mahshar\", in Christian Schicklgruber (ed), *Weltmuseum Wien, exhibition catalogue*, Vienna: Weltmuseum Wien, 2017: 268-269.","materials":["cotton","pigment"]},"bbc8f1e6-fdee-507b-9bb8-8b0201e8ff87":{"name":"Recycled prayer rug","short_description":"On this recycled Moroccan prayer rug, a prayer niche indicates the direction of prayer towards Mecca. A mosque lamp makes reference to the verse of light in the Qur'an: \"God is the light of heaven and of earth. His light [comes] as if from a niche, in which a lamp stands.\" (Sura 24, Verse 35). Two stylised hands indicate to those praying where their hands should come to rest. Uppermost is the invocation to God: \"Allahu akbar\" – \"God is the greatest\". The open hand symbolises the five fundamental obligations of Islam (confession of faith, prayer, charity, fasting, pilgrimage). At the same time, the hand provides protection against negative influences and evoke happiness and fertility.","type":"Textile; rug; religion","holder":"Weltmuseum Wien","dates":"Before 2010","location":"Vienna","dimensions":"L: 108cm, W: 54cm","method_for_datation":"Entry in the TMS digital collection database and archival documents, personal information from the collector.","method_for_provenance":"Entry in the general inventory book, personal information from the collector.","provenance":"Morocco","obtention":"Purchased from the collector, Gebhart Blazek, Graz, 2011.","bibliography":"Steinmann, Axel, \"Hand and Eye\", in Christian Schicklgruber (ed), *Weltmuseum Wien, exhibition catalogue*, Vienna: Weltmuseum Wien, 2017: 106-109.","materials":["Synthetic fibres","wool"]},"bbe7d049-a410-50d4-89a8-2edb4f6c0c59":{"name":"Carpet","description":"The imagery and the Latin inscription suggest that this carpet might have been intended for use as a tomb cover or as a temporary coffin cover during a funerary service. On a delicate blue and white patterned ground reminiscent of fifteenth-century Renaissance silks, five medallions bear motifs associated with death and resurrection: skull and crossbones, and a phoenix rising from flames. The Latin inscriptions around the phoenix read: EX MEMET I(PS)O RENASCOR (from myself I shall regenerate) and VICTORIA DOCTIS (Victory to the learned). What today appears as a date of 1520 above the phoenix is the result of repair; \"1520\" probably was IPSO (by itself/myself).  \n  \nIn Greek mythology, a phoenix is a long-lived bird that is cyclically regenerated or reborn. Associated with the sun, a phoenix dies by fire and obtains new life by arising from the ashes of its predecessor. The phoenix was subsequently adopted as a symbol in Early Christianity.  \n  \nA carpet with funerary iconography is rare. There are only two known examples, this carpet and another one in the Victoria and Albert Museum in London. Both of these carpets are more finely and tightly woven than the most Mudejar carpets. Although the design on this carpet is austere, its colours and delicate lace-like designs on the main field and borders achieve graciousness in one hand, and splendour and dignity on the other.","type":"Carpet","holder":"The George Washington University Museum and The Textile Museum","owner":"The Textile Museum","dates":"c.1500","location":"Washington, D. C.","dimensions":"L: 282.20cm, W: 145.50cm","method_for_datation":"The carpet’s structure that consists of single-warp knot is an important tool for pinpointing its origin in the Iberian peninsula. Stylistic analyses, comparative materials, and historical documentary evidence were also used.","method_for_provenance":"Design analyses and comparison with carpets sharing similar design and structural characteristics.","provenance":"Spain, Alcaraz or Cuenca (?)","obtention":"Purchased by The Textile Museum founder George Hewitt Myers in 1926 and donated to the Museum in 1928.","bibliography":"Eiland, M. (ed), *A World of Oriental Carpets and Textile*, Washington, DC: International Conference on Oriental Carpets, DC, 2003.  \nEllis, C. G., “The Strengths of The Textile Museum's Oriental Carpet Collection”, *The Textile Museum Journal*, 24 (1985), Washington, DC: The Textile Museum, 1986: 60-73,  \nMackie, L. W., *Weaving through Spanish History, 13th-17th Centuries*, Washington, DC: The Textile Museum, 1972.  \nKühnel, E. and L. Bellinger, *Catalogue of Spanish Rugs 12th Century to 19th Century*, Washington, DC: The Textile Museum, 1953.  \nPope, A. U., *Catalog of a Loan Exhibition of Early Oriental Carpets*, Chicago: The Art Club of Chicago, 1926.","workshop":"Anonymous","author":"Sumru Belger Krody","keywords":["wool","Spanish carpet","Phoenix"],"materials":["goat hair","wool","knotted pile carpet","single-warp knot"]},"bc4ce7a2-a8d5-50c0-b880-c483d4c2dbc7":{"name":"Carpet of floral arabesque type","short_description":"This highly sophisticated design of spiral tendrils connecting symmetrically arranged flower blossoms and buds, leaves, palmettes and cloudbanks was popular in Iranian carpet-weaving from the second half of AD 16th through 17th century. Some carpets of this type today are attributed to imperial workshops of Isfahan. The rich and vibrant colour palette of the carpet is based on the deep red tone of the background. Contrasting dark blue ground of the main border renders integrity to the whole composition.","type":"Carpet","holder":"The Khanenko Museum","owner":"The Khanenko Museum","dates":"AD late 16th–17th century","location":"Kyiv","dimensions":"Length: 428cm, Width: 224cm","method_for_datation":"Stylistic analysis by Leon Guzalian (examination, Hermitage, 1955, date); Hanna Rudyck (Rudyk) (The Khanenko Museum, 2017).","method_for_provenance":"Ассording to the entry in the Old Museum Inventory Register (1919-1940).","provenance":"Iran","obtention":"Purchased by Bohdan and Varvara Khanenko. Donated by Varvara Khanenko in 1918, nationalised by Bolshevik regime in 1919.","bibliography":"Bilenko, H. and Rudyck (Rudyk), H., *Oriental Collection*, guidebook, Kyiv: The Khanenko Museum, 2005.  \nDenny, Walter B., *How to Read Islamic Carpets*, New Haven: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2014.  \nRudyk, H. (ed), *Charisma of Iran. Persian art of 12th–19th centuries from museum collections of Ukraine*, Kyiv: The Khanenko Museum, 2017.  \nSpuhler, F., *Carpets and Textiles: The Thyssen Bornemisza Collection*, London: Philip Wilson, 1998.","author":"Antonina Makarevych","copy_editor":"Janice Medina","keywords":["carpet","Safavid","Iran"],"materials":["Cotton (warp and weft)","asymmetrically knotted pile","wool (pile)"]},"bc59de19-bbdc-5a37-9345-b5cc0f2969e3":{"name":"Landscape *verdure* with hunting scenes","description":"Landscape *verdure* tapestries with hunting scenes were often woven in Flemish workshops. Central scene of this tapestry shows a company of noblemen and ladies hunting in a hilly landscape. In the foreground, hunters on horseback and on foot, with the help of dogs, hunt the water birds. Landscape is a characteristic feature of Flemish tapestries and an important mean of figural compositions structure, especially in the scenes of battles and hunt. The figures in the scene are dressed according to the fashion of the late 16th and early 17th century. A border is framed both on the outside and the inside by the strips filled with a flower vine. Outer strip on the lower side is missing. The border is filled with balustrades and pavilions, formed by the use of columns, surrounded by vases with floral arrangements and grotesque motifs. The figural motifs on the upper and lower side of the border are identical, while the motifs along lateral sides of the border are different, but symmetrically distributed.","type":"Wall tapestry; carpet","holder":"Museum of Applied Art","dates":"Late 16th – early 17th century","location":"Belgrade","dimensions":"H: 352cm, W: 423cm","method_for_datation":"Ref. Stojanović, D., \"Stare zidne tapiserije tipa *verdure* iz Muzeja primenjene umetnosti u Beogradu\" \\[Summary: Old *Verdure* Wall Tapestries from the Museum of Applied Art in Belgrade\\], *Journal*, Belgrade: Museum of Applied Art, 28/29 (1984/1985): 9–18.","provenance":"Flanders","obtention":"Obtained through the restitution after the Second World War","bibliography":"Vitković-Žikić, M., \"Odsek za tekstil i kostim\", in I. Zorić (ed.), *55 godina Muzeja primenjene umetnosti: 1950–2005*, Belgrade: Muzej primenjene umetnosti, 2005: 97–121.  \nHartkamp-Jonxis E., and Smit, H., *European Tapestries in the Rijksmuseum*, Zwolle, Amsterdam: Waanders Publishers, Rijksmuseum, 2004.  \nStojanović, D., \"Stare zidne tapiserije tipa *verdure* iz Muzeja primenjene umetnosti u Beogradu\" \\[Summary: Old *Verdure* Wall Tapestries from the Museum of Applied Art in Belgrade\\], *Journal*, Belgrade: Museum of Applied Art, 28/29 (1984/1985): 9–18.  \nStojanović, D., \"Jedan flamanski goblen iz zbirke Muzeja primenjene umetnosti\" \\[Summary: A Flemish Tapestry in the Museum of Applied Arts\\], *Journal*, Belgrade: Museum of Applied Art, 1 (1955): 87–99.","keywords":["weave","wool","silk","Tapestry","Flanders"],"materials":["weaving","silk","wool"]},"bc7e3eae-5354-5ec9-bfb6-2bdb12fdb9ce":{"name":"Gördes Prayer rug","description":"Gördes, in the Manisa Province, Anatolia was an important rug producing town during the 17th and 18th centuries. The name “Gördes knot” was coined for the symmetrical knot technique after the fame and popularity of the region’s rugs. However, the “Gördes knot” technique is older than the town and wide‒spread geographically. This example is a prayer rug. The niche corners are decorated with two trees of life. The head band is composed of rose and rosebud motifs. Various flowers motifs are used on the borders as an expression of heavenly gardens.","type":"Prayer rug","holder":"Manisa Museum","dates":"17th century","location":"Manisa","dimensions":"L: 30cm, W: 50cm","method_for_datation":"The analyses of the material and the technique used for weaving the rug and the motifs seen on main ground and borders.","provenance":"West Anatolia, Gördes","obtention":"Transferred from the Istanbul Museum of Turkish and Islamic Arts","bibliography":"Kollektif, *Türk El Dokuması Halılar*, Ankara: Kültür ve Turizm Bakanlığı Yayınları, Cilt 2, Katalog no: 129.","author":"Deniz Kanberoğlu","copy_editor":"Lisa Kelman","keywords":["West Anatolia","Gördes rug"],"materials":["Natural wool coloured with natural dyes","symmetrical knot","Gördes knot"]},"bcb08e82-a842-5d85-bc9a-00e84a746ec1":{"name":"Dragon Sileh (Zili) rug or Verneh (Varni) Cover","description":"This rug, originally intended as a cover, was woven in two pieces and sewn together in the middle. Also known as \"Dragon Zili\" rugs, these carpets were mainly woven in the Jabrail District of Artsak (Nagorno-Karabagh), using the soumak technique. Their characteristic pattern consists of stylized dragons in the shape of an \"S\" aligned in horizontal and vertical rows. The colour of the dragon alternates; their bodies are filled with tinier \"S\" motifs; the spaces in between with human, animal, and geometric patterns. In Azerbaijan and Russian literature, such items are called *Verneh* (Varni) covers. Its speciality lies in the fact that the direction of the \"S\"-shaped dragons in the bottom row of the right side is opposite the rest.","type":"Flatwoven cover","holder":"Museum of Applied Arts","dates":"19th century","location":"Budapest","dimensions":"Height: 290cm + 24 cm fringe, Width: 221cm","method_for_datation":"Stylistic analysis","method_for_provenance":"Stylistic analysis","provenance":"Caucasus, Karabagh","obtention":"Donated by Dr. Ottó Fettick, 1949","bibliography":"Gombos, Károly, Kaukasische Webteppiche/Caucasian Flat-woven Rugs, *Ars Decorativa*, 6 (1979): 165, and figure 6.  \nKovács, B., and Pál, E. (eds), *Far Away from Mount Ararat: Armenian Culture in the Carpathian Basin*, exhibition Catalogue, Budapest: National Széchényi Library (Leipziger Universitätsverlag) - Budapest History Museum, 2013: 177, no. VI.8 \\[Emese Pásztor\\].  \nVoit, Pál (ed), *Régiségek könyve/Book of Antiquities*, Budapest: Gondolat, 1983: 444, figure 33.","author":"Emese Pásztor","copy_editor":"Valerie Pulsifer","translator":"Boldizsár Fejérvári","keywords":["wool","soumak","cotton","Weft wrapping","dragon"],"materials":["Warp: wool","Weft-wrapping: plain and countered soumak","Weft: wool and cotton"]},"bd1c3a89-e57d-52fe-b67b-0a03bc4408ee":{"name":"Tent band","description":"Nomads of Central Asia wove bands for a variety of purposes. Bands joined parts of the wooden construction of dwellings and fixed felt covers to the dome and wooden trellis of the yurt; fringed and tasselled bands decorated the portable dwellings, both inside and out, and; with the help of bands, bags were secured to the backs of the beasts of burden. Bands were produced using many kinds of weaving techniques including knotted pile and flat weave. This band is woven in warp-faced and warp-float techniques and decorated with a long braided fringe.","type":"Tent band","holder":"Textile Museum of Canada (TMC)","owner":"TMC","dates":"1950-1970","location":"Toronto, Ontario","dimensions":"L: 650cm, W: 7cm","method_for_datation":"By stylistic analysis","method_for_provenance":"By stylistic analysis","provenance":"Afghanistan, the Turkmen","obtention":"From the Opekar / Webster Collection","bibliography":"Mashkora, V.G., *Carpets of the People of Central Asia*, Tucson, AZ: George W. O’Bannon, 1996.","author":"Natalia Nekrassova","keywords":["Central Asia","wool"],"materials":["braided","warp-faced","wool","cotton","warp-float"]},"bd798e4f-1b55-5cb8-8ca8-e4112c802d5b":{"name":"Pile carpet fragment","description":"These five fragments comprise the lower left section of a large carpet, as is indicated by the width of the main border (19-20 cm.). The decoration is simple and probably involved the use of a cartoon as it contains no errors or distortions: this is particularly apparent in the impeccable rounded dots on the straight twin-coloured bands, the perfectly formed lozenges, the delicate ornamentation and the change of direction of the pattern at the corners of the carpet. The combination of linen, wool and cotton, the chromatic harmony, the impeccable relationship between pattern and colour and the notable craftsmanship all contribute towards the superb quality of this carpet.","type":"Carpet","holder":"Benaki Museum","dates":"8th-10th century","location":"Athens","dimensions":"55 x 50 cm","method_for_datation":"It belongs to a group of fragments attributed to Egypt and their dating between the 8th and the 11th century","method_for_provenance":"Factors that determine the provenance: 1. The use of linen, which is the basic Egyptian fibre, for both warps and wefts; 2. The left-twisting (S) spin of the materials is also an Egyptian feature. Linen warps S-spun, Z-plied are found in Coptic fabrics of the 9th-10th century. Right-twisted spinning (Z) is rarely found in Group A; 3. The technique of weaving with cut-pile loops which continues the long-standing Egyptian tradition of weaving with a pile made of loops; 4. The pattern, colouring and techniques of this group fragments bear a close resemblance to contemporaneous Coptic textiles. 5. The fragments display similarities to certain inscribed and non-inscribed fragments from Fustat.","provenance":"Egypt","obtention":"Acquired in Egypt","bibliography":"Published in Theologou, J., Ozoline, A., Sartzetakis, Y., \"Fustat Carpet Fragments\", *Hali*, 156 (summer 2008): 65-71.","author":"Mina Moraitou","keywords":["wool","Fustat fragment","geometric","linen","cotton"]},"bda5705e-f3c7-5961-8499-8ce968a1356b":{"name":"Carpet '*shedde*'","short_description":"This picturesque \"*shedde*\" carpet dating from the early 18th century is an outstanding piece of Azerbaijan art. *Shedde* or *shadda* is one of the most complex types of pileless weaving. In addition to warp and weft threads, various coloured threads are interwoven into the “body” creating an intricate and highly spectacular pattern. The museum keeps a rare kind of figurative *shedde* carpet. Produced by masters of Garabagh, the region where cattle-breeders dwelled from the time immemorial, the museum *shedde* features rich zoomorphic and anthropomorphic imagery. The composition of the central field consists of two kinds of broad horizontal bands. One band features a caravan of camels moving from the left to the right. It alternates with the band depicting the procession of riding hunters with falcons and dogs, moving in the same direction. Each procession is guided by a man. The combination of the two themes in a single composition (the camel caravan theme popular in Garabagh carpets and the shah falconry theme well-known from the miniature painting and stone carving) is considered unique.","type":"Carpet; Textile","holder":"The Khanenko Museum","dates":"AD early 18th century","location":"Kyiv","dimensions":"Length: 266cm, Width: 182cm","method_for_datation":"Stylistic analysis by L. Kerimov (examination, 1954, date and origin).","method_for_provenance":"According to the entry in the old Museum Inventory Register (1925-1946).","provenance":"Garabagh region, Azerbaijan","obtention":"Purchased by Bohdan and Varvara Khanenko. Donated by Varvara Khanenko in 1918, nationalized by Bolshevik regime in 1919.","bibliography":"Bilenko, H. and Rudyck (Rudyk), H., *Oriental Collection*, guidebook, Kyiv: The Khanenko Museum, 2005.  \nKerimov, L., *Azerbaijan carpet*, Baku: Azerbaijan Academy of Sciences, 1961.  \nRudyk, H. (ed), *Carpets of Azerbaijan from 18th - early 20th century*, Kyiv: The Khanenko Museum, 2007.  \nTaghiyeva, R., *Figurative Carpets of Azerbaijan: XIX - early XX century*, Baku: Ишыг / Ishyg, 1988.  \nTaghiyeva, R., *Azerbaijan carpet*, Baku: Azerbaijan State Museum of Carpets and Handicrafts, 1999.","author":"Antonina Makarevych","copy_editor":"Janice Medina","keywords":["Garabagh","Azerbaijan","carpet","Safavid","shedde"],"materials":["wool","pileless shedde weaving"]},"be3d15c9-0b3c-5c76-b571-476211bfa7ab":{"name":"*Bei der Kupplerin (The Procuress)*","description":"A large area of this painting is taken up by a carpet. Owing to the clearly recognisable pattern, it is possible to identify this carpet as coming from Uşak, a town in western Anatolia with a long and rich history of carpet production. On account of the dark blue ground and the red, onion-shaped central medallion, it is possible to date this carpet to the first half of the 16th century. Vermeer presents a seemingly light-hearted, quiet scene in which the objectionable aspect of the situation is not immediately apparent. Nevertheless, he leaves us in no doubt that this is a scene of procuration: the fashionably dressed suitor is paying money while with his left hand he touches the breast of the young woman.","type":"Painting","holder":"Gemäldegalerie Alte Meister (Old Masters Picture Gallery), Dresden State Art Collections","dates":"1656","location":"Dresden","dimensions":"Height: 143cm, Width: 130cm","method_for_datation":"Artist signature: \"J V Meer. 1656\"","method_for_provenance":"Research and documentary evidence","provenance":"Dutch","obtention":"This painting was purchased from the collection of Count Franz Josef von Waldstein Wallenstein/Dux in 1741.","bibliography":"Franses, Michael, “Orientalische Teppiche auf Gemälden Vermeers”, in U. Neidhardt (ed), *Der frühe Vermeer*, Berlin et al.: Deutscher Kunstverlag, 2010: 108–113.  \nMarx, Harald (ed), *Gemäldegalerie Alte Meister*, 2 vols, Köln: Buchhandlung Walther König, 2005/07: vol. 1, p. 497f., vol. 2, p. 569, gallery n. 1335.  \nNeidhardt, Uta (ed), *Der frühe Vermeer*, Berlin et al.: Deutscher Kunstverlag, 2010.  \nNeidhardt, Uta, and Giebe, Marlies (eds), *Johannes Vermeer. Bei der Kupplerin*, Dresden: Michael Sandstein Verlag, 2004.  \nWheelock, Arthur K. Jr., *Johannes Vermeer*, New Haven: Yale University Press, 1995.","author":"Bettina Forger","copy_editor":"Janice Medina","keywords":["painting","carpet","genre painting"],"materials":["Oil on canvas"]},"bef82deb-d132-5484-9771-21ba888224d0":{"name":"'Lotto' Carpet","short_description":"Carpets displaying this striking design of stylised vegetal arabesques in yellow on a red ground are often called Lotto carpets after a famous altarpiece by Italian Renaissance painter Lorenzo Lotto that depicts a similar carpet. Early examples of Lotto carpets exhibit borders like this one. Thought to derive from the rectilinear form of *kufic* script, this type of interlaced border is characteristic of many early Turkish carpets.","type":"Textile","holder":"The Metropolitan Museum of Art","dates":"Hegira 10th–early 11th century / AD 16th century","location":"New York","dimensions":"Rug: L: 217.2cm, W: 130.2cm, Wt: 19lbs./8.6kg with cradle","provenance":"Turkey","obtention":"Rogers Fund, 1908  \nVendor: Dikran G. Kelekian  \nFormer owner \\[dealer\\]: \\[Dikran G. Kelekian, New York, until 1908; sold to MMA\\]","bibliography":"Dimand, Maurice S., *A Handbook of Muhammadan Art*, New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 1944: 312, ill. fig. 207 (b/w).  \nDimand, Maurice S. and Mailey, Jean, *Oriental Rugs in the Metropolitan Museum of Art*, New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 1973: 184, 220, no. 68, ill. fig. 158 (b/w).  \nEllis, Charles, *Oriental Carpets in the Philadelphia Museum of Art*, Philadelphia: Philadelphia Museum of Art, 1988: 28-29.","copyright":"The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Rogers Fund, 1908","keywords":["Anatolia","Turkey","abstract decoration","Ottoman","pseudo inscriptions","furnishing","Ottoman carpet"],"materials":["symmetrically knotted pile","Wool (warp","weft and pile)"]},"bf068376-c382-587a-944f-2a4ebb1194c4":{"name":"Rug (*julkhyrs*)","description":"In Central Asia these long-pile rugs are called *julkhyrs*, meaning “bearskin.” They are spread on the floor or on a low platform, which the family uses when having meals, doing housework or napping. Their long and shaggy pile makes them as soft and warm as the fur they are named for. Julkhyrs are woven with symmetrical pile knots tied around alternate warps; a warp thread is left between each knot so that the warp-weft structure becomes solid and thick. Like many nomadic weavings, they are woven in strips on a narrow horizontal loom; up to seven bands can be sewn together to make a rug of a required width. They are attributed to both Uzbek and Arab communities of Central Asia, which in many areas have lived side by side for centuries. This rug is made from three strips featuring squares and triangles; it has long tasseled fringe on both ends.","type":"Carpet","holder":"Textile Museum of Canada (TMC)","owner":"TMC","dates":"1900-1940","location":"Toronto, Ontario","dimensions":"L: 226cm, W: 88cm","method_for_datation":"By stylistic analysis","method_for_provenance":"By stylistic analysis","provenance":"Afghanistan, the Uzbek or Arab","obtention":"Textile Museum of Canada purchase","bibliography":"O’Bannon, George W., *Kazakh and Uzbek Rugs from Afghanistan*, Pittsburgh: George W. O’Bannon, 1979.","author":"Natalia Nekrassova","keywords":["Central Asia","wool"],"materials":["knotted pile","hand-sewn","wool","cotton","plain woven"]},"bf0b422e-0d99-5efb-bef3-a8f127757b0b":{"name":"Konya Rug","description":"Carpets with dragon motifs form an important group of Anatolian carpets. They are very rare and most of them are dated to 14th ‒ 15th centuries. The use of dragon motifs indicates the cultural influence of Asiatic Turkish traditions in Anatolia. The dragon motif, originated in the Far East, represents a mythological creature believed to be the master of air and water. It is also the guard of the tree of life. The battle of the dragon and phoenix is the representation of a common mythological theme: meeting of earth and heaven or the mother goddess and god. It is used to symbolize the fertile rains of spring. Dragon motifs are frequently found on various art objects such as wood and metal works or architectural arts in Anatolian Turkish art.","type":"Rug","holder":"Konya Mevlana Museum","dates":"15th century","location":"Konya","dimensions":"L: 108cm, W: 215cm","method_for_datation":"The analyses of the material and the technique used for weaving the rug and the motifs seen on main ground and borders.","provenance":"Middle Anatolia, Konya","obtention":"From the Konya Mevlana Dergahı (dervish lodge)","bibliography":"Kollektif, *Türk El Dokuması Halılar*, Ankara: Kültür ve Turizm Bakanlığı Yayınları, Cilt 2, Katalog no: 160.","author":"Gülseren Kervan","copy_editor":"Lisa Kelman","keywords":["Konya rug","Middle Anatolia"],"materials":["Natural wool coloured with natural dyes","symmetrical knot","Gördes knot"]},"c0c780b7-bc1e-5c06-ace4-ef7fefd9fa80":{"name":"Fragment of a [wall?] hanging","description":"This wool fragment from the Umayyad dynasty (AD 661–750) is adorned with a medallion depicting an eagle in shades of blue, green and yellow. The inside of the medallion’s dark-green border is dotted with 20 scrolls, while another series of scrolls topped by floral designs provides its outline. Geometric and plant motifs are visible in the corners. Ecru scrolls, topped in their case by red and orange flowers, figure on the main border, which has a brown ground. A wide band of ecru is enhanced by a rectangle with red, green and yellow geometric patterns. Here the floral designs consist of palmettes and rosettes. The depiction of medallions embellished with figures is derived from Persian silks; the decorative motifs within such medallions are characteristic of Sasanian decorative arts.","type":"Fragment of a [wall?] hanging","holder":"Montreal Museum of Fine Arts","dates":"First half of 8th century","location":"Montreal, Quebec","dimensions":"45cm x 23cm","method_for_datation":"Stylistic and comparative analyses; Prudence Oliver Harper, *The Royal Hunter: Art of the Sasanian Empire*, exhib. cat., New York: Asia Society, 1978, cat. no. 62.","provenance":"Egypt, Sasanian period (AD 3rd–7th century)","obtention":"Purchase, D. W. Parker Fund  \nPurchased from Mrs Paul Mallon, New York, in 1953, D. W. Parker Fund","bibliography":"Unpublished","author":"Shirin Shafiee","copy_editor":"Mandi Gomez","keywords":["Umayyad textile","polychrome textile","medallion","textile","Persian tapestry"],"materials":["wool"]},"c0f84326-ca73-50c0-aa89-a6fa1be73b81":{"name":"*Eine junge Frau beim Ankleiden (Young Woman at her Toilette)*","description":"A young lady is seated at a table with a mirror in front of her; she is about to adjust her hair with the hairpin she has in her mouth. This seems to have been prompted by the open letter, which presumably announces the imminent arrival of a male visitor. The silver jewellery box, the bed with the heavy curtain and the dog on the woman's lap-which can be understood as a sleepy defender of virtue-would seem to indicate the amorous content of the letter. Van Mieris depicts the various textures in the painting with an impressive richness of detail and exceptional precision: the silvery gloss of the lady's satin dress, the honey coloured wood of the lute, the soft fur of the red velvet jacket and the heavy, deep-pile oriental carpet with its broad gold fringe. All these expensive items also indicate the wealth of the subject, although they can also be interpreted as symbols of vanity and extravagance.","type":"Painting","holder":"Gemäldegalerie Alte Meister (Old Masters Picture Gallery), Dresden State Art Collections","dates":"1667","location":"Dresden","dimensions":"Height: 28cm, Width: 22cm","method_for_datation":"Artist signatures: \"Mieris Anno 1667\" and \"Anno 1667. Juny. Lud. Bat. F. van Mieris fecit\"","method_for_provenance":"Research and documentary evidence","provenance":"Dutch","obtention":"This painting was owned by Eleonore Erdmuthe Louise (1662–1696), wife of Elector Johann Georg IV of Saxony, and later came into the possession of Augustus the Strong. It was mentioned for the first time in the inventory drawn up between 1722 and 1728, where it was described as \"in the manner of Metsu\".","bibliography":"Laabs, Annegret, and Schölzel, Christoph, *Von der lustvollen Betrachtung der Bilder. Leidener Feinmaler in der Dresdener Gemäldegalerie*, Leipzig: Seemann, 2000: 81f.  \nMarx, Harald (ed), *Gemäldegalerie Alte Meister*, 2 vols, Köln: Buchhandlung Walther König, 2005/07: vol. 2, p. 361, gallery n. 1741.","author":"Bettina Forger","copy_editor":"Janice Medina","keywords":["painting","carpet","genre painting"],"materials":["Oil on wood"]},"c0f8bfaf-f9ca-5ac0-84ba-67ebfcaf39e4":{"name":"Tablecloth (*dastarkhan*)","description":"A *dastarkhan* is a thin white *palas* (a kind of traditional, flat-woven carpet popular in Azerbaijan) that functioned as a tablecloth for Azerbaijanis and other Turkic peoples. The central field of Azerbaijani *dastarkhans* was rectangular, usually plain, and the borders spotted vivid decoration in contrast with the *dastarkhans* produced in Central Asia that boast elaborate designs. A *dastarkhan* denoted a sacred meaning, as its ornaments protected the food and the breadwinner and brought abundance to the family.  \nIn the central field of this artifact, there are inscriptions in the old epigraphic alphabet, stylized images of birds (symbolizing protection), butas (symbolizing different abilities bestowed on a person) and branches (symbolizing blessings). Images of arrows on the *dastarkhan's* border symbolize honour, prosperity and blessings.","type":"Tableware","holder":"Azerbaijan National Carpet Museum","dates":"Hegira 1305 / AD 1887","location":"Baku","dimensions":"Length: 188cm, width: 90cm","place_of_production":"Karabakh, Azerbaijan","method_for_datation":"By stylistic and comparative analyses with related material","obtention":"Purchased in 1984","author":"Rustam Afandiyev","keywords":["dastarkhan","wool","Azerbaijan","flat-woven","tablecloth"],"materials":["wrapped.","cotton yarn for the weft","Wool pattern yarn for the warp","interweaved"]},"c13c410a-cc43-5e8b-8251-2f9bd6a4319e":{"name":"Kula Rug","description":"Kula, Manisa Province was an important rug producing centre. During the 18th and 19th centuries they supplied the demand of international rug companies. Most Kula rugs, including this example are prayer rugs. The main component of prayer rug decoration is the *mihrab* and can be described as a stylized arch surrounding the prayer area. This is a double *mihrab* Kula rug with band stairs on both sides. In double *mihrab* rugs there are two *mihrab*s, one at the bottom of the image and the other at the top. This Kula rug with a double *mihrab* has eight borders, four wide bands and four narrow bands. It is decorated with an image of flowers in a vase.","type":"Prayer rug","holder":"Ethnography Museum","dates":"19th century","location":"Ankara","dimensions":"L: 200cm, W: 115cm","method_for_datation":"The analyses of the material and the technique used for weaving the rug and the motifs seen on main ground and borders.","provenance":"West Anatolia, Manisa, Kula","obtention":"Acquisition unknown","bibliography":"Unpublished","author":"Mehmet Demir","copy_editor":"Lisa Kelman","keywords":["West Anatolia","Manisa","kula Rug"],"materials":["Natural wool coloured with natural dyes","symmetrical knot","Gördes knot"]},"c13e07a9-25e9-500c-a2eb-4f7568251a1e":{"name":"Qajar Carpet -Hunting Scene","short_description":"The pictorial carpets of Qajar Iran illustrate royals and famous people in various scenarios. This Persian Kashan wool rug displays a hunting scene with a portrait of a king or a nobleman sitting on a chair embellished with crowns, drinking and holding a copper ewer in his other hand, and a wide variety of animals and plants. The phoenix above the nobleman, a popular creature in Persian mythology, represents immortality. Hunting dogs symbolize honour and glory, while the gazelle symbolizes innocence. The imagery of water is significant, denoting purity and the source of life, and in which the fish embody undying love. The cypress tree signifies Persian perseverance and pride.","type":"Carpet; rug","holder":"FBQ Museum","owner":"Sheikh Faisal Bin Qassim Al Thani","dates":"19th century","location":"Shahaniya","dimensions":"Length: 245cm, Height: 150cm","method_for_datation":"Date and origin were derived from material, colour, pattern and knot examination.","method_for_provenance":"Date and origin were derived from material, colour, pattern and knot examination.","provenance":"Iran, Kashan","obtention":"Auction","bibliography":"Ahmadi, R.,\"Symbolism in Persian Rugs\",*Manuscripta Orientalia*, 3 : 1 (1997): 62-64.  \nNikandish, B., Askari, S., and Chitsazian, A., \"Symbology of Bird Motifs in Persian and Indian Carpets\", *Peykareh*, 7 : 14 (2019): 33-51.  \nRouhina, M., and Ahmad Panah, S. A., \"The Motif of Cedar Tree in Qajar and Safavid Rugs\", *Peykareh*, 7 : 13 (2018): 17-35.  \nSharbatian, Y., and Bagheri, R., \"Anthropological Study of Kerman Carpet Symbols, Shapes, and Designs\", *American International Journal of Social Science Research*, 7 : 1 (2021): 15-29.  \nVandshoari, A., and Ebrahimi, A. N., \"Epic and Myth in Pictorial Carpets of Qajar Era in Iran\", *Art-Sanat*, 5 (2016): 103-118.","author":"Sarah Schroeder","copy_editor":"Valerie Pulsifer","keywords":["rug","hunting","Kashan","carpet","Qajar","Portrait","Iran"],"materials":["wool","Senneh knot"]},"c1ccddeb-c544-52d8-b3fa-3eea219bbe3c":{"name":"Star Medallion Carpet","description":"Much worn, this enormous carpet is actually a fragment of an even larger example: the side borders are complete, but the upper and lower sides are missing their borders altogether. The grand design therefore continued even further, lengthways. This was purchased in 1894. Perhaps surprisingly, the V&A museum also owns another fragment originally from the very same carpet, donated in 1959 by the scholar collector Joseph McMullan, who spotted the connection.  \n  \nThe design is dominated by a magnificent star-medallion, with reciprocal cartouches radiating out from a central octagon at its nucleus. Along the central axis of the carpet, smaller cartouches stack above and below this star-medallion, all against a red main field. Two superimposed systems of spiralling scrollwork fills this red field, dotted with lotus flowers and beautifully-rendered palmette motifs in black and pale blue. The main border is a larger scale half-palmette scroll, punctuated with large blowsy lotus flowers outlined in leaves.  \n  \nFew extant carpets are attributed with total confidence to before the start of Safavid rule (in 1501), although it is certain that a mature craft technology was at work before then: the dated carpets of the initial Safavid decades are highly-accomplished, confirming at least a generation of professional skilled craftsmanship in this medium. Many other fine examples similar to this enormous fragment are known, demonstrating a similar ambition to render two-plane leafy scrollwork for example, and with the same somewhat angular result (once described as “severe austerity”). By contrast, the palmette and half-palmette motifs here (often in black outlined in light blue) are rendered with neat precision, in tight curls. This is a craft tradition adjusting to new demands for more curvilinear pattern – most probably drawing from contemporary arts of the book.  \n  \n[V&A online catalogue link](http://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O67292/carpet-unknown/)","type":"Carpet","holder":"Victoria and Albert Museum","dates":"1475-1525","location":"London","dimensions":"Metric. L: 6.07m, W: 3.97m","method_for_datation":"Carpets in this group are arguably dated around the late fifteenth and early sixteenth century, and have often been attributed to northwestern Iran, and Tabriz in particular. This hypothesis would associate the group with the Aq Qoyunlu court in Tabriz, but no inscribed or dated examples survive.","provenance":"Probably north western Iran","obtention":"Purchased in 1894. In 1959, a second smaller fragment from the same carpet was donated to the V&A by Joseph McMullen (V&A T.267-1959).","bibliography":"The Eastern Carpet in the Western World  \nJon Thompson","author":"Moya Carey","keywords":["half-palmette","stars","medallions","lotus flowers","red","Aq Qoyunlu","Turkman","Iran","Tabriz"],"materials":["warp and weft. Wool pile on cotton foundation","knotted pile","depressed warps","wool","cotton","asymmetrical knots open to the left."]},"c2097e9b-56b2-56db-8332-8b268a5e48e1":{"name":"Gördes double niche carpet","description":"The rug-weaving areas of Anatolia are conventionally divided into western, central and eastern regions. Western Anatolian centres such as Uşak, Gördes, Kula and their vicinity have a long tradition of carpet and rug production. Carpets from these centers were very popular in Europe. Ghiordes is an Anatolian town northwest of Uşak. Rugs in this area have been woven at least since the 18th century and perhaps long before.  \nThis type of rug is often called Kiz Gördes. *Kiz* is a Turkish word for a girl or a bride, so these types of rugs were intended as a gift from a bride to her husband on their wedding day. In the central field there is a double niche with central hooked diamond medallion on a red background. Spandrels are fields with diagonal rows of florets on a light blue background. Above and beneath the arches there are two oblong fields with cloud band shaped flowers. The central field is framed with three borders. The main border is decorated with large motifs of flowers and leaves. The inner border is decorated with geometrical motifs. The outer border is the leaf and blossom meander border.","type":"Carpet","holder":"Museum of Arts and Crafts","dates":"Second half 19th century","location":"Zagreb","dimensions":"H: 210cm, W: 115cm","method_for_datation":"By stylistic analysis","method_for_provenance":"By stylistic analysis","provenance":"Western Anatolia","obtention":"Unknown","author":"Andrea Klobučar","translator":"Petra Milovac","translation_copy_editor":"Daniel de la Vega","keywords":["Anatolia","Ghiordes","prayer rug","double niche","medallion carpet"],"materials":["knotted carpet","wool","cotton","symmetrical knots"]},"c330843f-348e-57fe-9821-b70b9f921448":{"name":"*Shadda*","description":"Red, blue, yellow and orange thread is woven in the form of small cells to create a chequered pattern. Each side fringed with tassels.","type":"Carpet","holder":"Azerbaijan National Museum of Art","owner":"Azerbaijan National Museum of Art","dates":"Date unknown, purchased by the Museum in the 19th century","location":"Baku","dimensions":"H: 335cm, W: 170cm","method_for_datation":"The date is not certain, but research and documentary evidence suggests a maker in Garabagh","method_for_provenance":"Information offered by the seller has been further researched and corroborated by experts at the Museum","provenance":"Garabagh, Barda, Azerbaijan","obtention":"Purchased in the 19th century","bibliography":"Rasim Efendiyev, *Azărbai̐jan khalg sănăti / Folk Art of Azerbaijan*, Azerbaijan, Baku: Ishyg, 1984 (text in Azerbaijani, English and Russian).","author":"Emin Suleymanov","copy_editor":"Mandi Gomez","keywords":["chequered pattern","Shadda","Barda","Azerbaijan","carpet"],"materials":["Wool warp and weft","plain weave"]},"c466c19a-6e61-556b-a637-4712a73de575":{"name":"Three fragments of woven fabric decorated with female figures carrying rose water bottles","description":"These silk weavings once framed a large blanket with an embroidered middle section and have been remounted to the original fabric sheet. Depicted on the background, which used to be gold, are young women in elegantly curved stance holding rosewater bottles in their arms. Curved blossoming plants emerging from a rise in the ground are visible in the spaces between the figures. The décor is arranged in offset horizontal rows: the direction of the women’s gaze switches in each row and the colouring of the garments is repeated after every fourth row. Miniature paintings were often used as templates for silk weaves during this era. An especially delightful detail is the circlet-shaped feathered headdress with a long scarf that falls behind the back and is elegantly ruffled. This type of headdress was common until c. 1620 and is defining for the time in which this silk weaving was created.","type":"Woven fabric (wall hanging?)","holder":"GRASSI Museum of Applied Art","owner":"GRASSI Museum of Applied Art, Leipzig","dates":"First third of seventeenth century","location":"Leipzig","dimensions":"H: 245cm, W: 71cm","method_for_datation":"By comparison, typical stylistic and technical elements","method_for_provenance":"Documented by acquisition","provenance":"Iran","obtention":"Formerly in the Collection Saposchnikoff, Moscow; acquired 1927","bibliography":"Küster, Babette, “Drei Gewebefragmente mit einem Dekor aus Rosenwasserflaschen tragenden Frauen”, in GRASSI Museum für Angewandte Kunst Leipzig, *Ständige Ausstellung, Asiatische Kunst Impulse für Europa*, Leipzig: Passage-Verlag, 2009: 178.","author":"Stefanie Seeberg","translator":"Aminata Estelle Diouf","translation_copy_editor":"Daniel de la Vega","keywords":["Persia","floral decoration","Iranian","decorative atrs","crafts","dark-blue","vegetal motifs","Mongol influence","vegetal decoration","human figure","silk","floral motifs","garden","Fragment","blue","craftmanship","collection","human representation","miniature painting","gold"],"materials":["Woven fabric","gilded","silver thread","pile warp: silk","pattern weft thread: silk","ground warp: silk","ground weft: silk"]},"c47d93ec-a5cc-5bc4-9584-cadaac01d6bc":{"name":"Carpet.","description":"A fragment of a carpet, sewn together from several smaller fragments. It features a relatively rare design sometimes referred to as the 'four-lobed star-medallion' pattern, in which the corners of large cross-shaped motifs are linked by knots to smaller rectangular motifs, creating spaces in which horizontal or vertical lozenges are placed. This pattern is thought to pre-date the well-known 'star Uşak' pattern, as similar medallions can be seen on carpets depicted in miniature paintings from 15th-century Iran. Other details suggesting an early date include the knots joining the motifs at their corners and the latticework structure running between the medallions, creating a sense of a continuous composition. There are about twenty carpets surviving with this pattern, but the present example is the best preserved.","short_description":"A fragment of a larger carpet, itself sewn together from smaller fragments. The design is an early and relatively rare variation on the famous ‘star Uşak’ pattern. Similar patterns are seen on carpets in AH 9th- / AD 15th-century paintings from Iran.","type":"Wool, Knotted, Carpet","holder":"Victoria and Albert Museum.","dates":"Late hegira 9th/ AD 15th to AH 11th / AD 17th century.","location":"London, England","dimensions":"Length 229 cm, width 168 cm.","method_for_datation":"Based on comparisons with other carpets and with carpets appearing in manuscript illustrations; scholars have dated this piece to as early as 1450 and as late as 1625.","method_for_provenance":"'Uşak' carpets are associated with the town of that name in western Anatolia, but were not necessarily all made there.","provenance":"Western Anatolia.","obtention":"Purchased by the Museum in 1906.","bibliography":"Erdmann, K., \"Weniger Bekannte Uschak-Muster,\" Kunst des Orients 4 (1963): pp89–94.  \n  \nFranses, M. and Pinner, R., \"The 'Classical' Carpets of the 15th to 17th Centuries\" (part 1 of an article on \"Turkish Carpets in the Victoria & Albert Museum\"), Hali 6:4, 1984, p.367 and colour plate II.  \n  \nKing, D. and Sylvester, D., The Eastern Carpet in the Western World from the 15th to the 17th Century, London, 1983, p.72.  \n  \nLe ciel dans un tapis, exhibition catalogue, Paris, 2004, pp.142–3 (cat. no. 29).","linkcatalogs":"IAM_TR_EN_001","author":"Barry Wood","copy_editor":"Mandi Gomez","keywords":["floral decoration","geometric decoration","star","painting","miniature"],"materials":["Woven and knotted wool."]},"c4d9a7c5-a59a-53c3-aaaa-19bb4d5320bd":{"name":"Dragon carpet","description":"The so-called dragon carpets are the oldest preserved group that can be localised to the South Caucasus production area. The Chinese symbol of power, the dragon, which became popular in Iran during the Ilkhanid dynasty (13th/14th century), was carried through by the art of the Timurids and Safavids into remote regions. In knotted executions, the dragons became noticeably more geometric. In total, three pairs of geometrised yellow dragons are to be seen in the carpet, yet, since they are difficult to distinguish, the exemplar is dated to the late 17th, or the early 18th century respectively. One can clearly recognise the head and tail in the MAK Collection’s dragon carpet; the originally lambent flames on the legs, however, were stylised into geometrised, tendril-like forms. Today, the carpet’s place of origin is presumed to be the Karabakh region, where Shah Abbas I (r. 1587–1629) had established manufactories.","type":"Carpet","holder":"MAK – Austrian Museum of Applied Arts / Contemporary Art","dates":"Late 17th–early 18th century","location":"Vienna","dimensions":"H: 452cm, W: 202cm; knot density 1,000/dm2","method_for_datation":"Research and documentary evidence","method_for_provenance":"Research and documentary evidence","provenance":"South Caucasus, Karabakh(?)","obtention":"Obtained in 1907, formerly in the k. k. Österreichisches Handelsmuseum","bibliography":"Völker, Angela, *Die orientalischen Knüpfteppiche das MAK*, Vienna: Böhlau, 2001: 330–3.","author":"Angela Völker","copy_editor":"Mandi Gomez","keywords":["wool","Safawid","textile","carpet","geometric design","dragon"],"materials":["Wool warp and weft","asymmetrical knot","knotted"]},"c5058085-e52f-5988-a55f-0761bb4e7ba8":{"name":"Animal sash","description":"On a flat black background, yellow, white and red threads are woven into geometric elements and stylised animal images within diamonds. The edges are fringed.","type":"Textile; carpet","holder":"Azerbaijan National Museum of Art","owner":"Azerbaijan National Museum of Art","dates":"Date unknown, purchased by the Museum in the 19th century","location":"Baku","dimensions":"H: 28cm7, W: 30cm","method_for_datation":"The date is not certain, but research and documentary evidence suggests a maker in Garabagh","method_for_provenance":"Information offered by the seller has been further researched and corroborated by experts at the Museum","provenance":"Garabagh, Azerbaijan","obtention":"Purchased in the 19th century","bibliography":"Rasim Efendiyev, *Azărbai̐jan khalg sănăti / Folk Art of Azerbaijan*, Azerbaijan, Baku: Ishyg, 1984 (text in Azerbaijani, English and Russian).","author":"Emin Suleymanov","copy_editor":"Mandi Gomez","keywords":["Azerbaijan","carpet","Heyvan bazayi","geometric motifs animal motifs","animal sash"],"materials":["Wool warp and weft","plain weave"]},"c791fd67-b769-5838-8662-48cd1f3c7839":{"name":"*Mafrash* (Bedding Bag) End Panel","description":"Certain textiles from Anatolia, covers and containers made by nomads, semi-nomads and villagers for their own use known as the Caucasus and Iran, first came to the attention of consumers in Europe, in the final third of the 19th century. Although the Budapest Museum of Applied Arts purchased its first nomad and village flat-woven textiles at the turn of the 19th/20th century, this carpet was a donation by Prof. Ottó Fettick (1946, followed by his bequest in 1954) that laid the real foundations of the Museum's woven carpet collection. The 104 items included textiles of a kind that were new to the Museum: 19th-century woven Caucasian and North Iranian soumak, palas, verneh and jajim rugs, containers and covers, and Anatolian, Iranian and Balkan kilims. Professor Fettick (1875–1954) was a veterinary surgeon, bacteriologist and art collector and probably started building his collection of 19th-century flat-woven nomad carpets and other textiles in the early 20th century. The end panel of a Shahsevan *mafrash* (bedding bag) presumably from the Moghan-Savalan region is from the Fettick collection. Its ornament is comprised of three broad horizontal bands. The dark brown central band has offset rows of hooked hexagons; one row in alternating colours between two rows of white half hexagons. The upper and lower secondary broad bands contain right-facing peacocks standing in line on a yellow ground, each with a stylized \"cock\" motif on its back.  \n  \nOriginally the side panel selvedges were sewn together with a blue and brown rope-like overcasting which remained on three edges of the end panel when the *mafrash* was taken apart. The cut edge of the long side panel is visible on the lower third of the left side under the frayed overcasting.  \n  \nThere is a *mafrash* end panel of almost identical pattern in the Charles Grant Ellis Collection.","type":"Mafrash (bedding bag) end panel","holder":"Museum of Applied Arts","dates":"Third quarter of 19th century","location":"Budapest","dimensions":"Height: 43cm, Width: 52cm","method_for_datation":"Stylistic analysis","method_for_provenance":"Stylistic analysis","provenance":"South east Caucasus, Moghan–Savalan region (present day Iran Azerbaijan border)","obtention":"Bequest of Dr. Ottó Fettick, 1954","bibliography":"Gombos, Károly, Kaukasische Webteppiche/Caucasian Flat-woven Rugs, *Ars Decorativa*, 6 (1979): 171, figure 9.  \nGombos, Károly, *Régi szövött keleti szőnyegek és hímzések / Altorientalische Webteppiche und Stickerei/Early Oriental Woven Rugs and Embroideries*, Sárvár: Sárvár Nádasdy Ferenc Múzeum/Catalogues of Museums in Vas County, 1980 (Vas megyei Múzeumok katalógusai 66. / Kataloge der Museen des Komitats Vas 66.): 17, no. 29 and figure 9a.  \nLandreau, A. N., and Pickering, W. R., *From the Bosporus to Samarkand: Flat-Woven Rugs*, Washington D. C.: The Textile Museum, 1969: 68, fig. 66.","author":"Emese Pásztor","copy_editor":"Valerie Pulsifer","translator":"Alan Campbell","keywords":["wool","Mafrash","Shahsevan","soumak","cotton","Weft wrapping"],"materials":["Extra-weft wrapping: plain soumak","Weft: Wool and undyed cotton","Warp: wool"]},"c89d2c27-b0d1-53f6-93b8-2aa06db62666":{"name":"Carpet","description":"Woven by a Yomut woman with supreme knowledge of her artistic heritage, thorough understanding of design making and colour combinations, and full control over technical aspects of her art, this carpet probably was a prized possesion of a Turkmen family. In a Turkmen household, this type of carpet meant that female members of the household were exceptionally skillful weavers of textiles, which was considered an asset for the family. The fine weaving also illustrated that the family had enough surplus money and time to invest in creating textiles of this size and visual power.  \n  \nThe purpose of this large carpet was to establish the status of the head of the family in the tribal society as well as to honor a guest. Invited or uninvited, guests in Turkmen society were considered “God sent” and always welcomed in the tent and given refreshments.  \n  \nCarpets woven by the nomadic Turkmen tribes in Central Asia are usually patterned by rows of small medallions called *göl* on a deep red ground as seen in this richly coloured carpet; one of the oldest of its type. Few other tribal textiles rival the best Turkmen weavings in quality of material and excellence of weave. A masterpiece of Yomut weaving, this soft lustrous pile carpet blends the traditional stylized and geometrized form of *göl* with more naturalistic floral forms seen in the long end panels, all of which are clearly drawn. Another striking aspect of this carpet is the appearance of the gracefully and realistically drawn, multicolored flowering plants in the aprons.","type":"Carpet","holder":"The George Washington University Museum and The Textile Museum","owner":"The Textile Museum","dates":"18th century","location":"Washington, D. C.","dimensions":"L: 327cm, W: 180.30cm","method_for_datation":"Stylistic analyses, comparative materials, and historical documentary evidence.","method_for_provenance":"Design analyses and comparison with carpets sharing similar design and structural characteristics.","provenance":"Turkmenistan, Caspian Sea region","obtention":"Purchased by The Textile Museum founder George Hewitt Myers in 1914 and donated to the Museum in 1928.","bibliography":"Brend, B., *Islamic Art*, London: British Museum Press, 1991.  \nBier, C., “Approaches to Understanding Oriental Carpets,” *Arts of Asia*, 26.1 (January/February 1996): 66-81.  \nBier, C., *Woven from the Soul, Spun from the Heart: Textile Arts of Safavid and Qajar Iran 16th-19th Centuries* ,Washington, DC: The Textile Museum, 1987.  \nMackie, L. W., and J. Thompson, *Turkmen: Tribal Carpets and Traditions*, Washington, DC: The Textile Museum, 1980.  \nSchürmann, U., *Central-Asian Rugs*, Frankfurt am Main: August Osterrieth, 1969.","author":"Sumru Belger Krody","keywords":["Central Asia","wool","floral motifs","Turkmen"],"materials":["knotted pile","Wool (warp","weft","and pile)","symmetrical knot"]},"c8be00b1-659b-5774-a1a2-0210b4202f95":{"name":"Prayer carpet","description":"A Transylvanian- type prayer rug with a pattern of three arches and double columns.","type":"Prayer rug","holder":"Benaki Museum","dates":"17th-18th century","location":"Athens","dimensions":"203 m x 138 cm","method_for_datation":"Rugs of this type are depicted in at least a hundred paintings by 16th and 17th-century European painters","method_for_provenance":"This label was given in the early 20th century to a group of some 450 rugs found in Transylvanian churches, but it was soon extended to cover other prayer rugs sharing the same stylistic, technical and chromatic features, which were probably made in western Asia Minor.","provenance":"Western Anatolia","obtention":"Purchased in Alexandria in 1924","bibliography":"Published in *Benaki Museum - A Guide to the Museum of Islamic Art*, Athens, 2006 (fig. 212, p. 157).","author":"Mina Moraitou","keywords":["mihrab","geometric floral motifs","Transylvanian type","prayer niche","prayer rug"],"materials":["wool"]},"c9f822c3-3474-5596-90db-ee77387c77fd":{"name":"*Cintamani* carpet","description":"The *cintamani* carpet is one of the most impressive objects of the National Museum in Kraków collections and not just for its artistic features, but because of its huge dimensions (10m x 4m) as well. The central field is decorated with *cintamani* motifs: two golden wavy stripes combined with three white balls. In the background are small dark-blue multi-leaf medallions ornamented with “leaf” and “shield” palmettes grouped around the rosette motif. Medallions as well as *cintamani* motifs are arranged in net-like patterns – such a composition makes an impression of harmony. In the main border are white shields with bouquets of roses; among them are delicate, sinuous tendrils with palmettes interwoven with cloudbounds. Colouristically, the composition is balanced: the red ground contrasting with the white, yellow, blue and green pattern.  \nCairo was already a well-known carpet-weaving centre in the 15th century during the Mamluk dynasty. In 1517, the Ottomans captured the city and the style of the carpets woven there changed. The influence of the Turkish Tabriz and the Anatolian workshops became visible. This *cintamani* carpet, probably made in the second half of the 16th century, combines the graceful floral motifs of Persian-style carpets with a *cintamani* pattern characteristic of Ottoman Turkey. The *Cintamani* symbol originates from the Buddhist tradition. Adopted by the Timurids, it was known as the “Badge of Timur”. In the Ottoman Empire the *cintamani* motif was widely used in the decoration of everyday objects, i.e. garments, carpets, ceramics, symbolising the power derived from the pattern of the leopard- and tiger skins worn by rulers. The high artistic and technical quality of this carpet allows us to presume that it could have been made in one of the sultan’s court workshops.  \nThis *cintamani* carpet comes from the Corpus Christi church in Kraków. It was certainly used for the decoration of the church, probably on the floor. Oriental art was very popular in Poland during the 16th and 17th centuries, and textiles served to decorate both secular and sacral interiors.","type":"Carpet","holder":"National Museum in Kraków","dates":"End of the 16th century","location":"Kraków","dimensions":"H: 1,000cm, W: 406cm; knot density 2,744/dm2","method_for_datation":"Stylistic features, as well as the technique of execution (the asymmetrical, so-called “Persian” knot) allow us to suggest Cairo as the possible place of production","provenance":"Egypt, Cairo","obtention":"Obtained from the Corpus Christi church in 1912","bibliography":"Bennet, Ian (ed.), *Rugs and Carpets of the World*, London: Greenwich Editions 2004: 112‒21. (Analogy)  \nBiedrońska-Słotowa, Beata, *Kobierce wschodnie. 1. Kobierce tureckie*, Kraków: The National Museum in Kraków, 1983: 28‒31, 145‒6, cat. 30.  \nBiedrońska-Słotowa, Beata, *Leksykon sztuki kobierniczej* (Lexicon of carpet art), Kraków: Radamsa publications, 1999: 78‒9.  \nDimand, Maurice S., and Mailey, Jean, *Oriental Rugs in the Metropolitan Museum of Art*, New York: Metropolitan Museum of Art, 1973: 192, 204– 5. (Analogy)  \nEttinghausen, Richard, “Islamic Carpets: The Joseph V. McMullan Collection”, *The Metropolitan Museum of Art Bulletin* (June 1970), 28.10: cat. 7. (Analogy)","author":"Joanna Regina Kowalska","copy_editor":"Mandi Gomez","keywords":["chintamani","Ottoman","Cairo","cintamani"],"materials":["Wool (warp","weft","asymmetrically knotted pile (Persian knot)","pile)"]},"ca394a40-b2b4-5789-bc98-7c33914d864a":{"name":"Garabagh","description":"An oblong shape carpet, its central area adorned with four consistently arranged medallions in groups of four, decorated with floral elements both inside the medallions and among them. The carpet is bordered with stylised floral and geometric ornaments.","type":"Carpet","holder":"Azerbaijan National Museum of Art","owner":"Azerbaijan National Museum of Art","dates":"Date unknown, purchased by the Museum in the 19th century","location":"Baku","dimensions":"H: 580cm, W: 115cm","method_for_datation":"The date is not certain, but research and documentary evidence suggests a maker in Garabagh","method_for_provenance":"Information offered by the seller has been further researched and corroborated by experts at the Museum","provenance":"Şuşa, Azerbaijan","obtention":"Purchased in the 19th century","bibliography":"Rasim Efendiyev, *Azărbai̐jan khalg sănăti / Folk Art of Azerbaijan*, Azerbaijan, Baku: Ishyg, 1984 (text in Azerbaijani, English and Russian).","author":"Emin Suleymanov","copy_editor":"Mandi Gomez","keywords":["geometric motifs","Garabagh","stylised floral motifs","Azerbaijan","carpet"],"materials":["Wool warp and weft","symmetrical knot"]},"ca6b30ce-d3b7-5a14-b7ed-7fa66415cbc6":{"name":"Carpet","description":"Field: Rectangular rug with a brown background that is based on an ogival network of vegetable stems, with blue-green schematic pine cones with yellow outlines. The ogives are joined by pearly rings.  \nBorder: The border is delimited by two yellow fine lines, with opposing serrated leaves, whose stems are joined to a sinuous S shape with an inner serrated line and small leaves on the outside.  \nThe warp is made of two ropes of raw wool, twisted in the Z direction and spun in the S, Z2S direction. The weft consists of three woollen threads, with no apparent twist, between each row of knots. The knot density is 1800 knots / dm, 40 knots / dm -horizontal- and 45 knots / dm -vertical.  \nThis carpet belongs to the series of Brocades or \"guadamecí work\", the name by which it is archived within the inventories. The name is derived from its imitation of Renaissance and guadamecí fabrics. They are usually two colours, or two shades of the same colour. The border is somewhat archaic with respect to other more elaborate designs with Renaissance glasses and grotesques, as well as decorative scrollwork and S shaped valances.  \nThe use of brown and blue colours is unusual.  \nThe density is typical of a quality known in Spanish as \"entrefina\" or medium-fine.  \nThis piece is attributed to the workshop of Alcaraz, but it should be noted that the field is also similar to the carpets of Cuenca, an association which can be attested by the numerous Cuencan fragments with a similar decoration and colours. Despite this, there is still doubt as to this carpet's place of production.","type":"Carpet","holder":"National Museum of Decorative Arts","dates":"1576-1600","location":"Madrid","dimensions":"Length: 229cm, Width: 150cm","method_for_datation":"Through the stylistic and technical analysis of the piece.","method_for_provenance":"Through the stylistic and technical analysis of the piece.","provenance":"Alcaraz","obtention":"Acquired in 2002","bibliography":"Bartolomé Arraiza, Alberto, Schoebel Orbea, Ana, Partearroyo, Cristina, *Carpets Españolas de Alcaraz y Cuenca*, siglos XV-XVI, 2002: 97 / fig. 22. Madrid: Secretaría General Técnica: Subdirección General de Información y Publicaciones.","workshop":"Alcaraz","author":"Mª Dolores Vila Tejero","translator":"Asad Islam","materials":["Wool/Spanish knot"]},"cb646540-71b4-53fd-9b5d-065a402f6c3b":{"name":"'Hortus Conclusus' church tapestry","description":"In our time, people who want to improve their logic skills might do a Sudoku while commuting on the urban railway. In medieval times, people would spend their time decoding the immense iconographic programme of the Catholic Church, which included not only Biblical figures and saints, but also legendary creatures with no religious connotations. The creator of the “Enclosed Garden” that can be seen on a precious tapestry from the chapel of Ried in what is today the canton of Schwyz drew on the early Christian natural history treatise known as the Physiologus, which states that a unicorn can only be captured by a virgin. From a Christian viewpoint, the virgin is Mary and her touching the unicorn’s horn is an allusion to the immaculate conception. Interpreting this scene correctly was tricky, but within the capabilities of medieval churchgoers. In contrast, they were less adept at understanding written letters and numbers.","type":"Tapestry","holder":"Swiss National Museum","owner":"Swiss Confederation","dates":"AD 1480","location":"Zurich","dimensions":"H: 104cm, W: 380cm","method_for_datation":"Year of production woven into the tapestry","provenance":"Basel, Switzerland","obtention":"Bought in 1896","keywords":["Schwyz","Chapel im Ried","Tapestry: Riddle","Hortus conclusus"],"materials":["tapestry","silk","Warp: Linen","Weft: Wool","gold and silver lamella"]},"cd3c0b10-d258-5472-8ab5-6ee5c5e9ba7d":{"name":"Quatrefoil Rug","description":"This Ushak carpet’s illustrious design depicts the only known example of large alternating quatrefoils, medallions and diamonds. The quatrefoils themselves are interesting because they are similar to the design of the eastern cloud collar, a decoration found on eastern apparel.","type":"Carpet","holder":"Philadelphia Museum of Art","dates":"16th century","location":"Philadelphia, Pennsylvania","dimensions":"464.8 x 200.7cm (15 feet 3 inches x 6 feet 7 inches)","provenance":"Ushak, Anatolia, Turkey, Asia","obtention":"The Joseph Lees Williams Memorial Collection, 1955","bibliography":"Ellis, Charles Grant, *Oriental Carpets in the Philadelphia Museum of Art*, Philadelphia: Philadelphia Museum of Art, 1988: cat. 24.  \nValentiner, Wilhelm R., *Catalogue of a Loan Exhibition of Early Oriental Rugs*, New York: MET, 1910: Western Asia Minor (Ushak), mid-15th century.","author":"Quintin Blumka","copy_editor":"Xena Wang","keywords":["rug","carpet"],"materials":["wool"]},"cda5bcaf-49fc-5e8b-918d-5bb074a35a1b":{"name":"Seljuq Rug","description":"This rug, found in the Konya Aladdin Mosque exhibits the richness of motif and colour of the Seljuq rugs. It is unique from others in the “Konya Group” because of its background colour and octagonal decoration. The characteristic *kufic* border is evidence of its origin. The main border is framed with a thin border of blue and brown lines. Pairs of stylized *kufic* letters in white are in the main border on a red background. Octagon shapes on the red background go to infinity. The inside of the motifs are dark red. The camel’s foot motif inside the octagons are made with a dark contour.","type":"Rug","holder":"Museum of Turkish and Islamic Arts","dates":"13th century","location":"Istanbul","dimensions":"L: 246cm, W: 608cm","method_for_datation":"The analyses of the material and the technique used for weaving the rug and the motifs seen on main ground and borders.","provenance":"Middle Anatolia, Konya Seljuq Rug","obtention":"From the Konya Sultan Aladdin Mosque","bibliography":"Aslanapa, Oktay, *Türk Halı Sanatının Bin Yılı*, Istanbul: Eren Yayınları, 1987: 18.  \nDenny, Walter, and Tekeli, Gönül, *Anadolu Dokuma Mirası*, Istanbul: C.2, 2007: s.23, Kat.no.1.  \nErdmann, Kurt, *Seven Hundred Years of Orıental Carpets*, London: Faber and Faber Limited, 1970: 102.  \nKollektif, *Türk El Dokuması Halılar*, Ankara: Kültür ve Turizm Bakanlığı Yayınları, Cilt 1, Katalog no: 99. Şahin, Seracettin, *Türk ve İslam Eserleri Müzesi: Emevilerden Osmanlılara 13 Asırlık Ihtişam*, Istanbul: Kaynak Yayınları, 2009: 131‒135.","author":"Deniz Kanberoğlu","copy_editor":"Lisa Kelman","keywords":["Konya","Middle Anatolia","Seljuq Rug"],"materials":["Natural wool coloured with natural dyes","symmetrical knot","Gördes knot"]},"cda75f5a-42cf-52df-85ce-82bce8d75236":{"name":"Carpet","description":"Three fragments mounted on machine-sewn burlap.  \nField: The decoration corresponds to a carpet of crowns. Within its corners it presents a pinkish flower as a defining feature and also contains floral cluster or vegetal motifs. In the corners a geometric floral set of three branches is visible. The background utilises reddish hues and the plant motifs are in dark and light shades of green along with a yellow outline.  \nBorder: The carpet fragment shows a narrow border of Franciscan knot that separates the field and the central border by yellow stripes. The Franciscan knot is of a single end and is outlined in yellow, the knots of the major and minor sides being different. The preserved decoration of these fragments allows us to perceive that the central border is formed by candlestick motifs on a light green background. The dark green motifs outlined in yellow also act as a potent contrast.  \nThe warp utilises wool with its natural colour and the weft utilises red dyed wool. The decorative aspects of the carpet consist of red, dark green and light green wool.","type":"Carpet","holder":"National Museum of Decorative Arts","dates":"Mid 16th century (1530-1570)","location":"Madrid","dimensions":"Length (max.): 99cm, Width (max.): 60cm","method_for_datation":"Through the stylistic and technical analysis of the piece.","method_for_provenance":"Through the stylistic and technical analysis of the piece.","provenance":"Alcaraz (Old Kingdom of Murcia)","workshop":"Workshops of Alcaraz (Old Kingdom of Murcia)","author":"Mª Dolores Vila Tejero","translator":"Asad Islam","keywords":["Alcaraz"],"materials":["Knot: wool / Spanish knot [Warp: 5 knots / cm","Weft 5 knots / cm 3 or 4 weft threads oscillate for each irregular multiple half past]","Warp: wool","Weft: Wool"]},"cdb915c1-3659-5399-a392-93205b57fd30":{"name":"Carpet","description":"Following the 1834 abolition of Portuguese religious institutions, most of their portable heritage was transferred to the Portuguese State. The incorporation of textiles, including carpets, into State property is particularly relevant to the history and the creation of national museums and collections such as the National Museum of Ancient Art. This carpet, which has been in the NMAA’s collection since 1888, comes from the former convent of Estrela for which it had been commissioned by Princess Maria I (r.1777‒1816) after the birth of her son.  \nAlthough building began in 1779, well after the date of this carpet’s production, its incorporation in the convent can be attributed to two reasons: as an offering from the Royal Portuguese House, owner of an impressive collection of Oriental carpets, to encourage offers from other donors, or even a transfer from another religious institution.  \nThe lack of documentation makes it difficult to ascertain its original function. These carpets were much appreciated and used as important decorative furnishings both in sacred and profane interiors, where they were meant to define spaces. One such example of physical delimitation lay in the use of carpets to cover the stairway and higher elevated daises that became an Iberian tradition within the female universe and lasted well into the 19th century.  \nThis carpet has undergone several restorative interventions, with its original size having been approximately a metre larger than at present; of almost eight-metres in length, this carpet shows a very balanced design and colour. It presents the classical ornamental motifs characteristic of this category, along with the field filled with “vine scrolls” alternating with palmettes and S-shape cloud scrolls (*tchi*). It also exhibits the characteristic contrast of colours between the field and the border (red/blue), both filled with palmettes and chinar leaves.","type":"Textile; carpet","holder":"National Museum of Ancient Art","dates":"17th century","location":"Lisbon","dimensions":"H: 796cm, W: 375cm; knot density c. 3,190/dm2","method_for_datation":"Technical information provided by Jessica Hallet and Steven Cohen","method_for_provenance":"Stylistic analysis and material dating","provenance":"Iran","obtention":"Transferred from the Convent of Estrela, Lisbon, Portugal, in 1888","bibliography":"Hallett, Jessica and Pereira, Teresa Pacheco (eds), *The Oriental Carpet in Portugal: Carpets and paintings, 15th‒18th centuries*, Lisbon: MNAA, 2007.","workshop":"Unknown","author":"Ana Kol","translator":"Lily Chadwick","translation_copy_editor":"Mandi Gomez","keywords":["17th century","Portugal","carpet","Iran"],"materials":["Cotton and wool","2Z (4Z)","knot","knotted","Asymmetric knot","Open to the left"]},"cdc27ae7-3a64-5545-a795-1006d1e99c9e":{"name":"Gördes Prayer Rug","description":"This rug is an outstanding example of a Gördes prayer rug. The knot technique is not well suited for such detailed decorations. Nevertheless, complex stylized floral motifs are skilfully woven on the *mihrab* corners and borders expressing heavenly gardens. In contrast, the *mihrab* area is decorated simply.","type":"Prayer rug","holder":"Museum of Turkish and Islamic Arts","dates":"18th century","location":"Istanbul","dimensions":"L: 127cm, W: 185cm","method_for_datation":"The analyses of the material and the technique used for weaving the rug and the motifs seen on main ground and borders.","provenance":"Middle Anatolia, Gördes, Manisa","obtention":"From the Edirne Sultan Selim Mosque","bibliography":"Aslanapa, Oktay, *Türk Halı Sanatı’nın Bin Yılı*, Istanbul: Eren Yayınları, 1987: 153‒155.  \nKollektif, *Türk El Dokuması Halılar*, Ankara: Kültür ve Turizm Bakanlığı Yayınları, Cilt 5, Katalog no: 510.","author":"Deniz Kanberoğlu","copy_editor":"Lisa Kelman","keywords":["West Anatolia","Manisa","Gördes prayer rug"],"materials":["Natural wool coloured with natural dyes","symmetrical knot","Gördes knot"]},"d04a23e2-0c3a-5d55-be53-ebac7989ba2d":{"name":"Gördes prayer rug","description":"This prayer rug was made in Gördes, one of the best-known carpet production centres in Anatolia. Rugs from Gördes were very much appreciated in the West as well, because of their high quality and splendid, vivid colours. The rug preserved in the National Museum in Kraków is a fine example.  \nAt the centre of the Kraków rug, a bright-red *mihrab* indicates the direction of the Kaʽba in Mecca. A horseshoe arch is supported by the two delicate columns constructed from diamond shapes. Elegantly shaped ewers with flowers rising from them serve as the bases of columns. The vessels are another religious reference to recall the ablutions preceding prayers. In the capitals another significant motif from Islamic art is recognisable in the *cintamani*, meaning power and happiness.  \nThe ornamental and colouristic composition of the carpet is balanced. The most striking feature is the plain-red niche under turquoise-blue spandrels, which is filled with a scrolling ivory vine with contrasting red buds. The cross-panel above the *mihrab* is decorated with small palmettes much differentiated in colour (ivory, yellow, blue and red), against a dark-indigo background. The border is also highly decorative. The central, wide, dark-indigo border is filled with a rhythmical composition of large roses and palmettes, surrounded by smaller roses and carnations on leafy stems. The central border is flanked by the thinner ivory borders decorated with tendrils with flowers.  \nSimilar rugs are preserved in Austrian collections, the Wawel Royal Castle Kulczycki Collection and in the Ballard Collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York.","type":"Prayer rug","holder":"National Museum in Kraków","dates":"End of the 17th century","location":"Kraków","dimensions":"H: 170cm, W: 114cm; knot density 1,295/dm2","method_for_datation":"The floral ornaments that decorate this rug are rather realistic and elaborate, with a soft, fluent line; the presumption is that it dates from the 17th century","method_for_provenance":"By stylistic analysis","provenance":"Anatolia, Gördes","obtention":"Donated by Erazm Barącz in 1928","bibliography":"*Antique Oriental Carpets from Austrian Collections*, Vienna: Society for Textile Art Research, 1986: cat. 14. (Analogy)  \nBiedrońska-Słotowa, Beata, *Kobierce wschodnie. 1. Kobierce tureckie*, Kraków: The National Museum in Kraków, 1983: 58‒9, 157, cat. 17.  \nBiedrońska-Słotowa, Beata, *Leksykon sztuki kobierniczej* (Lexicon of carpet art), Kraków: Radamsa publications, 1999: 62‒3.  \nDimand, Maurice, S., and Mailey, Jean, *Oriental Rugs in the Metropolitan Museum of Art*, New York: Metropolitan Museum of Art, 1973: 206. (Analogy)  \nPiwocka, Magdalena (ed.), *Kobierce i tkaniny wschodnie z kolekcji Włodzimierza i Jerzego Kulczyckic. Katalog wystawy lipiec – wrzesień 2006* (Oriental carpets and textiles from the collections of Włodzimierz and Jerzy Kulczycki. Catalogue of the exhibition July–September 2006), Kraków: Wawel Royal Castle/Sate Collection, 2006: 42, cat. 5. (Analogy)","author":"Joanna Regina Kowalska","copy_editor":"Mandi Gomez","keywords":["Anatolia","chintamani","mihrab","Ghiordes","Ottoman","ewer","Gördes","cintamani"],"materials":["symmetrically knotted pile (Turkish knot)","Wool (warp","weft","pile)"]},"d096b05d-8793-528f-8807-6caadc794855":{"name":"Kazak (fragment)","description":"Roughly two-thirds of this Kazak's original total size is preserved. Most notably, the border is almost entirely missing on three sides – the central field is for the most part preserved. The fragment is striking for its wonderfully preserved, fleshy wool pile. In addition to diamond and hook designs, there are depictions of animals and humans among the varied scattered motifs. A numerical inscription is highlighted on a white ground, legible against the grain of the carpet. The numbers 1323 are most likely Hejira dating, which seems credible in light of the piece's overall impression. According to our calendar, the carpet would thus have been woven in 1905. Even though the fragment is not one of the outstanding pieces of the Dresden carpet collection in terms of classical, qualitative aspects, it was shown in 2018 in the Dresden exhibition \"Museum of Untold Stories\" of the Dresden State Art Collections. Discovered by a carpet enthusiast in 1980, during GDR times, dirty on a building site and left to the museum, it refers to a piece of contemporary history and is quite presentable. Such finds from bulky waste containers or demolition sites in the GDR are still called \"container carpets\" by their collectors today.","type":"Carpet","holder":"Museum für Völkerkunde Dresden (Ethnological Museum Dresden), Dresden State Art Collections","dates":"Around 1900, dated 1902/1903 (1323 H.)","location":"Dresden, Saxony","dimensions":"Length: 165cm, Width: 92cm","provenance":"Central Caucasian, Kazak region","obtention":"Purchased 1980 from a Dresden collector, Friedrich Uhlemann, who afore found this piece thickly covered in dirt on a private building site where it was used as a mat. Uhlemann was very much engaged in helping Dresden painter Wilhelm Müller (1928–99) to secure oriental carpets, rugs and flat weaves of rural and nomadic tradition that were still on the territory of the DGR with building up a collection for the Ethnographic Museum of Dresden, mainly between 1979 and 1986.","author":"Simone Jansen","copy_editor":"Janice Medina","keywords":["Fragment"],"materials":["pile weave","wool","symmetrical knot"]},"d0bee2a2-2f3b-5679-b3ad-433e3664ca0a":{"name":"Prayer rug.","description":"A prayer rug that is typical of those produced in Ladik, a village near the city of Konya in central Anatolia. The rug has a red, central niche surrounded by three decorated frames. In the centre of the niche is an abstract tree-of-life motif springing from a stylised water-vessel. Above the vessel there is a rectangle with illegible text; above the tip of the niche there are a crescent and another rectangle with the date according to the hegira calendar, '1217' (1802) woven sideways. Made by the women in the village on a domestic handloom, the design for this type of prayer rug is inspired by the columned, court prayer rugs of the AH 10th–11th / AD 16th–17th centuries. The women also reared the sheep, sheered the wool, spun it and dyed it. Ladik lay on the main pilgrimage route from north to south, and these rugs were made to supplement the villagers' income, and were, subsequently, presented to mosques and shrines in the area and beyond as pious offerings. One such rug appears in a 17th-century European painting, a still life by Nicolaes van Gelder, dated 1664.","short_description":"This prayer rug is an example of those produced in the village of Ladik near Konya in Anatolia. Made by the women in the village, on a domestic handloom, the rugs were sold to pilgrims who passed through on their way to Mecca. They in turn donated them to mosques and shrines on their return.","type":"Wool, knotted, carpet","holder":"Burrell Collection, Glasgow Museums.","dates":"Hegira 1217 / AD 1802.","location":"Glasgow, Scotland","dimensions":"Length 200.6 cm, width 111.7 cm.","method_for_datation":"Woven into the rug is the date according to the hegira calendar, '1217' (1802) positioned in a rectangle above the tip of the crescent on top of the niche.","method_for_provenance":"Artistic analysis and comparison with other prayer rugs made in Ladik.","provenance":"Ladik, Anatolia, Turkey.","obtention":"Part of the collection given to the City of Glasgow by Sir William and Lady Burrell in 1944.","bibliography":"Bailey, J.,'Ladik Prayer Rugs', *Halı*,no. 28, October–December 1985, London, pp.18–25.  \n  \nBlack, D., *World Rugs and Carpets: A Comprehensive Guide to the Design, Provenance and Buying of Carpets*, Feltham, 1985.","linkcatalogs":"IAM_TR_EN_001","author":"Noorah Al-Gailani","copy_editor":"Mandi Gomez","keywords":["floral decoration","Commerce","pilgrimage","carpet","religious objects"],"materials":["Wool (warp","weft and pile)","woven on a handloom."]},"d123fde5-10b9-5cf8-aa5b-fe0e83c23dd3":{"name":"Fachralo Kazak","description":"Kazak rugs were made in the south central Caucasus, between Tbilisi in Georgia and Erivan in Armenia. The area is bordered by the Ganja area on the northeast and Karabakh area on the southeast.  \nFachralo or Fekhraly is a town 40km southwest of Tbilisi. This decagon medallion is one of the most common Kazak motifs and it is often found in the prayer rug format.  \nThe central field has a double niche on a red background. The double niche is surrounded with a white zig-zag border and in the centre there is a *fachralo* medallion on a blue-green background. The decagon *fachralo* medallion has another decagon medallion inscribed. The outer one is decorated with a small white geometric pattern on a red background and the inner one with small blue and red geometric motifs on a white background. In the centre of the white decagram there is a *kaikalak* (four opposing ram's horns) motif. The central field is covered with stylized human figure filler motifs. There are also, on the right side of the carpet, two animal motifs. Double niche is surrounded with a *kochak* (ram's horns) pattern border on a red background. Three borders surround the central field. The main border is the common Caucasian \"leaf and calyx\" border on a white background. Minor borders meander on dark blue and light blue backgrounds.","type":"Carpet","holder":"Museum of Arts and Crafts","dates":"20th century","location":"Zagreb","dimensions":"H: 180cm, W: 120cm","method_for_datation":"By stylistic analysis","method_for_provenance":"By stylistic analysis","provenance":"Caucasus","obtention":"Purchased from Zlata Boras, Zagreb","bibliography":"Ivoš, Jelena, “Zbirka tekstila”, u Anđelka Galić *et al.* (eds), *Skriveno blago Muzeja za umjetnost i obrt, Zagreb*, Zagreb: Muzej za umjetnost i obrt, 2005: 208-233.  \nIvoš, Jelena, “The Textiles Collection”, u Anđelka Galić *et al.* (eds), *Hidden Treasure of the Museum of Arts and Craft, Zagreb*, Zagreb: Muzej za umjetnost i obrt, 2005: 208-233.","author":"Andrea Klobučar","translator":"Petra Milovac","translation_copy_editor":"Daniel de la Vega","keywords":["Fachralo","Kazak","Caucasus"],"materials":["knotted carpet","wool","symmetrical knots"]},"d26f9efa-6f6e-5edd-adc2-beece4c2fe8a":{"name":"Medallion Carpet with Angels","description":"This much-worn medallion carpet belongs to a remarkable category of sixteenth-century carpets from Iran. Often named “Sanguszko” carpets after the aristocratic Polish family who owned one example (today in the Miho Museum in Japan), this group is well-known for the human figures and animals in their complex designs. Here, the red central field features a dramatic yellow central medallion with smaller cartouches and pendants along the central vertical axis. At the corners are four quarter-medallions in dark blue. The border has a cream ground, with large leafy scrolls and flowers. The red field is filled with hunting creatures, drawn with great detail and fluency: tigers and leopards hunting down deer, lurking wolves and fiery supernatural creatures also in combat. Less easy to detect are the single faces peering out from the surrounding lotus flowers: angelic white faces with beauty spots, and snarling lion faces. At the very centre, the radiating design of the medallion is also packed with interlacing foliate scrollwork, and further animals, birds and fish packed into cartouches.  \nThe most lyrical part of the design lies in the four corners, inside the quarter-medallions: against a dark blue ground, three winged angels gather, surrounded by curling clouds. One is seated and seems to hold a wine-cup, while the other two are carrying a peacock and a small deer: this seems to be a celestial version of a court reception scene.  \n  \n[V&A online catalogue link](http://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O67221/carpet-unknown/)","type":"Carpet","holder":"Victoria and Albert Museum","dates":"1550-1600","location":"London","dimensions":"Metric. L: 1.99m, W: 1.06m","method_for_datation":"The figural style in this (and other carpets in the same group) matches manuscript-painting dateable to later sixteenth century Iran, but there are no surviving dated examples.","method_for_provenance":"This carpet group was tentatively attributed to Kirman on the grounds that the technical structure was similar to the Kirman “Vase technique” group. However a Kirman provenance has not been proven.","provenance":"Iran","obtention":"Purchased in 1883 by the South Kensington Museum (today the V&A) from the art-dealers A. Myers, New Bond Street, London. This was the first Safavid-era Iranian carpet bought by the museum.","bibliography":"Beattie, May H., *Carpets of Central Persia, with special reference to rugs of Kirman*, London: World of Islam Festival Trust, 1976: 37.  \nCarey, Moya, *Persian Art* , London: V&A, 2018","author":"Moya Carey","keywords":["lotus flowers","red","Kerman","leopards","hunting","lions","birds","Safavid","Iran","animals"],"materials":["silk. Wool pile on cotton warp and triple weft of cotton and silk","knotted pile","wool","cotton","asymmetrical knots open to the left."]},"d27da85e-f180-5ec8-90d7-7fdfc02299ee":{"name":"Kırşehir Multiple‒niche prayer rug","description":"This is a rug from Kırşehir Province, an important rug producing centre famous for its prayer rugs. This type of prayer rug ‒ locally called *saf*‒ has multiple niches that are side by side allowing three or more people to communally pray. There are examples of *saf* carpets as early as the 15th century. They were produced all around the Muslim world, but they were never in high production so they remain very rare.","type":"Multiple‒niche prayer rug","holder":"Museum of Turkish and Islamic Arts","dates":"19th century","location":"Istanbul","dimensions":"L: 113cm, W: 169cm","method_for_datation":"The analyses of the material and the technique used for weaving the rug and the motifs seen on main ground and borders.","provenance":"Middle Anatolia, Kırşehir","obtention":"Donation","bibliography":"Kollektif, *Türk El Dokuması Halılar*, Ankara: Kültür ve Turizm Bakanlığı Yayınları, Cilt 4, Katalog no: 339.","author":"Deniz Kanberoğlu","copy_editor":"Lisa Kelman","keywords":["Kırşehir","Middle Anatolia","saf Prayer Rug"],"materials":["Natural wool coloured with natural dyes","symmetrical knot","Gördes knot"]},"d2a1fca5-7efb-5323-927c-0aaad478f6c1":{"name":"Transylvanian prayer rug","description":"Turkish rugs arrived in Transylvania through trade. Almost all types of small-format Turkish classical rugs can be found in this region. The most numerous are the so-called “Transylvanian” group – prayer rugs with an undecorated field are widely dispersed throughout Transylvania. The term Transylvanian prayer rug is mostly used by Romanian authors such as Stefano Ionescu, Mircea Dunca, Andrei Kertesz and Alexandra Zigura, since it avoids specific reference to any weaving centre.  \nThe Transylvanian prayer rug from the Museum of Arts and Crafts is one of the oldest rugs in the museum collection. In the central field of the carpet there is an undecorated red *mihrab* (prayer niche) field. Delicate floral ornaments appear at the edge of the upper part of the *mihrab*. Spandrels are decorated with flowering-stems on ivory ground. The main border is in Ottoman style with rosettes and pine cones on yellow ground. Minor borders are vegetal on blue and red ground.","type":"Prayer rug","holder":"Museum of Arts and Crafts","dates":"Second half 17th century","location":"Zagreb","dimensions":"H: 150cm, W: 118cm","method_for_datation":"By stylistic analysis","method_for_provenance":"By stylistic analysis","provenance":"Western Anatolia","obtention":"Unknown","bibliography":"Ivoš, Jelena, “Zbirka tekstila”, u Anđelka Galić *et al*. (eds), *Skriveno blago Muzeja za umjetnost i obrt, Zagreb*, Zagreb: Muzej za umjetnost i obrt, 2005: 208-233.  \nIvoš, Jelena, “The Textiles Collection”, u Anđelka Galić *et al*. (eds), *Hidden Treasure of the Museum of Arts and Craft, Zagreb*, Zagreb: Muzej za umjetnost i obrt, 2005: 208-233.","author":"Andrea Klobučar","translator":"Petra Milovac","translation_copy_editor":"Daniel de la Vega","keywords":["Uşak","Ushak","prayer rug"],"materials":["knotted carpet","wool","symmetrical knots"]},"d3abd1eb-d054-57dc-92dc-e1b2ea8806d5":{"name":"Carpet","alternate_name":"Put together of burned fragments of the original masterpiece","description":"Rugs and carpets are an essential artwork category within the Islamic culture. In the late 19th century, Oriental carpets became collectible and valued art objects. The Museum of Islamic Art’s collection of carpets is one of the most important in the world. It was started in 1904 with the gift of 21 carpets from Wilhelm von Bode. The important carpet no 1 burned partially 1945 and was restored partially with fragments later. This specific artwork was created in the North West of Iran before the middle of the 16th century and shows an animated scene featuring animals and trees.","type":"Carpet","holder":"Museum of Islamic Art at the Pergamon Museum, State Museums","dates":"Before 1550, reconstruction 20th century","location":"Berlin","author":"Stefan Weber"},"d3f2eecd-74e3-5813-bb0c-4a2756c30701":{"name":"Khotan Pomegranate Tree Carpet","description":"A 19th Pomegranate Tree carpet from north-east Central Asia, from Khotan or Yarqand, East Turkistan (today in Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region, China). This silk pile carpet has as dark blue background in its centre-field and a predominantly red border. The centre-field is dominated by a wine-red, ivory and green pomegranate tree that grows out of a small ivory vase at the base of the field. The tree branches out upwards in an abstracted symmetrical layout. Both along the main stem of the tree and on the tips of its horizontal branches are hanging pomegranate fruits that have been depicted with their seeds showing. Small buds and leaves grow on the threes stems and branches. The carpet’s border comprises of three bands of geometric patterns: the outer and inner bands are made up of pink coloured “T”-shaped elements, angled at right angles in association with each other, creating a continuous geometric decorative frame. The centre border-band holds a blue repeat chain of swastikas on a red background.  \n  \nThe depiction of a pomegranate tree growing out of a vase reminds of the ancient tree of life or tree of knowledge that appears on the arts of many ancient civilisations in Asia. Here it is believed to be an invocation of the three-of-life in the Islamic tradition which grows out of the font-of-life in Paradise.  \n  \nThe swastika motif in this carpet is almost as ancient a symbol as the tree of life. In Asian cultures it is seen as an auspicious symbol. On this carpet it has been applied as a decorative motif inherited from the region’s Buddhist heritage.","type":"Carpet","holder":"Glasgow Museums - The Burrell Collection","dates":"19th century","location":"Glasgow, Scotland","dimensions":"H: 3353mm, W: 1728mm","method_for_datation":"Manufacturing techniques and stylistic analysis","method_for_provenance":"Stylistic analysis","provenance":"Khotan or Yarqand, East Turkistan (Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region, China)","obtention":"Gifted by Sir William and Lady Burrell to the City of Glasgow, 1944","workshop":"Khotan or Yarqand town workshop","author":"Noorah Al-Gailani","keywords":["vase","swastika","fruit","silk","pomegranate","font of life","tree of life"],"materials":["Cotton warp and weft","silk pile"]},"d4980b80-93b5-5bd1-ad00-c7a801b5aa8e":{"name":"Rug (*gadjari*)","description":"In Central Asia, rugs of this kind were used as floor coverings, wall hangings and horse blankets. This rug is sewn from 22 narrow strips woven in warp-float and warp-faced technique on a horizontal loom used by weavers in pastoral communities in Afghanistan. The strips woven from wool and cotton were cut into sections, sewn together, and embellished around the perimeter with narrower bands of contrasting colours. The strips are patterned with stepped diamonds, triangles with pendants, V-shaped figures, checkered sections, hooks, hooked bars and other geometric and abstract patterns in red, dark blue, green, yellow and white colours. Tassels are attached to the bottom of the rug.","type":"Carpet","holder":"Textile Museum of Canada (TMC)","owner":"TMC","dates":"1950-1960","location":"Toronto, Ontario","dimensions":"L: 362cm, W: 161cm","method_for_datation":"By stylistic analysis","method_for_provenance":"By stylistic analysis","provenance":"Afghanistan, the Kazakh or Hazara","obtention":"Gift of Max Allen","bibliography":"O’Bannon, George W., *Kazakh and Uzbek Rugs from Afghanistan*, Pittsburgh: George W. O’Bannon, 1979.","author":"Natalia Nekrassova","keywords":["Central Asia","wool"],"materials":["warp-faced","hand-sewn","wool","cotton","warp-float"]},"d6e29c37-877d-59fc-ba89-0136adddb6e7":{"name":"Wedding portrait of King Aleksandar and Queen Draga of Serbia","description":"At the end of the 19th and during the first decade of the 20th century Pirot kilims served as unavoidable decor in public buildings and in important public manifestations. An official wedding photo of King Alexander Obrenović of Serbia and Queen Draga, shows a royal couple standing on the Pirot kilims, used as floor coverings in this solemn occasion as distinguished national products. The official photograph, taken on 4 August 1900 by the court photographer Milan Jovanović, was issued on a poster by the bookstore of Sreten J. Djordjević and printed by the State Printing House of the Kingdom of Serbia.","type":"Poster","holder":"Museum of Applied Art","dates":"1900","location":"Belgrade","dimensions":"H: 28.2cm, W: 22.6cm","method_for_datation":"Through historical research","provenance":"Belgrade","obtention":"Donated by Rajko Sikimić from Belgrade in 1996","bibliography":"Bujić, M. *et al.*, “Obrenovići u kolekcijama Muzeja primenjene umetnosti”, in A. Marušić and A. Bolović (eds), *Obrenovići u muzejskim I drugim zbirkama Srbije II*, Gornji Milanovac: Muzej rudničko-takovskog kraja, 2014: 181–206.","author":"Draginja Maskareli","keywords":["poster","Şarköy","Pirot","Obrenović dynasty","Kilim"],"materials":["Print"]},"d709dc46-d56e-5b96-833d-47202bfed1b4":{"name":"Prayer rug","description":"A lamp stands out against the indigo field of the prayer niche (*mihrab*) shown on this high-pile rug. Featuring a foliated scroll pattern, the olive-green spandrel is supported by two columns. Carnations decorate the upper level of the niche. A series of rosettes and palmettes interspersed with arabesques covers the ivory ground of the main border. This rug, which has 4,200 symmetrical knots per square decimetre, was made in Turkey during the first quarter of the 20th century. Positioned facing Mecca, the rug ensures the purity of the place of worship and creates a separate space for praying. Long ago, Muslims kneeled down and prostrated themselves on palm-frond mats or sheepskins. The field of a prayer rug usually shows a stylized representation of a *mihrab*, a niche made in the wall of a mosque indicating the direction of Mecca, towards which the faithful turn to pray.","type":"Prayer rug","holder":"Montreal Museum of Fine Arts","dates":"Late 19th or early 20th century","location":"Montreal, Quebec","dimensions":"173.5cm x 121cm; knot density 4,200 dm2","method_for_datation":"Stylistic and comparative analyses","provenance":"Turkey","obtention":"Gift of Mrs Charles F. Martin  \nGift of Mrs Charles F. Martin, Montreal, Quebec, in 1944, but retained until her death in 1956","bibliography":"Iten-Maritz, J., *Turkish Carpets*, New York and Tokyo: Kodansha, 1977: 82‒5.  \nIttig, Annette, *Rêves tissés: tapis d’orient de la collection du Musée des beaux-arts de Montréal / Woven Dreams: Oriental Carpets from the Collection of the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts*, Montreal: Montreal Museum of Fine Arts, 1994: 38‒39.  \nNeff, I. C., and C. V. Maggs, *Dictionary of Oriental Rugs*, Capetown: Ad Donker, 1977: 55‒6.","author":"Shirin Shafiee","copy_editor":"Mandi Gomez","keywords":["Ottoman textile","prayer rug","Islamic textile"],"materials":["wool","cotton","symmetrical knot"]},"d75b8026-c7bc-5c73-aacc-00b073b4d618":{"name":"Double niche ‘Transylvanian’ rug","description":"The term “Transylvanian” rug designates 17th- and 18th-century rugs preserved in Transylvanian Saxon churches, which, once considered being of Transylvanian origin, were in fact made in western Anatolia. Some have a *mihrab* design, typical of prayer rugs, while others feature two opposing arches. Here, the red ground of this double niche is decorated with stylised floral motifs connected by geometric scrolls. A mosque lamp is featured at one end of the central field. Scalloped edge cartouches on ivory-white ground decorate the main border. At an early stage, the bright colours of this surprisingly well-preserved rug raised doubts about its authenticity. Still, a few other carpets from Transylvanian churches display a similarly vivid colour range; at the same time, over the past 100 years (ever since it was sent to Moscow in 1916) the rug has only been exhibited once, in 1994, which explains its excellent state of conservation.","type":"Carpet","holder":"The National Museum of Art of Romania","dates":"17th century","location":"Bucharest","dimensions":"H: 175cm, W: 124cm; knot density ver. 35/dm; hor. 37/dm; 1,295/dm2","method_for_datation":"Stylistic analysis; comparison with carpets from Transylvanian churches; dye analysis","provenance":"Western Anatolia","obtention":"Partial return of the Romanian treasure sent to Russia for safekeeping during the First World War","bibliography":"Dunca, Mircea, *Covoare turceşti, secolele XVII–XX*, Bucharest: Muzeul Național de Artă al României, 1994: cat. 7.  \nIonescu, Stefano, “Second-Period Single- and Double-Niche ‘Transylvanian’ Rugs”, *Carpet Collector*, 1 (Hamburg, 2016): 73–4.","author":"Mircea Dunca","translator":"Victoria Gheorghita","translation_copy_editor":"Mandi Gomez","keywords":["Transylvanian rug"],"materials":["wool","knotted","symmetrical knot"]},"d8518639-1ed2-5598-8b01-7b8bd53b00f0":{"name":"The *Annunciation*","description":"Initially composed of four panels, this piece was originally of a different size. Recent tests have proved that its lower section has been cut on both sides. Prior to this recent modification, the work underwent further changes. The Virgin Mary is represented in the second condition of the Angelic Colloquium of the Mystery of the Annunciation, by Friar Roberto Caracciolo de Lecce (1425‒1495). That is to say, this is the moment of *cogitatio* or reflection, in which the Virgin considers the Angel’s words and demonstrates her prudence.  \nSimilar to other paintings alluding to this theme, the work bears witness to symbolism characteristic of representations of the Annunciation: the book that lays opened before Mary; the vase with lilies; the Angel’s sceptre; the bed, topped by its canopy and with its prominent front curtains, upon which the knots are formed; the column between the two characters, and the mat on which Mary is found standing.  \nIn recent years, the study of textiles through paintings, in its manifold categories, has proved to be very useful. Aside from documental sources and extant objects, paintings provide important visual evidence concerning an object’s trade and usage throughout time. In this particular painting, representing a Portuguese domestic interior, the Virgin Mary stands on a mat. Following the Islamic presence in the Iberian Peninsula, which stretched well into the 16th century, floors were commonly covered with mats, mainly in the summer, when they replaced carpets.  \nAlthough this mat could be of Portuguese manufacture (Lisbon, Oporto or the Algarve) it has been associated with the mats woven with palm fibre and decorated with geometric patterns from sub-Saharan Africa, particularly those from the Congo (and Benin and Niger).","type":"Painting","holder":"Museum of Portuguese Decorative Arts – Ricardo do Espírito Santo Silva Foundation","dates":"16th century","location":"Lisbon","dimensions":"L: 118cm, W: 103.5cm","method_for_datation":"Authorship was attributed to the Lourinhã Master (active between 1500 and 1540) by Luís Reis Santos in his work dedicated to this artist and published in 1963. This attribution has been rejected in more recent studies, thus it is classified here as the work of a follower of the master.","method_for_provenance":"Stylistic analysis","provenance":"Portugal, Lourinhã","obtention":"This was one of Ricardo do Espírito Santo Silva's first pieces towards his collection of primitive artworks; donated by Ricardo do Espírito Santo Silva in 1953.","bibliography":"Saldanha, Nuno, *Tesouros das Imagens, colecção Museu-Escola de Artes Decorativas Portuguesas – Pintura*, Lisbon: FRESS, 1996.  \nPaulino, Francisco Faria (ed.), *África: nas vésperas do mundo moderno*, Lisbon: CNCDP, 1992.","workshop":"School of the Lourinhã Master","author":"Maria João Ferreira","translator":"Lily Chadwick","translation_copy_editor":"Mandi Gomez","keywords":["Portuguese painting","16th century","School of the Lourinhã Master","the Annunciation"],"materials":["Oil on oak panel"]},"d8f75bd3-f2c5-5b31-9648-6dd68dc36828":{"name":"*Shadda*","description":"On a red-colour ground a series of four rows of various sized camels process across the central ground in caravans, each convoy headed by a human-like figure. The lower and upper part of the field has a sharp-toothed motif and the three-lane border is dark blue. The large central stripe holds a stylised camel caravan with creatures of various sizes.","type":"Carpet","holder":"Azerbaijan National Museum of Art","owner":"Azerbaijan National Museum of Art","dates":"Date unknown, purchased by the Museum in the 18th century","location":"Baku","dimensions":"H: 254cm, W: 172cm","method_for_datation":"The date is not certain, but research and documentary evidence suggests a maker in Garabagh","method_for_provenance":"Information offered by the seller has been further researched and corroborated by experts at the Museum","provenance":"Garabagh, Lambaran, Azerbaijan","obtention":"Purchased in the 18th century","bibliography":"Rasim Efendiyev, *Azărbai̐jan khalg sănăti / Folk Art of Azerbaijan*, Azerbaijan, Baku: Ishyg, 1984 (text in Azerbaijani, English and Russian).","author":"Emin Suleymanov","copy_editor":"Mandi Gomez","keywords":["Shadda","Azerbaijan","carpet","camel caravan","Lambaran"],"materials":["Wool warp and weft","plain weave"]},"d9cccb4b-bef0-5dfa-a864-d65a4f8b05f1":{"name":"Awl","description":"This weaving tool, made of wood and iron is used for piercing and fibre manipulation. The holes created by an awl may be used as a guide for threads.","type":"Awl","holder":"Jordan River Foundation Bani Hamida Weaving Project","dates":"AD 1916","location":"Mukawer","dimensions":"L: 14cm, W: 3cm","method_for_datation":"Owners","provenance":"Bani Hamida","obtention":"Bought","author":"Halima Al Qa'dan","copy_editor":"Lisa Kelman","materials":["Deer antler"]},"d9fa7933-6825-5e1f-b45e-93db471e8c19":{"name":"Vine scroll carpet","description":"In addition to North India, the Deccan Plateau, the region of the Indian subcontinent lying south of the Indo-Gangetic Plain, was an important centre of Indian carpet production. Many carpets of this group were produced for export; numerous exemplars have survived in Japanese collections. This example is regarded as one of the finest; it strongly borrows stylistic elements from 17th-century Iranian carpets due to its vine scrolls. Not only the enlargement of the tendrils, but even more the emphasis of the lance or *saz* leaves also evokes Ottoman models of the 16th century.","type":"Carpet","holder":"MAK – Austrian Museum of Applied Arts / Contemporary Art","dates":"c. 1650","location":"Vienna","dimensions":"H: 347cm, W: 133cm; knot density 1,670/dm2","method_for_datation":"Research and documentary evidence","method_for_provenance":"Research and documentary evidence","provenance":"Central India, Deccan Plateau","obtention":"Obtained in 1907, formerly in the k. k. Österreichisches Handelsmuseum","bibliography":"Völker, Angela, *Die orientalischen Knüpfteppiche das MAK*, Vienna: Böhlau, 2001: 326–7.","author":"Angela Völker","copy_editor":"Mandi Gomez","keywords":["wool","Mughal","textile","cotton","carpet","floral design"],"materials":["asymmetrical and Jufti knot","wool","Cotton warp and weft","knotted"]},"db2c46e8-d98a-5553-bcb2-dbc6c45d28f6":{"name":"The Salting Carpet","description":"Dating from late sixteenth-century Iran, this is an extremely fine and beautiful carpet, with an intricate floral design filled with wild creatures, and verses of Persian poetry all around the borders, highlighted in metal brocade. The lines quote the great Iranian poet Hafez (d.1389), and they describe a blissful world of gardens, nightingales, roses and wine. This poetry was certainly chosen to suit the design and intended purpose of the carpet itself, to be a beautiful place to sit together with friends, in a private garden, reciting romantic verses: “Call for wine and scatter roses: what do you seek from Time?/ Thus spoke the rose at dawn. O nightingale, what say you?” The verses are emphasised by the scale of the fine calligraphy, by the use of silver brocade lettering against a dark red background, and by the distinctive formatting: each half-verse is placed in a cartouche, laid against a green border. The central medallion repeats the red and pink background, with a leafy design also overlaid with gleaming metal brocade.  \n  \nThe central field of the carpet is filled with a rich floral landscape, organised in spiralling plant stems, with wonderfully large lotus flowers and leaves, all against a dark blue background. These are depicted to a more minute scale than the Persian poetry borders, and seem almost cramped. Among the foliage, there are perching green parrots and brown birds – these are presumably the nightingales from the poem. On closer inspection, the garden also contains Chinese-style dragons and lions (located in the four corners), and curling clouds which again echo Chinese design. One further detail rewards the careful observer: within many of the great blossoms and stems, the designer has hidden single animal heads.  \n  \nThe carpet is attributed to the late sixteenth century, and the Safavid court of Iran (which was then based in Qazvin). At this time, carpet weaving had reached an extraordinarily high standard of design and technique, and the Safavid shahs commissioned the finest carpets as pious shrine donations, personal furnishings and suitably impressive diplomatic gifts to other states. This carpet has been linked with a very large group of royal gifts, sent by Shah Tahmasp to congratulate the newly-enthroned Ottoman Sultan Selim, in 1567. If confirmed, this account could explain an Istanbul provenance for this carpet, and many others like it.  \n  \n[V&A online catalogue link](http://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O54294/the-salting-carpet-carpet-unknown/)","type":"Carpet; medallion carpet with Persian inscriptions in metal brocade","holder":"Victoria and Albert Museum","dates":"c. 1560-1580","location":"London","dimensions":"L: 2.31m, W: 1.65m","method_for_datation":"This famous carpet belongs to a larger carpet group which has long been debated by art historians. A diverse set was collectively named “Salting Carpets”, named after this example in the V&A, although they are now understood as a more complex cluster with a wider date-range. Today, scholarly consensus attributes the central group to late sixteenth-century Iran, on the basis of style and technical structure, and by association with recorded diplomatic gifts from Safavid Iran to the Ottoman Empire, including an embassy sent in 1567. Two carpets are known to have been in European collections (in Poland and Spain) by the seventeenth century, but the majority were not published until after the 1878 international exhibition in Paris: then the art-dealer Albert Goupil displayed several at his Galerie Orientale loan exhibition. George Salting bought this carpet from the London-based art-dealers Murray Marks and Durlacher Brothers, between 1880 and 1883. Although not proven, it is suggested that by 1878, these carpets had very recently come from Istanbul, having been sold out of the Ottoman palace stores. One explanation for this was the sudden instability in the city, which was under threat of the Russian-Turkish war of 1877-78: the British press certainly noted a sudden influx of other Turkish textiles on the art market as a direct result of that civilian fear. These carpets are exceptionally significant though, as Safavid court products of late sixteenth-century Iran.","method_for_provenance":"The carpet is attributed to Iran because of its design and technical structure, which fits with late sixteenth-century production under the Safavids.","provenance":"Iran","obtention":"This carpet was initially on long term loan to the South Kensington Museum (today called the V&A), from 1883, and it would be over twenty years before the museum officially acquired it, in 1910. At that time, the owner was the art-collector George Salting, who loaned so much art (particularly Chinese porcelain) to the museum, that a dedicated gallery was organised just to display his collection. After Salting’s death in 1909, the collection was bequeathed to the V&A on a permanent basis. The carpet was discussed as “the Salting Carpet” in later scholarship (see above), but it was not the only carpet in the Salting Bequest.","bibliography":"Mills, John, “The Salting Group: A History and a Clarification”, in Eiland, Murray L., and Pinner, Robert (eds.), *The Salting Carpets, Oriental Carpet and Textile Studies*, vol. 5, part 2, Danville, Ca: International Conference On Oriental Carpets, 1999: 1-17.","author":"Moya Carey","keywords":["parrots","poetry","birds","Persian","Hafez","gift","Safavid","Iran","calligraphy"],"materials":["Silver","knotted pile","depressed warps","silk","wool","brocading. Wool pile on silk foundation","asymmetrical knots open to the left."]},"db2d3701-1c33-5bd1-b783-0045462bde9a":{"name":"Carpet","description":"Carpets were one of the most important expressions of Persian art, especially during the reign of Shah ‘Abbas (1587‒1629), when they achieved the height of technical perfection and creative design. Made in leading workshops located in Tabriz, Kashan, Kerman and Isfahan, their floral and arabesque patterns with central medallions and figural scenes featuring animals contrasted with the geometric-designs that had characterised previous Persian carpets, as well as the Spanish and Turkish examples, which up until the mid-16th century had prevailed in Europe.  \nThese carpets were very expensive and usually had bigger dimensions when compared to their counterparts. This is the case for the large carpet fragment seen here, once part of a wide and impressive example measuring nearly six metres in length. Even though the two ends are now missing (they were cut off), the carpet still stands out for its extraordinary technical and artistic quality. One of its ends is currently in the Textile Museum in Washington, DC (Inv. No. R.33.4.6), after it was gifted by George Hewitt Meyers (1875‒1957); he, in turn, had purchased it from its previous, famous owner, the Armenian dealer of Islamic art, Dikran Kelekian (1868‒1951).  \nThe design of this “tree and animal” carpet combines the concept of the Persian pleasure garden with that of the royal hunting park. In addition, its wide-ranging palette, comprising 17 colours in total, shows the influence of Persian miniature painting. With a composition organised symmetrically, along its two centre lines, the field is made up of a small central medallion, with tall trees and flowering bushes inhabited by exotic birds and animals such as light brown lions and deer, blue *quilins* and multicoloured parrots. This is set against an elaborate network of scrolling vines, palmettes, blossoms, buds and leaves, on a red ground, which contrasts with the carpet’s emerald-green border.","type":"Textile; carpet","holder":"National Museum of Ancient Art","dates":"Second half of the 16th century","location":"Lisbon","dimensions":"H: 424.5cm, W: 292.5cm; knot density warp 3S, 150‒60/dm; weft 2Z, x3, 80‒90/dm; c. 6,400/dm2","method_for_datation":"Technical information provided by Jessica Hallet and Steven Cohen","method_for_provenance":"Stylistic analysis and material dating","provenance":"Iran, Isfahan, Herat","obtention":"Transferred in 1911 from the Convent of Madre de Deus (Order of Saint Claire), Lisbon, Portugal; commissioned by Queen Leonor (1458‒1525), in 1509","bibliography":"Hallett, Jessica, “Fit for a Queen: An important Persian Tree and Animal carpet in Lisbon”, *Oriente*, 15 (August 2006): 3‒25.  \nHallett, Jessica and Pereira, Teresa Pacheco (eds), *The Oriental Carpet in Portugal: Carpets and paintings, 15th‒18th centuries*, Lisbon: MNAA, 2007.  \nHallett, Jessica, “‘Tree and animal’ carpet, large fragment”, in Alexandra Curvelo (ed.), *Casa Perfeitíssima 1509‒2009: Celebrating 500 years of the Foundation of the Convent of Madre de Deus*, Lisbon: Ministério da Cultura/IMC/Museu Nacional do Azulejo, 2009.","workshop":"Herat, Isfahan, Iran","author":"Ana Kol","translator":"Lily Chadwick","translation_copy_editor":"Mandi Gomez","keywords":["16th century","Portugal","carpet","Iran"],"materials":["off-white cotton weft","cotton","asymmetric knots","wool knots 2Z","Wool and silk","white silk warp","Open to the left"]},"dc216834-83df-57ab-85b5-a6e096fe4d23":{"name":"Brocade Rug","description":"The decorations on 17th-century Cuenca rugs were inspired by patterns from 16th-century silk textiles and rugs. The Spanish rug in the Museum of Applied Arts’ collection belongs to the Brocade series. The field contains large, stylised palmettes in an axially symmetrical arrangement/composition on a blue ground. A vertical series of palmettes, each surmounted by a crown, runs along the central axis of the long, narrow rug and is enclosed by inclined palmettes. These are decorated with ivory, orange, light blue and green floral elements on a pale-yellow ground. The blue ground of the field is filled with a row of tiny, four-petalled rosettes. The border contains a chain created by horizontal \"S\" motifs connected by rings on a pale-yellow ground.  \n  \nAt one time, lawyer Alfréd Perlmutter (1867–1929) also owned similarly decorated Spanish rug in Budapest. The whereabouts of the 520cm x 220cm rug are unknown; an photo of a detail of the rug can be found in the archives of the Museum of Applied Arts.  \n  \nA more richly patterned and larger version of this rug type can be found in the National Museum of Decorative Arts in Madrid (see Related Objects).","type":"Carpet","holder":"Museum of Applied Arts","dates":"17th century","location":"Budapest","dimensions":"Height: 546cm, Width: 175cm, Knot density: 880/dm2","method_for_datation":"Stylistic and technical analysis","method_for_provenance":"Stylistic analysis","provenance":"Cuenca, Spain","obtention":"Donated by Jenő (Kohn) Káldi (1872-1944) in 1934, formerly belonged to the collection of Károly Bakonyi (1873-1926)","bibliography":"Batári, Ferenc, *Csomózott indiai, kelet turkesztáni, kínai, tibeti és európai szőnyege: Kiállítás a Miskolci Galériában a Budapesti Iparművészeti Múzeum gyűjteményéből / Knotted Rugs from India, Eastern-Turkestan, China, Tibet and Europe: Exhibition in the Miskolc Gallery from the Collection of the Budapest Museum of Applied Arts*, Miskolc: Miskolci Galéria, 1980: no. 18 and figure.  \nHorváth, Hilda, Vom „Herzog Bob“ bis zum Krug von Urbino. Das Leben und die Sammlung von Károly Bakonyi, *Ars Decorativa*, 34 (2020): 72 and figure 4.  \nHorváth, Hilda, A Perlmutter gyűjtemény \\[The Perlmutter Collection\\], *Művészettörténeti Értesítő*, 65 (2016): 27-42, 33, figure 7 (MAA, Archives, FLT 19070, NLT 3958).","workshop":"Cuenca, Spain","author":"Emese Pásztor","copy_editor":"Valerie Pulsifer","translator":"Lara Strong","keywords":["wool","Spanish rug","Hemp","European rug"],"materials":["Weft: Hemp","Spanish knot","Warp and pile: Wool"]},"ddaf3343-7f3f-5a06-be2a-81bea6057953":{"name":"Hunting Carpet with wild animals and lotus scrollwork","description":"The design of this beautiful carpet follows a vertical symmetry, with right and left sides mirroring each other. The central field is dark red, and filled with two dynamic elements: pairs of wild animals and spiralling leafy stems of huge lotus flowers. The animals are depicted with a vibrant fluency, and include prowling tigers, crouching leopards, running wolves and more. Lions pin down bulls, while leopards pounce on mountain goats. More magical creatures are also to be found, with close inspection, hidden within the stylised plant forms. The surrounding border is on a white ground, with a series of single lotus flowers outlined in green, joined by a red half-palmette scroll. These bold motifs are filled with tiny details, including further flowers, Chinese-style clouds and animal heads.  \n  \nThis belongs to a well-known group of carpets and carpet fragments from Iran, today dispersed in public and private collections around the world, usually called Hunting Carpets. These share the same structure, and often the same design cartoon. They are closely related to an exceptional pair of carpets known as the “Emperor Carpets” (in New York Metropolitan Museum and Vienna Museum für Angewandte Kunst), which are inscribed with Persian verses dedicated to “the king of the world”.  \nCarpets like this confirm the design correlation with the arts of the book in Safavid Iran: these wild creatures all spring from the landscape scenes, border illumination and album-drawings of the sixteenth century, in which a minute and precise draughtsmanship was rated the height of skill. For virtuoso performance, Safavid painters such as Sultan Muhammad concealed miniature figures within the natural world, by painting tiny faces in rock formations and even tinier animal combats in the clouds. A similar delivery occurs in this carpet, where red-eyed lions and serpentine dragons crouch in the flower-heads.  \n  \n[V&A online catalogue link](http://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O98838/carpet-unknown/)","type":"Carpet","holder":"Victoria and Albert Museum","dates":"1550-1600","location":"London","dimensions":"Metric. L: 3.76m, W: 3.05m","method_for_datation":"Carpets in this group are usually attributed to the second half of the sixteenth century, because their refined designs relate to contemporary manuscript-painting, and because the group fits a proposed chronological development of Safavid carpets. None of this group is dated, however.","method_for_provenance":"The carpet is attributed to Iran because of its design and technical structure, which fits with sixteenth-century production.","provenance":"Iran","obtention":"Purchased in 1894 from Jane Brunton. Despite its well-ordered appearance, this is a composite carpet, formed of three sections cut down from a much larger carpet. In 1890, the original carpet had been damaged in a fire, that occurred while it was being commercially cleaned, after which the owner sued the firm responsible. Parts of the carpet were then restored in late 1891 by Chiswick School of Arts and Crafts, and the composite carpet (the current object) was placed on loan at the South Kensington Museum (today the V&A). Later (in 1894) the owner finally sold it to the museum. She had already donated one other fragment to the museum, from the same damaged carpet, in 1892.","bibliography":"Klose, Christine, “Imperial Puzzle. Sixteenth-Century Persian Spiral Vine Carpets with Animals”, *Hali* , 170 (2011): 76-85.  \n“Damage to Valuable Carpet – Negligence”, *The Years Art* (1891): 257-258.","author":"Moya Carey","keywords":["lotus flowers","red","tigers","hunting","lions","birds","Iran","Safavids","animals"],"materials":["warp and weft. Wool pile on silk foundation","knotted pile","depressed warps","silk","wool","asymmetrical knots open to the left."]},"de2acd45-1832-5e18-b0aa-c9d4ba0f4467":{"name":"The Schwarzenberg Paradise Park Carpet","description":"This elaborately designed textile is known as a “Paradise Park” carpet due to its motifs including garden and animal imagery. Persian literature and art has long referenced the idea of heaven on earth, where a garden with water would bear lush plants and trees, often alongside animals both mythical and real. In this case, the term “Paradise Park” refers to a group of Persian carpets in particular that specifically combine motifs such as these in addition to a central medallion. High quality carpets from this group would have been made for members of the upper class in 16th-century Iran.  \nWith a central medallion followed by a cartouche and pendant on either end, this carpet is divided into four quarters with mirroring imagery. Flowers and vegetation including cypress trees cover the field of the carpet, while animals such as leopards, lions, birds and phoenixes additionally inhabit the space. Ducks appear within the central medallion while a pair of peacocks fill each cartouche. The border consists of birds, flowers and cloud band motifs.  \nTwo complete examples of similar “Paradise Park” carpets include the Mackay carpet in the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, and the Mantes carpet in the Louvre.","type":"Carpet","holder":"Museum of Islamic Art (MIA)","dates":"16th century","location":"Doha","dimensions":"H: 517cm, W: 217cm","method_for_datation":"This carpet has been dated based on stylistic comparions with other known 16th-century carpets","method_for_provenance":"This carpet has been stylistically attributed to Iran, but an exact location has yet to be established","provenance":"Iran","bibliography":"Franses, Michael, “A Museum of Masterpieces: Safavid Carpets in the Museum of Islamic Art, Qatar”, *Hali*, 155 (Spring 2008): 72–89.  \nBode, Wilhelm von, and Kühnel, Ernst, *Antique Rugs from the Near East*, 4th edition, tr. By Charles Grant Ellis, Ithaca, New York: Bell & Hyman Limited, 1984.","author":"Julia Tugwell","keywords":["Persia","Paradise","animal decoration","garden","Iran","medallion carpet"],"materials":["pile weave","wool","cotton"]},"de8ab6ff-2c61-5ad0-8bc9-34983de3832a":{"name":"Carpet with sickle leaf design","description":"In the 16th century, medallion carpets of Safavid Persia were much sought after, but by the century’s end and toward the beginning of the 17th century, floral motifs, spirals and palmettes began to gain appreciation. This long, narrow, “vase technique” carpet was probably produced in a Kerman (within southern Persia) workshop, during the reign of Shah ‘Abbas I (1571‒1629). Its field is made up of a dark-blue background, upon which is spread out an exuberant and dynamic vegetal pattern. This pattern is itself composed of several different planes of floral motifs in rich polychrome, palmettes and large sickle-shaped leaves. Compared to other examples of this type it has a narrower ground border, decorated with a frieze with spirals and flowers. In the centre of the field, there is an almost imperceptible inscription, probably the weaver’s signature, which is an extremely rare find in carpets from this period.","type":"Textile; carpet","holder":"Calouste Gulbenkian Museum","owner":"Calouste Gulbenkian Museum","dates":"16th/17th century","location":"Lisbon","dimensions":"H: 471cm, W: 198cm","method_for_datation":"Stylistic analysis and documents","method_for_provenance":"Stylistic analysis and documents","provenance":"Persia, Kirman (?)","obtention":"Purchased by Calouste Gulbenkian in London in 1921","bibliography":"Cohen, Steven, “Safavid and Mughal carpets at the Gulbenkian Museum”, *Hali*, 114 (January/February 2001): 75‒88, 99.  \nDelpont, Eric, Leite, Maria Fernanda Passos and Dias João Carvalho (eds), *Heaven in a Carpet*, Paris: Institut du Monde Arabe; Lisbon: Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation; Ghent: Snoeck, 2004.  \nPereira, João Castel-Branco and Silva, Nuno Vassallo e (eds), *Calouste Gulbenkian Museum*, Lisbon: Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation, 2011.","workshop":"Persia, Kirman (?)","author":"Clara Serra","translator":"Lily Chadwick","translation_copy_editor":"Mandi Gomez","keywords":["Shah ‘Abbas","Persia","Safawid dynasty","sickle leaf","Kerman","knotted carpet","Persian knot","palmettes","vegetable decoration","spirals","inscription"],"materials":["Cotton warp","wool pile","knotted (Persian knot","wool and silk weft","open to the left)"]},"ded02074-f1e4-5a9b-ac59-eb95827bc2a3":{"name":"*Afshari* carpet","description":"Little is known about the rural rugs of Kirman so authors often describe them as *afshari* only for convenience and not as a precise label. The Afshari appear to be a minority population, although they may be the most important. They are a Turkic tribe with groups in the Caucasus, Turkey and Iran south of Kirman.  \nAfshari products are seldom larger than about 170 x 200cm and they tend to be slightly more square-shaped. Some pieces have a striped kilim band at the ends. There are great variations in design, and many motifs found elsewhere are given a fresh approach, such as *boteh*, lozenge-shaped panels and medallion designs with flowers.  \nIn the central field on blue ground there are six “dragon palmette” motifs, six stylized floral motifs and numerous *boteh* and floret motifs. The “dragon palmette” motif is thought to derive from the “dragon and phoenix” motif of ancient Chinese origin. The palmette shape evolved from animal to vegetal. *Boteh* is the universal oriental rug design element. *Boteh* is Persian for “bush” and *buta* is Hindi for “flower”. It is thought to have originated in Kashmir in its curvilinear form. The form and content of *boteh*s are often distinctive for particular attributions and may be valuable clues to the origin of a weaving. The central field is framed with three borders. The main border resembles a floral meander on the blue background. The minor borders are also floral meanders on a white background. On the narrow sides the carpet has kilim finishes.","type":"Carpet","holder":"Museum of Arts and Crafts","dates":"Second half 19th century","location":"Zagreb","dimensions":"H: 168cm, W: 131cm","method_for_datation":"By stylistic analysis","method_for_provenance":"By stylistic analysis","provenance":"South Iran","obtention":"Unknown","author":"Andrea Klobučar","translator":"Petra Milovac","translation_copy_editor":"Daniel de la Vega","keywords":["Persia","Afshari"],"materials":["knotted carpet","wool","symmetrical knots"]},"e0b3885a-31cc-535a-86d0-6263a3c82774":{"name":"Rug","description":"This rug is smaller than a carpet. Bedouins would have used it to cover the floor of the tent.","type":"Rug","holder":"Department of Antiquities","owner":"Department of Antiquities","dates":"Early 20th century","location":"Amman","dimensions":"L: 3, W: 5m","method_for_datation":"Early 20th century treadle loom weavers from Syria and Palestine settled in Jordan. They produced rugs, saddle bags and more.","provenance":"Amman","obtention":"Purchased","bibliography":"Rashid, Abdallah, *Traditional life in Amman from 1878-1948*, Amman: Ministry of Culture and Youth, 1983.","author":"Samia Khouri","copy_editor":"Lisa Kelman","materials":["Wool and hair / detail of ground loom rug","warp patterned weave"]},"e1cf8f81-916a-549e-812c-671899736546":{"name":"Prayer rug","description":"The prayer niche is merely suggested here by two diagonals that do not meet. The field of the niche features two hands and above them, a floral motif, which is repeated all over the purple ground of the spandrels. The spandrels and the three narrow borders with a rich decoration of *boteh*s or tiny flowers connected by scrolls are in sharp contrast to the large beige *mihrab* field. Popular belief associates the hand motif with the hand of Fatima, daughter of the Prophet Muhammad, and as such, it is often used to decorate talismans. Sometimes, the hand motif also appears on prayer rugs, mostly on Caucasian and Baluch rugs.","type":"Prayer rug","holder":"The National Museum of Art of Romania","dates":"Late 19th century","location":"Bucharest","dimensions":"H: 123cm, W: 104cm; knot density ver. 33/dm; hor. 42/dm; 1,386/dm2","method_for_datation":"Stylistic analysis","provenance":"Western Iran, Farahan","obtention":"Purchased from the owner","bibliography":"Dunca, Mircea, *De la mihrab la grădina paradisului*, Bucharest: Muzeul Național de Artă al României, 2006: cat. 8.","author":"Mircea Dunca","translator":"Victoria Gheorghita","translation_copy_editor":"Mandi Gomez","keywords":["hand motif","boteh"],"materials":["Cotton warp and weft","knotted","asymmetrical wool knot"]},"e1e13e80-ab15-5b9d-9fee-0d34b2a99f7f":{"name":"*Die Madonna des Basler Bürgermeisters Jakob Meyer zum Hasen (Madonna of the Burgomaster of Basle, Jakob Meyer zum Hasen)*","description":"Oriental carpets appeared on paintings from the early Renaissance period onward, first on works of Italian and later of Dutch provenance. In most cases they served to focus attention on saints and holy figures. In this case, these are the Madonna and Child, at whose feet is a valuable, probably Anatolian woven carpet. The donor-the Mayor Jacob Meyer zum Hasen-and his family also kneel on the carpet, so that they also share in the atmosphere of holiness. At the same time, the carpet can be interpreted as signifying the wealth and status of the prosperous, influential mayor. The purely geometric pattern on the carpet shown here is so characteristic that the term \"Holbein carpet\" has become established as an art historical term.","type":"Painting","holder":"Gemäldegalerie Alte Meister (Old Masters Picture Gallery), Dresden State Art Collections","dates":"c. 1635/1637","location":"Dresden","dimensions":"Height: 159cm, Width: 103cm","method_for_datation":"Research and documentary evidence","method_for_provenance":"Research and documentary evidence","provenance":"German","obtention":"This altarpiece came into the Dresden Gallery from the collection of Zuan Delfino in Venice in 1743, when it was purchased by Francesco Graf Algarotti as an original painting by Holbein. During the Dresden Holbein exhibition in 1871 and the subsequent \"Holbein Dispute\", it was established that this painting is a forgery after the original painting known as the Darmstadt Madonna (now held in the Würth Collection, Schwäbisch Hall). The Dresden Madonna was painted by Bartholomäus Sarburgh in the years 1635-37.","bibliography":"Bader, Lena, *Bild-Prozesse im 19. Jahrhundert: Der Holbein-Streit und die Ursprünge der Kunstgeschichte*, München and Paderborn: Fink, 2013.  \nBätschmann, Oskar, *Der Holbein-Streit: Eine Krise der Kunstgeschichte* , Berlin: Mann, 1996.  \nMaaz, Bernhard, *Hans Holbein d.J. Die Madonnen des Bürgermeisters Jacob Meyer zum Hasen in Dresden und Darmstadt: Wahrnehmung, Wahrheitsfindung und -verunklärung*, Künzelsau: Swiridoff-Verlag, 2014.  \nMarx, Harald (ed), *Gemäldegalerie Alte Meister* , 2 vols, Köln: Buchhandlung Walther König, 2005/07: vol. 1, p. 616, vol. 2, p. 469, gallery n. 1892.","author":"Bettina Forger","copy_editor":"Janice Medina","keywords":["Madonna","painting","carpet"],"materials":["Oil on wood"]},"e1e280d9-a6bf-5ed3-ad03-670c3679b743":{"name":"'Transylvanian' Double Niche Rug","description":"A characteristic type of Ottoman rugs is the \"Transylvanian\" double niche carpet. Several variants of the type fashionable for over two centuries are known. Its common feature is the hexagonal medallion filling the central field created by mirroring the original *mihrab* (prayer niche) of the traditional prayer rug across the central axis. This rug of symmetrical design was particularly popular in Transylvania where it was used as table or bed cover and wall hanging. The name \"Transylvanian\" refers to the place of frequent occurrence and not to the place of origin.  \n  \nThis is a representative of the second period of \"Transylvanian\" double niche rugs. Its red field is filled by an ornate floral-foliate scroll typical of the early (First) period, with a mosque lamp decorating each peak of the 'Transylvanian' double *mihrab* niche). What makes this rug special is its border. Unlike other \"Transylvanian\" rugs, this consists of triangles of alternating orientation and colour on a white field. Unlike other \"Transylvanian\" rugs, this consists of triangles of alternating orientation and colour on a white field.","type":"Carpet","holder":"Museum of Applied Arts","dates":"Second half of 17th century","location":"Budapest","dimensions":"Height: 172cm, Width:117 cm, Knot density: 1,258/dm2","method_for_datation":"Stylistic analysis","method_for_provenance":"Acquisition unknown","provenance":"West Anatolia, Turkey","obtention":"Stylistic analysis","bibliography":"Batári, Ferenc, *Ottoman Turkish Carpets: The Collection of the Museum of Applied Arts, Budapest I*, Budapest–Keszthely: Museum of Applied Arts, 1994: 58, no. 56 and 147, figure.  \nÖlçer, N., and Enderlein, V., and Batári, F., and Mills, J., *Turkish Carpets from the 13th–18th Centuries*, Istanbul: Ahmet Ertuğ, 1996: 219, plate 159 \\[Ferenc Batári\\].  \nPásztor, Emese (ed), *'Transylvanian' Turkish Rugs: Tracing the Ottoman Rugs from the 1914 Exhibition in the Budapest Museum of Applied Arts*, Budapest: Museum of Applied Arts, 2020: 202–203, no. 158 and figure \\[Emese Pásztor\\].  \nPásztor, Emese, *Ottoman Turkish Carpets in the Collection of the Budapest Museum of Applied Arts: In Memoriam Ferenc Batári*, Budapest: Museum of Applied Arts, 2007: 118–119, no. 26 and figure.","author":"Emese Pásztor","copy_editor":"Valerie Pulsifer","translator":"Alan Campbell","keywords":["wool","Ottoman rug"],"materials":["Symmetrical (Turkish or Ghiordes) knot","Pile: wool"]},"e201681f-2ba1-5a3b-83d3-a717dc315fb0":{"name":"Caucasus *soumak*","description":"*Soumak* weaving is a form of weft-wrapping. The weft thread goes forward in front of a group of warp threads and then backward behind a smaller group. The weft forms a colourful pattern.  \n*Soumak*s include large pieces intended for floor use as well as small saddlebags and animal trappings. Most of the Caucasian soumaks were made in northern Caucasus. Red-field *soumak*s in a relatively narrow range of designs, with two, three, or four medallions, were woven in the Kuba district.  \nThis northern Caucasus soumak is one of the three soumaks in the Museum of Arts and Crafts holdings. It is a red field soumak with three large double octagram medallions. Inner octagrams have three small octagons with a star motif on the blue background. Outer octagrams have various motifs (S, star and small circles) on light blue, green and dark blue backgrounds. Between large medallions there are pairs of small square medallions with geometric motifs on a yellow background. The leaf and calyx main border is common through the Middle East. It is a universal border and it also may be called, “leaf and wine glass”. Minor borders are *laleh abbasi* (Abbasi tulip, very common minor border through the Mideast), octagrams on a white background and running dog (the weave form of this motif has various frequencies and amplitudes; the Vitruvian scroll described it as “running dog” and it was often used in ancient Roman architecture) on a dark blue background.","type":"Soumak","holder":"Museum of Arts and Crafts","dates":"c. 1800","location":"Zagreb","dimensions":"H: 277cm, W: 194cm","method_for_datation":"By stylistic analysis","method_for_provenance":"By stylistic analysis","provenance":"Caucasus","obtention":"Unknown","author":"Andrea Klobučar","translator":"Petra Milovac","translation_copy_editor":"Daniel de la Vega","keywords":["soumak","medahil","Caucasus"],"materials":["wool","soumak weaving"]},"e2e87d5b-1f57-5af5-9864-f84516f62cdb":{"name":"The *Annunciation*","description":"The beginning of the second quarter of the 16th century marks the emergence of the representation of “Lotto” knotted carpets in Portuguese painting. These carpets, their name derived from the Venetian artist Lorenzo Lotto, who represented them in his paintings, are characterised by their geometrical, angular aesthetics lined up in a repetitive scheme. The Lotto carpets of Turkish origin probably reached the high-end Portuguese market through the Venetian export trade.  \nThe presence of these carpets in Portuguese interiors is mostly evidenced through representations in paintings, in particular those of the court painter Gregório Lopes (active 1513‒† 1550). In this representation of the *Annunciation*, the Virgin Mary stands on a Turkish carpet with a yellow, meandering arabesque pattern on a red field and a pseudo-*kufic* border. It’s relevance in the painting is reinforced by the artist, for he captures the very moment when the Archangel, as if suspended in time, places one foot on the carpet, and thus enters the sacred domain of the Virgin Mother. As such, the carpet is used as a device in the painter’s masterful depiction to mark the passage from one space to another, as though through a gateway.  \nInterestingly, the opposing end of the same carpet is represented in another of Gregorio Lopes’s paintings, the *Presentation of the Head of Saint John the Baptist*, of around 1539 to 1541, a painting encompassing a ceremonial banquet in an aristocratic setting. In the *Annunciation* the artist takes the contrary approach, emptying the space of the splendour of the banquet, and replacing pageantry with a bare, peaceful interior befitting of the unfolding scene.","type":"Painting","holder":"National Museum of Ancient Art","dates":"1540‒1545","location":"Lisbon","dimensions":"H: 135.5cm, W: 113.5cm","method_for_datation":"Technical information provided by José Alberto Seabra de Carvalho","method_for_provenance":"Stylistic analysis and material dating","provenance":"Portugal, unknown location","obtention":"Transferred, an original altarpiece-painting from the church of the Monastery of Santos-o-Novo, Lisbon, Portugal, in 1911","bibliography":"Hallett, Jessica and Pereira, Teresa Pacheco, *The Oriental Carpet in Portugal: Carpets and paintings, 15th‒18th centuries*, Lisbon: MNAA, 2007.","workshop":"Unknown","author":"Ana Kol","translator":"Lily Chadwick","translation_copy_editor":"Mandi Gomez","keywords":["Annunciation","Gregório Lopes","Lotto carpet","painting","Portugal"],"materials":["Oil on oak panel"]},"e2eea34e-96fb-5a2d-8d3e-29a6cd5d3d82":{"name":"Carpet Design","description":"Design of a carpet for its manufacture by the Royal Tapestry Factory of Santa Barbara in Madrid. The manufacturing process of the carpets relies on a previous design. This type of design is not common and the National Museum of Decorative Arts retains several, both from Francisco Javier Amérigo and the former Guild Foundation and is a sample of the manufacturing process that these works were a part of.","type":"Drawing","holder":"National Museum of Decorative Arts","dates":"c. 1881-1910","location":"Madrid","dimensions":"Length: 14.2cm, Width: 8cm","method_for_datation":"Through other similar sets of designs which are signed and contain the seal of the Royal Tapestry Factory.","method_for_provenance":"Through other similar sets of designs which are signed and contain the seal of the Royal Tapestry Factory.","provenance":"Royal Tapestry Factory of Santa Barbara (Madrid)","obtention":"Acquired in 2015","author":"Museo Nacional de Artes Decorativas","translator":"Asad Islam","materials":["Paper","watercolour and ink /drawing"]},"e438f7f3-f994-5b2c-ac3c-df61c9c9dbff":{"name":"Vertical fixed-heddle loom","description":"A simple loom composed of two bars between which the warps are stretched. This type of loom is called a “back strap loom” because one bar is attached to a fixed object, and the other to the weaver usually as a strap around the back. The weaver leans back and their body weight is used to provide tension on the loom. To open the shed, the weaver relaxes tension on the warps and raises the heddles. The other shed is opened by simply drawing the shed roll toward the weaver. Both simple and complex textiles can be woven on this loom.","type":"Loom","holder":"Department of Antiquities","owner":"Department of Antiquities","dates":"Early 20th century","location":"Amman","dimensions":"L: 30cm, W: 40cm","method_for_datation":"Early 20th century treadle loom weavers from Syria and Palestine settled in Jordan. They produced rugs, saddle bags and other textiles.","provenance":"Amman","obtention":"Purchased","bibliography":"Ibrahim, Moawiyah, *et al.*, *Museum of Jordanian Heritage*, Amman-Jordan: Yarmouk University, 1988.","author":"Samia Khouri","copy_editor":"Lisa Kelman"},"e4957137-fe26-5b45-a98b-c7918535c481":{"name":"Textile fragment","description":"Textiles constitute a major part of the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts’ collection of Islamic art. The decorative arts had great symbolic and social importance in the Islamic world. The skills of the weavers of the time have rarely been equalled, and this fragment is among the pieces that demonstrate the complexity and innovation of their techniques. Figurative designs, which were extremely popular in 16th-century Persia, appeared on garments and palace furnishings, as well as in religious and funeral ceremonies. In this fragment of reversible double cloth depicting “Boats at Sea”, two fabrics have been produced simultaneously, one over the other, following a repeat pattern of remarkable detail: sailing boats with four sailors alternating with simple rowing boats carrying three figures, all on a sea filled with fish and ducks. The vertical masts create the impression of stability, while the diagonal placement of the rowing boats suggests a rocking motion. The red motifs lay on a silver-thread ground.","type":"Textile fragment","holder":"Montreal Museum of Fine Arts","dates":"Late 16th–early 17th century","location":"Montreal, Quebec","dimensions":"15.8cm x 14.5cm","method_for_datation":"Stylistic and comparative analyses; *Catalogue of the International Exhibition of Persian Art*, London: Royal Academy, 1931, cat. no. 301a.","provenance":"Iran, Yazd","obtention":"Purchase, D. W. Parker Fund  \nPurchased from Heeramaneck Galleries, New York, in 1949, D. W. Parker Fund","bibliography":"Salam-Liebich, Hayat, *Art islamique: objets du quotidien / Islamic Art: Objects for Daily Use*, Montreal: Montreal Museum of Fine Arts, 1983: 61.  \nSalam-Liebich, Hayat, “Masterpieces of Persian Textiles from the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts Collection”, *Iranian Studies*, 25.1–2 (1992): 19–29, 26, fig. 5.  \n*The Montreal Museum of Fine Arts Guide*, 1960: 23.  \n*The Montreal Museum of Fine Arts Guide*, 2007: 42.","author":"Shirin Shafiee","copy_editor":"Mandi Gomez","keywords":["Safawid textile","double cloth","Persian textile","silk fabric"],"materials":["silk","silver thread","double cloth"]},"e5774d57-ae8b-5789-8ba3-a24fe78f0b1f":{"name":"Mudéjar carpet","description":"This carpet is a fine example of the production of workshops of southern Castile and which were most probably sold in Alcaraz. Manufactured in the 15th century by weavers of the Mudéjar population (i.e. the Muslim population living in Spain after the Reconquista), these carpets were integrating Renaissance and Byzantine designs with already known Islamic designs.  \nThis specific carpet is missing one of its original edges, which explains its irregular shape.  \nIt is composed of three octagonal roundels decorated with stylised designs of arabesque, what has become in the 20th century the \"Holbein design\". Such name was given in reference to the well-known paintings of Hans Holbein the Younger and paintings of various 15th- and 16th- century artists where Anatolian and Syrian carpets of this kind were represented.  \nA decorative band of geometrical patterns surrounds the central motifs. The bottom part bears a band of repeating animals, maybe lions.  \nSpanish carpets demonstrate, with other objects produced in the 15th century, the trade expansion in the Mediterranean, which designs were influenced by textiles and ceramics from western Anatolia. Moreover, Spanish carpets were exported to France and Italy from the 13th to the 15th century.","type":"Carpet","holder":"Museum of Islamic Art (MIA)","dates":"15th century","location":"Doha","dimensions":"H: 250cm, W: 103cm","method_for_datation":"This carpet has been dated based on stylistic comparisons with other known Mudéjar carpets from the same period","method_for_provenance":"This carpet has been stylistically attributed to Alcaraz, Spain based on comparisons with further examples","provenance":"Spain, Alcaraz","bibliography":"Franses, Michael, “A Museum of Masterpieces: Iberian & East Mediterranean Carpets in the Museum of Islamic Art, Qatar”, *Hali*, 157 (Autumn 2008): 69–95.","author":"Mounia Chekhab-Abudaya","keywords":["geometric decoration","Alcaraz","Mudéjar","Hispano-Moresque"],"materials":["pile weave","wool"]},"e6710518-4898-5028-a985-a35bd74bd8a8":{"name":"Konya prayer rug with pelt","description":"Rugs with animal skins are a specialised category within Turkish carpet weaving. The earliest examples are seen in Anatolia from the 17th century. This rug has three borders. The first and third borders are identical. A sequential hooked “s” motif on white ground fills the interior. The main border is in the form of a band, with blue *Rumi* on red ground arranged in two winding rows. The branches of these *Rumi* are enriched with tiny palmettes. The animal pelt is stretched in a way to form the prayer niche of this rug with a red main ground. A ram’s horn motif on the top part of the spotted pelt design is on white ground that resembles red and brown panther spots. The same motif is found on the bottom short edge of the prayer rug.","type":"Prayer rug","holder":"Museum of Turkish and Islamic Arts","dates":"17th century","location":"Istanbul","dimensions":"L: 140cm, W: 170cm","method_for_datation":"The analyses of the material and the technique used for weaving the rug and the motifs seen on main ground and borders.","provenance":"Middle Anatolia, Konya","obtention":"Acquisition unknown","bibliography":"Denny, Walter, and Tekeli, Gönül, *Anadolu Dokuma Mirası*, Istanbul: C.2, 2007: s.23, Kat.no.1. Erdmann, Kurt, *Seven Hundred Years of Orıental Carpets*, London: Faber and Faber Limited, 1970: 102. Kollektif, *Türk El Dokuması Halılar*, Ankara: Kültür ve Turizm Bakanlığı Yayınları, Cilt 1, Katalog no: 99. Şahin, Seracettin, *Türk ve İslam Eserleri Müzesi: Emevilerden Osmanlılara 13 Asırlık Ihtişam*, Istanbul: Kaynak Yayınları, 2009: 131‒135.","author":"Deniz Kanberoğlu","copy_editor":"Lisa Kelman","keywords":["Konya","prayer rug"],"materials":["Natural wool coloured with natural dyes","symmetrical knot","Gördes knot"]},"e6e39016-a178-5040-afd2-919c26cefc8e":{"name":"Fertek‒Niğde Prayer Rug","description":"There are several towns around the Niğde Province including Taşpınar, Maden, Yahyalı, Yeşilhisar, Karapinar, Karaman, Bor and Fertek which were important rug production centres. Niğde was the regional market place, and rugs produced in these towns became known as “Niğde rugs”. This is an excellent example of a Fertek rug. It is distinguished from other Niğde rugs by simple but nice looking floral motifs. The head band of the prayer rug is decorated with stylised tulips. Eight point star motifs appear on the niche corners.","type":"Prayer rug","holder":"Museum of Turkish and Islamic Arts","dates":"19th century","location":"Istanbul","dimensions":"L: 110cm, W: 161cm","method_for_datation":"The analyses of the material and the technique used for weaving the rug and the motifs seen on main ground and borders.","provenance":"Middle Anatolia, Niğde","obtention":"From the  Awqaf Storehouse","bibliography":"Denny, Walter, and Tekeli, Gönül, *Anadolu Dokuma Mirası*, Istanbul: C.2, 2007,s. 116, Kat. No: 94.  \nKollektif, *Türk El Dokuması Halılar*, Ankara: Kültür ve Turizm Bakanlığı Yayınları, Cilt 3, Katalog no: 298.","author":"Deniz Kanberoğlu","copy_editor":"Lisa Kelman","keywords":["Middle Anatolia","Niğde prayer rug"],"materials":["Natural wool coloured with natural dyes","symmetrical knot","Gördes knot"]},"e781ed99-0334-5a17-84a6-d65ff343a949":{"name":"*Allegory of Sight* (Venus and Cupid in a Picture Gallery)","description":"From a series of paintings called the “The Five Senses”, this painting by Jan Brueghel the Younger is known as *The Allegory of Sight*. It displays a virtual treasure trove of Paintings, Sculpture, Scientific tools and more. At the center of the piece is Venus examining herself in a handheld mirror. A beautiful Turkish Carpet is draped over the table to the left of Venus. The fact that such a carpet is displayed among such a treasure trove of expensive and exquisite objects shows its importance.  \nThis painting shows an imaginary collection of art, scientific instruments, and curiosities of nature. It belongs to a popular genre of pictures developed by Antwerp artists in the 1600s that portray the cabinets, or rooms, collectors filled with art and wonders. The inclusion of Venus examining herself in a mirror reveals that this scene also doubles as an allegory of sight, and was part of a series of works depicting the five senses.  \nThough an allegory, the scene contains artwork and objects based on real examples, including paintings by famous Flemish artist Peter Paul Rubens (1577–1640) and Jan Brueghel’s father, Jan Brueghel the Elder. The ancient and modern sculptures as well as the array of vessels, jewels, coins, measuring instruments, and shells strewn around the room can be matched with surviving items.  \nThe remarkable works depicted by Jan the Younger illustrate the types of objects the well to do collected in the 1600s to demonstrate their status and knowledge. Within the space around you are works of art and nature that represent the varied categories of collecting popular at this time.","type":"Painting","holder":"Philadelphia Museum of Art","dates":"c. 1660","location":"Philadelphia, Pennsylvania","dimensions":"58.1 x 89.7cm (22 7/8 x 35 5/16 inches)","method_for_datation":"Lower right: J Breugel","provenance":"Southern Netherlands (modern Belgium), Europe","obtention":"John G. Johnson Collection, 1917","bibliography":"D'Harnoncourt , Anne, *Paintings from Europe and the Americas in the Philadelphia Museum of Art: A Concise Catalogue*, Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press, 1994.  \nErtz, Klaus, *Jan Breughel, der Jüngere (1601-1968) die Gemälde mit kritischem Œuvrekatalog. Flämische Maler im Umkreis der grossen Meister, Band. 1*, Freren: Luca,1984.","author":"Quintin Blumka","copy_editor":"Xena Wang","keywords":["Breugal","Allegory","painting"],"materials":["Oil on copper"]},"e787c7a9-3757-59d5-b969-eea67ff8bc13":{"name":"Arraiolos carpet","description":"Throughout the 17th century, the oriental pattern that characterised the pieces from the early production of Arraiolos carpets was progressively replaced by a traditional standard, though one that also derives from the Persian medallion- and animal-based carpets. Known as “animal pattern” carpets, due to the preponderance and protagonism of their animalistic motifs, this type of carpet best divulges and characterises the Arraiolos carpet-weaving industry of the 18th century.  \nIn this carpet, the large central, triple, concentric, and radiant medallion stands out, being that the last frame, with its blue background, is decorated with small cocks and Caucasian palm flowers. In the remaining field, organised according to a quarter-plan layout, the decoration is made up of vases of carnations and various animals. At each corner of the central field are grandiose and colourful peacocks, holding flowering branches in their beaks. In front of these elements appear rabbits, whereas above them there are deer, flanked by cypresses. Other small animals – parrots, ducks, birds of paradise and small dogs and cockerels – and tinted flowers fill the remaining space.  \nWith a green background, the border is decorated with continuous and zigzagging branches, whose stalks sprout small flowers and leaves, upon which are poised miniscule birds.","type":"Textile; decorative carpet","holder":"National Museum Machado de Castro","dates":"18th century (1739‒1750)","location":"Coimbra","dimensions":"H: 303cm, W: 194cm; stitch density 624 (24 x 26)/dm2","method_for_datation":"According to bibliographic sources, 1739 is the initial completion date in the construction of the Church of the Convent of Louriçal (Order of St. Claire), Pombal","provenance":"From a church belonging to the Convent of Louriçal (Order of St. Claire), Pombal, Portugal","obtention":"Transferred from the Convent of Louriçal, Pombal. The transfer from the Convent of Louriçal, Pombal, is documented","bibliography":"Mendonça, Maria José de, “Tapetes de Arraiolos”, in João Barreira (ed.), *Arte Portuguesa ‒ As Artes Decorativas*, Lisbon: Excelsior, n.d.  \n*Museu Machado de Castro ‒ Secção de tecidos, bordados, tapeçarias e tapetes. Catálogo-guia*, Coimbra: Coimbra Editora, 1943, p. 92, cat. no. 19 (6).  \nOliveira, Fernando Baptista de, *História e Técnica dos Tapetes de Arraiolos*, Lisbon: Fundação Calouste Gulbenkian, 1973.  \nPereira, Teresa Pacheco, *Tapetes de Arraiolos*, Lisbon: SILVIP, 1991.","workshop":"Arraiolos, Portugal","author":"Pedro Miguel Ferrão","translator":"Lily Chadwick","translation_copy_editor":"Mandi Gomez","keywords":["animal pattern","rug","medallion","birds","Arraiolos","carpet"],"materials":["oblique or Slavic cross-stitch (known as ponto de Arraiolos)","wool","embroidery"]},"e7a1a909-9452-5c02-be6a-c958cd0e8d05":{"name":"Chelaberd (fragment)","description":"Although the Chelaberd is clearly a type of rug from the Karabagh region, it is still sometimes referred to today as the so-called Sunburst Kazak - a trade name that alludes to the neighbouring Kazak region. The Dresden fragment is dominated by a massive medallion that fills the field. At the top, facing the head, the base of another medallion can be seen. A narrow-dotted line runs horizontally between the two. In contrast to numerous pieces with three or more medallions, no secondary motifs fill the field, the border here is narrow, and the wool and colours are of outstanding quality. It is a powerful piece, probably made for personal use. It is entirely plausible that this carpet originally had no more than two medallions, although it cannot be said with absolute certainty. In the 1920s, Heinrich Jakoby already pointed out similarities between the characteristic Chelaberd medallion (\"sunburst medallion\") and medallions on large-format Caucasian workshop carpets of the 18th century. Later on, the design-historical forerunner of the rural-village Chelaberd was identified in it.","type":"Carpet","holder":"Museum für Völkerkunde Dresden (Ethnological Museum Dresden), Dresden State Art Collections","dates":"19th century","location":"Dresden, Saxony","dimensions":"Length: 89cm, Width: 152cm","provenance":"South Caucasian, Karabagh region","obtention":"Purchased from Dresden painter Wilhelm Müller (1928–99) from his private Collection in 1978. About 10 years from 1979 onwards Müller collected oriental rugs, carpets and flat weaves for the Ethnographic Museum of Dresden in the Dresden-Leipzig-Berlin region to secure remaining rural and nomadic textiles from the 19th and early 20th century. Textiles were acquired from private households, private and state shops and even from demolition sites or waste containers.","bibliography":"Bausback, P., *Alte orientalische Knüpfkunst*, Mannheim: Franz Bausback, 1977: 42.  \nFranses, M., \"Die Einflüsse safawidisch-persischer Kunst auf eine uralte Stammeskultur.\" \"Sunburst\" or \"Adlerkazak Motiv\", in H. Kirchheim (ed), *Orient Stars. Eine Teppichsammlung*, Stuttgart/London: E. Heinrich Kirchheim/Hali Publications, 1993: 106–107.  \nJacoby, H., *Eine Sammlung orientalischer Teppiche*, Berlin: Scarabeus, 1923: plate 47.  \nRippon Boswell & Co., *Katalog Nr. 48. Große Herbstauktion*, Wiesbaden: Rippon Boswell & Co, 1997: no.104.  \nSpuhler, F., *Die Orientteppiche im Museum für Islamische Kunst Berlin*, Munich: Klinkhardt und Biermann, 1987: no.112.","author":"Simone Jansen","copy_editor":"Janice Medina","keywords":["Fragment"],"materials":["goat hair","pile weave","wool","symmetrical knot"]},"e8943284-2319-51c2-91bf-636b5313c45d":{"name":"‘Transylvanian’ prayer rug","description":"The term “Siebenbürger” or “Transylvanian” rug recurs frequently in Oriental carpet literature. It is used to designate 17th- and 18th-century rugs preserved in large numbers in the Saxon churches of Transylvania, whose provenance has not been yet definitively established. Certain experts have indicated Transylvania as a possible source, whereas according to more research that is more recent they were produced in western Anatolia. Many “Transylvanian” rugs feature the *mihrab* design, typical of prayer rugs; in most cases though, the niche becomes a purely decorative element devoid of its original meaning, a fashionable motif popular with carpet buyers outside the Islamic world. This rug is a fine example of exquisite craftsmanship. The white field of the *mihrab* is decorated with floral motifs intertwined with geometric scrolls; a mosque lamp is hanging from the apex. Above the red spandrels decorated with similar geometric scrolls, a narrow rectangular panel features alternating tulips and cypress trees. Polygonal cartouches alternating with octagons fill the main border.","type":"Prayer rug","holder":"The National Museum of Art of Romania; The Art Collections Museum","dates":"Early 17th century","location":"Bucharest","dimensions":"H: 176cm W: 112cm; knot density ver. 45/dm; hor. 41/dm; 1,845/dm2","method_for_datation":"Stylistic analysis","provenance":"Western Anatolia","obtention":"Donated as part of the Beatrice and Hrandt Avakian Collection","bibliography":"Dunca, Mircea, *Covoare turceşti secolele XVII–XX*, Bucharest: Muzeul Naţional de Artă al României, 1994: cat. 6.  \nFranses, Michael, *In Praise of God. Anatolian Rugs in Transylvanian Churches 1500–1750*, Istanbul: Sakip Sabanci Museum, 2007: cat. 18.  \nIonescu, Stefano (ed.), *Antique Ottoman Rugs in Transylvania*, ed. II, Rome: Verduci Editore, 2007: 201.","author":"Mircea Dunca","translator":"Victoria Gheorghita","translation_copy_editor":"Mandi Gomez","keywords":["Transylvanian rug","prayer rug"],"materials":["wool","knotted","symmetrical knot"]},"e8b0644e-e003-52a3-99a3-463ef49e34cd":{"name":"Panel of *azulejos* with a carpet composition","description":"The use of patterns in 17th-century Portuguese *azulejos* allowed a number of solutions for covering the architectural surfaces of palaces, convents and churches. Because the Portuguese used *azulejos* to cover surfaces in all areas, including vaults and ceilings, it was necessary to create larger modules for patterns otherwise people below would only be able to see smudges of colour instead of the motifs in the patterns.  \nThis panel of *azulejos* shows how the patterns were used with frames, which emphasise the proximity between them and the carpets that sometimes inspired them. However, in a panel like this one, we can see the advantage of *azulejos* over textiles: the bright reflection of its surface, the eternal shine of its colours that never fade and the clever solutions to adjusting to the architectural surfaces it was covering. The module of this pattern is a 4 x 4, which implies that 16 *azulejos* are required in order to achieve a single motif that can be repeated to infinity. In this case, the decoration is composed of a four-lobe design motif with acanthus leaves at the corners, which allow a connection with the other *azulejos*. The frame of this composition is achieved by two different solutions: a half *azulejos*, in Portuguese known as a *friso* or frieze, with a “saw’s teeth” motif, positioned in the extremities of the frame. The second element is a double *azulejos* element, known in Portuguese as a *barra* or stripe, with the decoration known as “hammers”, which composes the larger area of the frame and gives a dynamic structure to the panel.","type":"Tile; *azulejo*","holder":"National Tile Museum","dates":"1660‒1670","location":"Lisbon","dimensions":"H: 203cm, L: 147cm, W: 1.4cm","method_for_datation":"Stylistic analysis: in 17th-century production of *azulejos* in northern Portugal, the colours tend to be denser, with harsh greyish blues and a less bright yellow with an orange hue.","method_for_provenance":"The National Tile Museum holds a large number of *azulejos* of unknown origin, many gathered during the period of the destruction of the convents and palaces in the late 19th century, in the aftermath of the abolition of the religious orders in 1834.","provenance":"Portugal, unknown location","obtention":"Probably salvaged during demolition of an unknown building where they had once been applied","bibliography":"Matos, Maria Antónia Pinto (ed.), *Um gosto português, O uso do azulejo no século XVII*, exhib. cat., Lisbon: Museu Nacional do Azulejo/Athena, 2012.  \nMeco, José, *O Azulejo em Portugal*, Lisbon: Publicações Alfa, 1989.  \nSimões, João Miguel dos Santos, *Azulejaria em Portugal no século XVII*, 2 vols, Lisbon: Fundação Calouste Gulbenkian, 1971.","workshop":"Oporto (?), Portgual","author":"Alexandre Pais","copy_editor":"Mandi Gomez","keywords":["17th century","Faience","azulejos","pattern"],"materials":["Ceramic: faience"]},"e9c5dea2-d0d2-56ce-8e1a-0301e49ff152":{"name":"Niche carpet","description":"This carpet is among the most famous in the Berlin collection. As early as 1871 it was acquired by Wilhelm von Bode for the painter Heinrich von Angeli, but it was not until 1905 that Bode was able to buy it from his heirs and donate it to the Museum. Von Angeli and some of his colleagues depicted this carpet several times. The charm of this carpet lies in its depth of colour, its high, dense pile and the impressive sheen of the wool. On a dark blue ground, two red-ground spandrels are separated in the form of niches by a strong white line. Unusually, the spandrels blend into each other at their tops. The lower half of the niche field is filled with a light blue cloud band, in whose arc a large blossom forms a fixed point. This cloud band is reminiscent of delimitations in the so-called keyhole or Bellini carpets. Their often angular arch forms are associated with fountains, which were needed for the ritual cleansing before prayer. Because of the Persian appearance of the blossoms, the origin of the cloud band from East Asian cultures, and the use of depressed warps, this carpet has occasionally been ascribed to Persia. However, not only the colour palette and the reference to the keyhole motif, but also the use of a symmetrical knot, speak in favour of a location in Turkey.","type":"Carpet","holder":"Museum of Islamic Art at the Pergamon Museum","dates":"AD early 16th century","location":"Berlin","dimensions":"L: 177, W: 122","method_for_datation":"The carpet has been radio carbon dated. The carpet has been dated on stylistic analysis of its pattern, due to its colours and knot-technique","method_for_provenance":"The carpet has been located on stylistic analysis of its pattern, due to its colours and knot-technique","provenance":"Anatolia","obtention":"Bought by Wilhem von Bode in 1871 for the painter Heinrich von Angeli; 1905 gifted by Wilhelm von Bode","bibliography":"Beselin, Anna, *Geknüpfte Kunst. Teppiche des Museums für Islamische Kunst*, Berlin: Minerva, 2011. Bode, Wilhelm von, *Vorderasiatische Knüpfteppiche aus älterer Zeit*, 2nd edition, with contributions by E. Kühnel, Leipzig o.a., 1914.","author":"Anna Beselin","keywords":["Wilhelm von Bode","Niche Carpet","Prayer Capet","Cloudband","painting","carpet"],"materials":["wool","knotted pile carpet","symmetrical knot"]},"e9f4c38d-048f-5665-96a4-f4e9444dc22f":{"name":"Prayer rug with a row of niches.","description":"This is one of three 'row' carpets of an early date in the collection of the Museum of Turkish and Islamic Arts which have survived from the 9th / 15th century to the present day. The composition has been organised into *mihrab* niches which provide a distinct space for worshippers in the mosque to pray in well-defined rows. It has survived as a fragment; the original dimensions of the complete rug are not known. The ground is white (cream). Within the sections outlined by dark-blue borders are five *mihrab* niches, two of them green and three dark-blue. The influence of the monumental *kufic* borders of AH 7th- / AD 13th-century Konya rugs of the Anatolian Seljuq period can be seen in the design of the rug's *mihrab*s. Each of the *mihrab* niches are crowned with a stylised ram's-head motif, while their corners have corner-pieces with dark-blue chequer patterns and red 'stalactites' hanging off them. In each *mihrab* there are three mosque-lamp motifs, one in the centre and two at the sides, hanging downwards. Four of the *mihrab* niches have diamond-motifs in their lower section, ornamented with motifs like arrowheads pointing in four directions. In contrast, the central niche has a diamond-motif in its lower section which is plain, as if the element of symmetry is meant to show the centre of the prayer rug.  \n  \nThe pattern reminiscent of a double ram's-head in blue on a red ground, while it makes up the main border, is at the same time used to separate the rows from each other.  \n  \nThe motifs on the narrow yellow-ground border which surrounds the main border resemble a chain of plaited yellow and blue rosettes. The geometric motifs carry on Seljuq tradition, especially their arrowhead-like corners which resemble *kufic* script. These, as well as the mosque-lamp and eight-pointed star motifs, prepare the way for the transition to Ottoman prayer rugs.","short_description":"The earliest Ottoman prayer rugs with multiple niches are dated to the AH 9th / AD 15th century. They were produced for use in the mosque to help the congregation to pray in straight lines. The prayer rugs (*seccade*) of this period with their geometric compositions and *kufic* borders are a transition to classical Ottoman prayer rugs.","type":"Wool, knotted, carpet","holder":"Museum of Turkish and Islamic Arts.","dates":"Hegira 9th century / AD 15th century.","location":"Sultanahmet, Istanbul","dimensions":"430 cm x 133 cm.","method_for_datation":"Chemical analysis carried out on the original dyes used for this rug, together with analysis of the motifs and composition, point to a date of production in the 9th / 15th century.","method_for_provenance":"Rug-making is not widespread in the Eskişehir-Sivrihisar region. Moreover, in this period Konya was the most important centre for rug production, and since this example continues the Seljuq tradition, it is thought that it was woven in the Konya region.","provenance":"Central Anatolia (possibly Konya), Turkey.","obtention":"The rug was transferred from the Sheikh Baba Yusuf Mosque in 1911 as a result of a countrywide initiative to collect up artworks in order to prevent theft and plunder. The aforementioned mosque was built in 903 / 1498 in Sivrihisar, one of the first large sites settled by the Turcomans (Türkmen). Sheikh Baba Yusuf (d. 918 / 1512) was a religious scholar descended from Haci Bayram Veli (753–834 / 1352–1430), founder of the Bayramiyya branch of Sufism.","bibliography":"Aslanapa, O., *Türk Halı Sanatının Bin Yılı*, Istanbul, 1987, p.163, Pl. 115.  \n  \nÖlçer, N., *et al, Turkish Carpets of the 13th-18th Centuries*, Istanbul 1996, pp.158–9.  \n  \nÖlçer, N., *et al, Museum of Turkish and Islamic Art,* Istanbul, 2002, p.168.","linkcatalogs":"IAM_TR_EN_001","author":"Gönül Tekeli","translator":"Barry Wood","translation_copy_editor":"Mandi Gomez","keywords":["rug","Sheikh Yusuf Baba","prayer rug","Sivrihisar","Gördes"],"materials":["woven with the Turkish double knot also known as the Gördes knot.","Wool on wool"]},"ea0d55a7-8624-5566-bd62-40cadfcf4f89":{"name":"A 'Lotto' rug probably Ushak","description":"A particular group of the endless repeat patterned early Ottoman pieces is represented by the “Lotto” carpets, named after an Italian painter Lorenzo Lotto (1480–1557). The \"Lotto\" design was a development of the \"small pattern Holbein\" design, opening it up to become an overall pattern. The design possibly developed from the much earlier Turkish tradition of two-tone overall lattice carpets, such as those of the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries. The largest examples with this border design tend to have complete cartouches in the border while the medium sized and smaller examples have the part-cartouches, as seen here. Ch. G. Ellis distinguishes three main trends of the \"Lotto\" pattern: 'Anatolian', 'Kilim' and 'Ornamented'. This \"Lotto\" carpet was in the property of a noble Italian family.","type":"Textile","holder":"Islamic Arts Museum Malaysia","dates":"Hegira 10 / AD 16","location":"Kuala Lumpur","dimensions":"Length: 187cm x Width: 110cm","provenance":"West Anatolia, Turkey; Possibly received as a diplomatic gift by Pope Alexander VII and then by descent","bibliography":"Batari, F., *Ottoman Turkish Carpets*, Budapest: Museum of Applied Arts, 1994.  \nBlack, D., *The Macmillan Atlas of Rugs & Carpets*, United Kingdom: MacMillan Publishing Company, 1985.  \nEllis, C. G., \"The 'Lotto' Pattern as a Fashion in Carpets\", in Annaliese Ohm et al. (eds), *Festschrift für Peter Wilhelm Meister zum 65. Geburtstag am 16. Mai 1974*, Hamburg: Hauswedell, 1975: 19-31.  \nErdmann, Kurst, *The early Turkish Carpet*, London: Oguz Press, 1977: 31.","materials":["weaving","Sewing","Stitching on wool and cotton"]},"ea2151d0-0e88-5675-84d3-bf755cc53b12":{"name":"The 'Simonetti' Carpet","short_description":"The Simonetti Carpet, so named for its twentieth century Italian owner, was woven in Cairo toward the end of Mamluk rule or shortly after the city’s Ottoman conquest in 1517. The use of insect-derived red, blue, green, and yellow dyes with little or no undyed white, together with the s-spun wool, rarely found outside of Egypt, points to Mamluk production, although the precise date of production is not known. The five compartment design makes this carpet one of the largest of its type. Known for dazzling visual effects produced by jewel-like tones, geometric forms and radiating designs, Mamluk carpets bear motifs such as three-petalled flowers, cypress trees and papyrus plants that resemble tiny umbrellas. Carpets like this one figured significantly in Mediterranean commerce and appear in Venetian paintings as early as the sixteenth century.","type":"Textile","holder":"The Metropolitan Museum of Art","dates":"Hegira c. 905 / AD c. 1500","location":"New York","dimensions":"Rug: L: 896.6 cm, W: 238.8cm; Tube: L: 269.2cm, Diameter: 25.4cm","provenance":"Probably Cairo, Egypt","obtention":"Fletcher Fund, 1970  \nVendor: P. W. French and Company, New York  \nFormer owner: Guidi da Faenza, Italy (until 1902)  \nFormer owner \\[dealer\\]: \\[Attilio Simonetti, Rome, from at least 1910; cat., 1912, no. 167\\]  \nFormer owner \\[dealer\\]: \\[Giorgio Sangiorgi, Rome\\]  \nFormer owner: Luigi Pisa, Italy (in 1937; cat., 1937, no. 979)  \nFormer owner \\[dealer\\]: \\[P. W. French and Company, New York , until 1970; sold to MMA\\]","bibliography":"Berinstain, Valerie, *Great Carpets of the World*, New York: Vendome Press, 1996: 46, ill. pl. 46 (colour).  \nCampbell, Thomas P. (ed), *The Metropolitan Museum of Art Guide*, New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2012: 136-137, ill. (colour).  \nDenny, Walter B., *How to Read Islamic Carpets*, New Haven/London: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2014: 76-77, ill. figs. 61-62.  \nDimand, Maurice S. and Mailey, Jean, *Oriental Rugs in the Metropolitan Museum of Art*, New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 1973: 154-155, 229, no. 97, ill. fig. 181, (b/w; colour).  \nEkhtiar, Maryam, Canby, Shelia R., Haidar, Navina and Soucek, Priscilla P. (eds), *Masterpieces from the Department of Islamic Art in The Metropolitan Museum of Art*, New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2011: 7, 140, 168-169, no. 116, ill. 168-169.  \nEttinghausen, Richard, \"Islamic Art\", *Metropolitan Museum of Art Bulletin*, 33/1 (Spring 1975): ill. 49 (colour).  \nde Montebello, Philippe and Howard, Kathleen (ed), *The Metropolitan Museum of Art Guide*, New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 1992: 319, ill. fig. 19 (colour).  \nSwietochowski, Marie and Jenkins-Madina, Marilyn, *Notable Acquisitions 1965–1975*, New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 1975: 137, ill. (b/w).  \nWelch, Stuart Cary, *The Islamic World Vol. 11*, New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 1987: 61-63, ill. fig. 45 (colour).","copyright":"The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Fletcher Fund, 1970","keywords":["wool","geometric decoration","Mamluk","geometric patterns","medallion","textile","Cairo","Egypt","geometric design","furnishing"],"materials":["Wool (warp","weft","and pile)","asymmetrically knotted pile"]},"ea27369f-92ec-55ab-9c95-e957b5b3e6a5":{"name":"Spindle whorls","description":"Spherical-shaped stone spindle whorl which has been perforated to allow the spindle or rod to fit in. The spindle whorl acts like a flywheel increasing momentum and weight while spinning the fibre to produce thread.","type":"Spindle whorls","holder":"The Jordan Museum","owner":"Department of Antiquities","dates":"1000-539 BC","location":"Amman","dimensions":"Dia: 1cm","method_for_datation":"The excavation team in Dayer 'Alla dated this tool based on the pottery found in the near vicinity.","obtention":"Loan","author":"Najd Sweidan","copy_editor":"Lisa Kelman","materials":["Stone"]},"eb467c80-2eef-577d-9d53-c8374d7eff59":{"name":"Central Anatolian carpet","description":"Anatolian rug-weaving areas are conventionally divided into western, central and eastern regions. The central region spans from Konya to Shivas and includes great central Anatolian high plains north of the Toros Mountain. It is one of the main areas of carpet production in Turkey and the main weaving centres are in Konya, Ladik, Kirşehir, Mucur, Karapinar, Taşpinar and Sivas.  \nCompared to rugs from the western part of Anatolia, less is known about the early rugs from central Anatolia. The spread of common design features makes it at times difficult to determine which pieces are from this region.  \nIn the central field, on a red background there is one-and-a-half large medallions and four smaller rectangular medallions. One half of the central octagon as well as four rectangular medallions are decorated with hooks and ram's horns. The central field is framed with two borders, and a stripe at the top and the bottom. The main border is a geometric serrated leaf quatrefoil border on a white background. This formal geometric border of four-leaf cluster is probably related to leaf and calyx border on Caucasian rugs and carpets. The stripes resemble a lappets border which is common throughout Anatolia. Europeans term this motif “lappets” after ear flaps on caps. The lappet border has been linked to battle pennants. Most frequently it occurs as strips at the top and bottom of long rugs and yastiks outside the regular border.","type":"Carpet","holder":"Museum of Arts and Crafts","dates":"Second half 19th century","location":"Zagreb","dimensions":"H: 200cm, W: 137cm","method_for_datation":"By stylistic analysis","method_for_provenance":"By stylistic analysis","provenance":"Anatolia","obtention":"Donated by Marija and Ivo Tuškan","bibliography":"Ivoš, Jelena, “Tekstil”, Galić, Anđelka (ed.), *Donacija Tuškan / The Tuškan Donation*, Zagreb: Muzej za umjetnost i obrt, 2005: 108-155.","author":"Andrea Klobučar","translator":"Petra Milovac","translation_copy_editor":"Daniel de la Vega","keywords":["Anatolia"],"materials":["knotted carpet","wool","symmetrical knots"]},"ebe4dfb5-2c91-5b48-9947-a44e4359f085":{"name":"Daghestan Prayer Rug","description":"A 19th century Caucasian prayer rug with a knotted pile. Its directional design consists of a single-plane lattice design crowned by an angled arch with a pointed summit, laid out on an ivory-coloured background and framed by a wide red and blue border.  \n  \nThe lattice design of the centre field contains diamond-shaped compartments, each of which holds a single multi-coloured flower. The horizontally arranged rows of multi-coloured flowers contain repeats of three flowers, symmetrically distributed. The flower repeat arrangement is staggered across the succeeding rows, creating a diagonal uniformity of colour and shape distribution. Below the right edge of the prayer niche arch, and to the right side of the centre-field, near the edge of the border, is a figure of a quadruped, possibly a dog, rendered in pink and yellow with black outlines. This little animal, with its long curled up tale and long stretched back ears, has been inserted in place of a flower.  \n  \nThe border of the carpet consists of a dark green/blue background overlaid with a red scroll of Arabesque design – a version of the Caucasian border scrolls inspired by Arabic *kufic* script.  \n  \nSuch carpets are made for use in performing the daily prayers in Islamic culture. The arch end of the carpet indicates the side upon which the worshiper lays his forehead in prostration.","type":"Prayer rug","holder":"Glasgow Museums - The Burrell Collection","dates":"19th century","location":"Glasgow, Scotland","dimensions":"H: 1397mm, W: 1080mm","method_for_datation":"Manufacturing techniques and stylistic analysis","method_for_provenance":"Stylistic analysis","provenance":"Daghestan, northern Caucasus","obtention":"Gifted by Sir William and Lady Burrell to the City of Glasgow, 1944","workshop":"Daghestan workshop","author":"Noorah Al-Gailani","keywords":["floral motif","geometric decoration","vegetal lattice","prayer niche","prayer rug","animal"],"materials":["wool pile","Wool warp and weft"]},"ed3194db-de43-56cf-8454-e27c827fa5ec":{"name":"Masnad","description":"The carpets used at Islamic courts were most often produced by court workshops and intended to convey very different messages from those found in private homes. Court carpets belonged to the whole ensemble of objects that helped assert the right to rule and shaped the ruler’s public image, namely the throne, crown, royal ceremonial robe, regal standards with their pennants, scepter, and ring.  \n  \nSpread either in front of or beneath the ruler or religious leader, a carpet, like a throne, served to designate the privileged space around the most highly esteemed individual and to present him regally to his audience. As a special object, it helped to maintain the dignity and authority of the ruler enthroned upon it.  \n  \nThrough its design, a carpet is clearly isolated from its surroundings by its well-defined borders. It immediately creates an independent space within its own environment. Thus the design of the carpet frames and emphasizes the individual who sits on it and serves almost as an aura filling the immediate space around him.  \n  \nStepping on this carpet was possible only with the ruler’s permission and was regarded as a great honour, an act of mutual confidence, obedience, or the subject's unconditional support of the ruler. In some cases it recalls the act of bestowing a robe of honour upon the most loyal subject.","type":"Carpet","holder":"The George Washington University Museum","owner":"The Textile Museum","dates":"Early 18th century","location":"Washington, D. C.","dimensions":"L: 251.45cm, W: 162.55cm","method_for_datation":"Stylistic analyses, comparative materials, and historical documentary evidence.","method_for_provenance":"Design analyses and comparison with carpets sharing similar design and structural characteristics.","provenance":"India, Kashmir or Lahore","obtention":"Purchased by The Textile Museum founder George Hewitt Myers in 1945 and donated to the Museum in 1945.","bibliography":"Walker, D., *Flowers Underfoot: Indian Carpets of the Mughal Era*, New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 1997.  \nEllis, C. G., “The Strengths of The Textile Museum's Oriental Carpet Collection”, *The Textile Museum Journal*, 24 (1985), Washington, DC: The Textile Museum, 1986: 60-73.  \nWalker, D., “Classical Indian Rugs”, *HALI*, 4.3, London: Hali publication, 1982: 252-257.","workshop":"Anonymous","author":"Sumru Belger Krody","keywords":["wool","Mughal","silk"],"materials":["pashmina wool (pile)","knotted pile","asymmetrical knot","Silk (warp and weft)"]},"ed3415be-acc6-52c8-ac71-5af9793c367b":{"name":"Medallion carpet fragments","description":"Two 16th century Safavid pile carpet fragments from a very large classic Persian medallion carpet, showing parts of the centre-field and part of one of the long borders of the carpet. The background colour of the field is a wine red. Imposed on it is a vegetal network of floral arabesque stem patterns baring rosettes and palmettes. Over this vegetal stem network are placed multi-coloured medallions, with a large yellow one dominating the centre, and smaller ivory coloured and dark-blue coloured pendent-like cartouches at either end of it. The large yellow medallion holds a red star-shape cartouche in the centre and turquoise blue and dark blue cartouches radiating out. All the cartouches are filled with multi-coloured vegetal-stem-and-palmette arabesque compositions. The border has a dark blue background and is decorated with two intertwined leaf-stem scrolls, one turquoise and one yellow.  \n  \nThe smaller of the two fragments, no. 9.28, consists of two large lobed cartouches, one with a dark blue background and one with a turquoise background, on a the yellow field of the central medallion. Each of the dark and light blue and the yellow areas is filled with a vegetal network of multi-coloured floral arabesque patterns baring rosettes and palmettes.  \n  \nThe large yellow medallion and its pendant cartouches is reminiscent of the “shamsa” medallions painted in illuminated manuscripts and on book covers. The term shamsa, from the Arabic shams, which means sun, here used to name this type of radiating arabesque medallion.","type":"Carpet","holder":"Glasgow Museums - The Burrell Collection","dates":"16th century","location":"Glasgow, Scotland","dimensions":"For 9.27: H: 3429mm, W: 1524mm. For 9.28: H: 1066mm, W: 965 mm","method_for_datation":"Manufacturing techniques and stylistic analysis","method_for_provenance":"Stylistic analysis","provenance":"Iran; possibly the city of Tabriz","obtention":"Gifted by Sir William and Lady Burrell to the City of Glasgow, 1944","workshop":"Possibly Tabriz town workshop","author":"Noorah Al-Gailani","keywords":["vegetal arabesque","medallion","palmette"],"materials":["wool pile","Cotton warp and weft"]},"ee5decc1-7f36-5e2a-8dd2-1ecc8f338d3d":{"name":"Carpet","description":"Carpet of the Brocade series.  \nField: It is separated from the outer border by a narrow line.  \nBorder: It has only one border linked by vegetal motifs and with winged characters of a classical nature  \nThis carpet consists of a woollen warp and weft along with knots in dark blue, light blue, red, green, white and yellow.  \nIt is a heraldic carpet, *repostero* kind, made with the Spanish knot technique and belongs to the Brocade series. Despite the presence of classical and vegetal motifs linked to the Renaissance period, the production of the carpet was most likely carried out in a non-sophisticated workshop, since the insertion of the heraldic motif in the field is not properly solved. The coat of arms seems to imitate that of the knights of the Order of Santiago due to the presence of scallops as well as the cross-sword attributed to the order that appears behind the edges.  \nIf we analyse the composition of the field through its axis of symmetry, we can see that the individual decorative elements, whilst similar, are not identical -neither in size, form, nor colour. The change in colour in the upper third of the carpet does not respond to any decorative criteria and makes us think that there was a failure in the workshop itself when the wool of the red and blue colours was finished, being replaced by other colours. This is the most reasonable explanation for such an aggressive colour change, but if it were disassembled it could also perhaps be said that it was due to being composed of different fragments.  \nThe motif of the winged children that decorates the border is one linked to the art of the European Renaissance and is unusual in Spanish textiles. In addition to this, the high knot density and the central heraldic motif shows that the carpet was commissioned for a certain person. However, carelessness in its design and execution emphasises that it did not belong to the production area of the Kingdom of Murcia, which at this time maintained a high standard for carpet production. However, there may be influences in workshops in the nearby Levantine area of the Iberian Peninsula.  \nIt does not retain the original selvedges and is clearly defaced on its lower side. It comes from the old Weissberger collection.","type":"Carpet","holder":"National Museum of Decorative Arts","dates":"c. 1550","location":"Madrid","dimensions":"Length: 170cm, Width: 145cm, Thickness: 10cm","method_for_datation":"Through the stylistic and technical analysis of the piece.","method_for_provenance":"Through the stylistic and technical analysis of the piece.","provenance":"Alcaraz (Albacete)","obtention":"Acquired in 1957","bibliography":"Ferrandis Torres, José, *Exposición de Carpets antiguas españolas*, 1933, nº 27, lám. XVIII: 110-111; Madrid: s.n.","workshop":"Alcaraz (Albacete)","author":"Mª Dolores Vila Tejero","translator":"Asad Islam","keywords":["Alcaraz","Holbein"],"materials":["Warp: wool","Spanish knot [thickness 2.116 knots/dm2]","Weft: Wool"]},"ee8b65ca-2c80-547f-8baa-4663f8cc8a85":{"name":"Pashmina carpet","description":"The Mughal emperors were keen patrons of the arts who demanded extremely high standards of workmanship from the artists who worked for them. Such rigour was present in the Imperial palace itself, which had several workshops for paintings, carpets, textiles and decorative arts in general.  \nArtists both from Persia and of European origins were called to work in these workshops. Documentary references to Indian carpets frequently appear in the writings of European chroniclers and travellers who had passed through this territory since the 16th century.  \nExamples of such individuals include the Portuguese writer Duarte Barbosa (1480‒1521), the Dutch trader and the Portuguese Viceroy and secretary in Goa, Jan Huyghen van Linschoten (1563‒1611), between 1583 and 1588, and the French navigator François Pyrard de Laval (1578‒1623).  \nAlthough this object is a fragment, which consists of less than half of a carpet, it is the largest known piece and one of the most important examples of its type, made with pashmina wool and silk. The use of luxury materials such as pashmina and silk, which enabled weavers to execute minute detailing, places this variety of carpet among the finest of those produced in the Kashmiri and Lahore workshops within the first half of the 17th century. Aware of the carpet’s importance and, also, because of its fragility, the connoisseur and collector Calouste Gulbenkian had long exhibited it protected behind glass in his Paris house next to the cabinets containing Iznik pottery. Like other Indian carpets, this piece, with its swirling arabesque pattern, reveals a Persian influence. This is made evident in the polychrome floral decoration and scrolling vines, themselves set upon a cherry-red field, and in the yellow border also decorated with arabesques and flowers. This said, the naturalistic flower designs, the strong colours and the large differently coloured segmented leaves that fill the field, remain characteristically Indian.","type":"Textile; carpet","holder":"Calouste Gulbenkian Museum","owner":"Calouste Gulbenkian Museum","dates":"17th century (c. 1620‒1625)","location":"Lisbon","dimensions":"H: 570cm, W: 125cm","method_for_datation":"Stylistic analysis and documents","method_for_provenance":"Stylistic analysis and documents","provenance":"North India, Kashmir or Lahore (?)","obtention":"Purchased by Calouste Gulbenkian in London in 1928","bibliography":"Cohen, Steven, “Safavid and Mughal carpets at the Gulbenkian Museum”, *Hali*, 114 (January/February 2001): 75‒88, 99.  \nDelpont, Eric, Leite, Maria Fernanda Passos and Dias João Carvalho (eds), *Heaven in a Carpet*, Paris: Institut du Monde Arabe; Lisbon: Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation; Ghent: Snoeck, 2004.  \nLeite, Maria Fernanda Passos, *Work of Art in Focus: A carpet from Mughal India in the Calouste Gulbenkian Collection*, Lisbon: Museu Calouste Gulbenkian, 1999.  \nWalker, Daniel, *Flowers underfoot, Indian carpets of the Mughal Era*, New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 1997.","workshop":"North India, Kashmir or Lahore (?)","author":"Clara Serra","translator":"Lily Chadwick","translation_copy_editor":"Mandi Gomez","keywords":["floral decoration","knotted carpet","Persian knot","India","Kashmir","Mughal dynasty","silk","floral motifs","Fragment","Pashmina","carpet","Lahore"],"materials":["pashmina pile","Silk warp and weft","knotted (Persian knot","open to the left)"]},"eed63784-ee48-5fbc-bc2a-5f2e487f3db3":{"name":"Vase Carpet","description":"This splendid carpet is laid out with a floral design of surprising complexity, against a pink-red field. The overall design is a triple-plane lattice, composed of three independently-composed trellis grids of different colours: blue-black, thorny white and leafy blue. These three grid systems are not immediately apparent because of the grand scale of the multiple flowerheads and medallions along each trellis. Furthermore, “behind” the three trellis systems are flowering plants and shrubs, also distracting the eye. This ordered design is greatly enlivened by the wonderful detail and variety in the colourful flowers and plants. Towards the top of the central axis, the white trellis features a striped vase of flowers, also repeated in the lower borders as “half-vases”: this motif gives its name to the wider category of Vase Carpets. The upper border is missing, and the original carpet was certainly even longer.  \n  \nThe carpet belongs to a well-known group generally attributed to Kirman in southeast Iran, and to the seventeenth century. These are referred to as “Vase technique” carpets, as they often include a vase motif in their complex lattice designs, but more uniformly, the group shares the same triple-weft technical structure. There are many examples of Kirman vase carpets (and fragments) in national collections across the world. This carpet was bought in 1897 from the estate of the British designer, poet, craftsman and socialist William Morris, who supported the South Kensington Museum (today the V&A) with collections advice over many years, and was a formidable influence on the institution. During his lifetime, Morris had kept this large carpet hanging lengthways on the wall of his home, with the top section overhanging from the ceiling rather like a medieval canopy. He enjoyed it as one of his household furnishing, but more specifically, the complex planar design must have pleased him as a designer.  \n  \n[V&A online catalogue link](http://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O98834/carpet-unknown/)","type":"Carpet","holder":"Victoria and Albert Museum","dates":"1600-1700","location":"London","dimensions":"Metric. L: 5.23m, W: 3.3m","method_for_datation":"“Vase technique” carpets only very rarely include dated inscriptions in their woven designs. Importantly, one very fine example was accessioned to the royal palace of Jaipur in August 1632, according to the palace archives. This valuable piece of data allows scholars to attribute to the whole group to the seventeenth century, with confidence.","method_for_provenance":"This carpet group was attributed to Kirman on the grounds that the unusual technical structure was still in use by Kirmani weavers, suggesting a direct continuity in this specific craft practice.","provenance":"Iran, Kirman","obtention":"Purchased in 1897 from the estate of William Morris.","bibliography":"Beattie, May, *Carpets of Central Persia*, London: World of Islam, 1976.  \nCarey, Moya, *Persian Art*, London: V&A, 2018.","author":"Moya Carey","keywords":["vase","Kerman","lotus","trellis","Iran","lattice"],"materials":["silk second weft. Wool pile on cotton warp and triple weft of cotton","cotton warps","silk and cotton","knotted pile","depressed warps","wool","cotton first and third wefts","asymmetrical knots open to the left."]},"eeefe08e-b05d-5b9e-a805-c6fd43d4fe03":{"name":"Rug.","description":"An Ushak carpet of the AH 10th / AD 16th century; the warp and the weft of which are of wool. The weaving technique used is the 'Turkish double knot', known as the Gördes knot. The rug is in two pieces.  \n  \nOn a red ground, arranged on a zigzag axes, are motifs known as *chintamani* or *pelenk* (leopard-spots or tiger-stripes motif). Black and dark-blue *chintamani* motifs with blue contours are arranged together with yellow tiger stripes with black contours, according to the principle of infinity. These motifs have Buddhist roots and show Far Eastern influence; they appear on the clothing of figures in the caves at Turfan in the Xinjiang province of China, probably painted in the AH 1st–3rd- / AD 7th–9th -century.  \n  \nThe *chintamani* or *pelenk* motifs were used as symbols of power and authority, entering Ottoman palace art with the capture of Tabriz, following the victory won at Chaldiran in AH 920 / AD 1514 by Sultan Selim I (r. AH 918–27 / AD 1512–20). From the AH 10th–12th / AD 16th–18th century the motifs are seen in all the decorative arts made by artists directed by the Ottoman court, seen especially in textiles, ceramics, book-bindings and woodwork; they were most popular under Sultan Selim II (r. AH 974–82 / AD 1566–74).  \n  \nThe perimeter of this carpet has two narrow borders and one broad border. The first narrow border consists of a dark-blue ground between an orange-red strip, with blue and red dots and a red line. It is filled with tulip and carnation motifs between interweaving red stems. The main border is decorated with enormous lotuses, rose-petals, and stylised flower and leaf motifs in light- and dark-red with brown contours. The outermost border is filled with dark-blue, blue, and cream-coloured tulip and carnation motifs amid interweaving stems on a red background.","short_description":"This rug was woven at Uşak for the Sultan Selim Mosque in Konya. *Chintamani* motifs (leopard spots), symbols of power and the sultanate of Far East origin, and *hatayi* (peonies), tulips and carnations were also used in tiles, textiles and woodwork between the AH 10th and 12th / AD 16th and 18th centuries.","type":"Wool, knotted, carpet","holder":"Museum of Turkish and Islamic Arts.","dates":"Hegira 10th century / AD 16th century.","location":"Sultanahmet, Istanbul.","dimensions":"Length 789 cm, width 360 cm.","method_for_datation":"It is thought to have been either ordered, made specially, or donated as a pious gift to the Sultan Selim Mosque in Konya, which was begun when Sultan Selim II was governor of Konya (i.e. before he had ascended the throne) but completed in the same year he became sultan, AH 973 / AD 1566. During the Ottoman period it was traditional for the sultan to have made as furniture for the mosques he was commissioning carpets, Qur'an stands and other fine artefacts, The carpet's decorative motifs, together with the date of construction of the mosque it came from, lead us to date it in the 10th / 16th century.","method_for_provenance":"In the 10th / 16th century the most important centre for carpet production was Uşak and its vicinity. The composition and motifs on this carpet's main border, in particular, pertain to the region of Uşak and suggest that the carpet was woven there.","provenance":"Uşak, Turkey.","obtention":"The rug was transferred from the Sultan Selim Mosque in Konya to the Museum in 1911 as a result of the countrywide initiative to collect together artworks in order to prevent theft and plunder.","bibliography":"ölçer, N., et al, *Turkish Carpets from the 13th–18th Centuries*, Istanbul 1996, Pl. 81.  \n  \nRoxburgh, D. J. (ed), *Turks: A Journey of a Thousand Years, 600–1600*, London, 2005, p.463.","linkcatalogs":"IAM_TR_EN_001","author":"Gönül Tekeli","translator":"Barry Wood","translation_copy_editor":"Mandi Gomez","keywords":["Chinese influence","Chinese motifs","chintamani","leopard","pelenk","Mosque interior decoration","Konya","Selim II","carpet","Gördes","cintamani"],"materials":["woven with the Turkish double knot also known as the Gördes knot.","Wool on wool"]},"ef21b96c-da0c-528c-bc8d-e3d1e18531f7":{"name":"Clay loom weight","description":"Loom weights are made from a roll of clay twisted and shaped into spheres, flattened cylinders, or conical shapes. They are used to keep the warp threads of the loom taut and provide even tension in order to weave with ease.","type":"Loom weight","holder":"The Jordan Museum","owner":"Department of Antiquities","dates":"1000-539 BC","location":"Amman","dimensions":"Dia: 5cm","method_for_datation":"The excavation team in Dayer 'Alla dated this tool based on the pottery found in the near vicinity.","obtention":"Loan","author":"Najd Sweidan","copy_editor":"Lisa Kelman","materials":["Clay"]},"ef2d21d6-b9e0-51ab-bff3-a705b97fdd8b":{"name":"Caucasian carpet","description":"In the Caucasus there is great variety of motifs due to artistic exchange among the ethnic groups. Different classifications of carpets are based on weaver's ethnicity, geographic origin of the carpet or the carpet structure. No system of classification is based on design or motifs. Therefore, for this peculiar carpet, it is difficult to establish its origin.  \nThe central field is decorated with polychrome floret and octagons with star motifs on red ground. Three borders frame the central field. The main border is floral. Minor borders are decorated with chain of S shapes on a blue background.","type":"Carpet","holder":"Museum of Arts and Crafts","dates":"Second half 19th century","location":"Zagreb","dimensions":"H: 140cm, W: 94cm","method_for_datation":"By stylistic analysis","method_for_provenance":"By stylistic analysis","provenance":"Caucasus","obtention":"Unknown","author":"Andrea Klobučar","translator":"Petra Milovac","translation_copy_editor":"Daniel de la Vega","keywords":["small filler elements","Caucasus"],"materials":["knotted carpet","wool","symmetrical knots"]},"ef3f5411-9570-5d33-a16b-8b8be01931be":{"name":"Karabagh Medallion and Sickle Leaf Rug","description":"It has a well-proportioned pattern of two full medallions on a dark blue field and a partial medallion at the upper and lower ends. The medallions have hooking, lancet-leaf ivory arms and are linked by fringed ivory palmettes. The remaining area of the field is filled with rosettes, flowers and leaves.  \n  \nEllis includes it among the rare blue field carpets he proposes as analogues of a late 17th or early 18th century Shirvan or Karabagh rug with multiple medallions held by the Art Institute, Chicago, describing it as, \"a rather small and narrow example on a blue ground\". The rug was determined to be 17th century Armenian by Károly Gombos in 1983. Jennifer Wearden published it in connection with Azerbaijan embroideries as an \"early 18th century Caucasian or Armenian Floral Carpet\".","type":"Carpet","holder":"Museum of Applied Arts","dates":"Early 18th century","location":"Budapest","dimensions":"Height: 400cm, Weight: 170cm, Knot density: 1,020/dm2","method_for_datation":"Stylistic analysis","method_for_provenance":"Stylistic analysis","provenance":"Caucasus, Karabagh","obtention":"In 1940, the Museum of Applied Arts registered the rug as on deposit from the Budapest art collector Dr Emil Delmár (1876‒1959), former co-proprietor of the Danube Dredging Company. After 1951, the rug was treated as part of the museum’s own holdings, and in 1987, it was added  to the collection as the gift of Dr Bálint Füzéky and Mrs István Gömöri.","bibliography":"Ellis, Charles Grant, *Early Caucasian Rugs*, Washington, D.C.: The Textile Museum, 1975: 80, pl. 25.  \nGombos, Károly, *Régi örmény sárkányos szőnyegek, az Iparművészeti Múzeum Nagytétényi Kastélymúzeuma kiállítása (Old Armenian Dragon Carpets, Exhibition of the Museum of Applied Arts Castle Museum of Nagytétény Budapest)*, Budapest: Museum of Applied Arts, 1976: figure 5.  \nPásztor, Emese, Budapest's Best-Kept Secrets, *HALI,* 185 (Autumn 2015): 77 and 74, figure 5;  \nGombos, Károly, *Régi kaukázusi szőnyegek / Alte Kaukasishe Teppiche (Old Caucasian Rugs)*, Sárvár: Sárvár Nádasdy Ferenc Múzeum, 1983 (Vas megyei Múzeumok katalógusai (Catalogues of Museums in Vas County) 89. / Kataloge der Museen des Komitats Vas 89.): no. 32.  \nWearden, Jennifer, A Synthesis of Contrasts, *HALI*, 59 (October 1991): 105, figure 4.","author":"Emese Pásztor","copy_editor":"Valerie Pulsifer","translator":"Alan Campbell","keywords":["wool","Caucasus"],"materials":["Pile: Ivory","Symmetrical (Turkish or Ghiordes) knot","1 shoot","dark blue","green and light brown wool","dark red","slighly depressed","Weft: Ivory wool","Warp: Ivory wool","yellow"]},"ef7eaa24-b781-58f3-a09b-1025af24d6ba":{"name":"Carpet","description":"Spanish carpet from the Holbein series.  \nField: With a continuous field decoration on a red background containing twelve frames arranged in three vertical columns divided into four rows. Each frame contains a central inscribed octagon, framed by concentric bands in blue and red; In the centre of the octagon appears a stationary wheel with flower blooms. The spandrels, between the squares and octagons, contain stepped dots and coloured stripes. The strips that separate the squares are decorated with motifs of meanders and stylised chains.  \nBorder: The smaller outer borders have a decoration of oblique and parallel branches from which red and blue leaves bloom. A lot of the larger border is not preserved, but in areas where it is partially preserved, linked knots can be distinguished.  \nThis series is referred to as the Holbein series, referring to carpets of these same characteristics that were made popular through the court paintings of Hans Holbein (1497- 1543) and were largely produced in Anatolia.  \nThose carpets represented by the painter Holbein are later than carpets of this series produced in the Kingdom of Murcia, which at this time had already gone out of style within the Iberian Peninsula.  \n  \nA similar piece can be found in: FERRANDIS TORRES, José: Catalog Exhibition of Spanish Carpets (Madrid, 1933) page 106.  \nPublished by Ferrer, Andrés: Alfombras antiguas de la provincia de Albacete. Lámina XXXV. According to Campana (Campana, M, 1966: Tappeti d´occidente, p. 38) this carpet is similar to oriental productions, known as the Holbein series. A similar copy is presented in the catalogue of the Washington Textile Museum (Plate XVI). It is safe to say that it is related to carpet number two in the acquisitions record, despite slight differences in measurement. The carpet has been photographed for possible reproduction. In Spain very few copies of this series are preserved, with a well preserved copy in the convent of Santa Clara de Medina de Pomar which has considerable differences in colour.","type":"Carpet","holder":"National Museum of Decorative Arts","dates":"Second half of the 15th century","location":"Madrid","dimensions":"Length: 260cm, Width: 186cm, Thickness: 8.8cm","method_for_datation":"Through the stylistic and technical analysis of the piece.","method_for_provenance":"Through the stylistic and technical analysis of the piece.","provenance":"Alcaraz (Old Kingdom of Murcia)","obtention":"Acquired by Weissberger in 1957","bibliography":"Ferrandis-Torres, J., *Catalogo de Carpets antiguas españolas*, Sociedad Española de Amigos de Arte, Madrid, 1933.  \nFerrandis-Torres, J., \"Carpets hispano-moriscas, tipo Holbein\", *Archivo Español de Arte*, vol. XV, 1942: 108, fig 21.  \nShepherd, D., \"A fiftheenth-century Spanish carpet\", *The Bulletin of the Cleveland Museum of Art*, 8, October 1954: 188-190.  \nSánchez Ferrer, J., *Carpets antiguas de la provincial de Albacete*, Albacete, 1986: 213 / 350, lám. XXXV. (C.P.)","workshop":"Alcaraz (Old Kingdom of Murcia)","author":"Mª Dolores Vila Tejero","translator":"Asad Islam","keywords":["Alcaraz","Holbein"],"materials":["Warp: wool","Density: 1600 knots/dm2","Weft: Wool /Spanish knot"]},"f073f1fe-e470-5070-abe1-8c53d486f903":{"name":"Printed and painted cotton hanging","short_description":"*Carpe diem!* Seize the day! advises the Roman poet Quintus Horatius Flaccus (65–8 BC), known in the English-speaking world as Horace. Make the best out of your life and take it as it comes, since you never know when you will die. An identical incitement to exchange the fearful concentration on the future for the enjoyment of the present, before one crumbles into dust in no time, is found a thousand years later at the other end of the world, in a four-line poem ascribed to the Persian poet Omar Khayyam (1048–1131 AD), which decorates a late 19th century qalamkar fabric.","type":"Textile; painting","holder":"Weltmuseum Wien","dates":"Late 19th century","location":"Vienna","dimensions":"H: 135.5cm, W: 90cm","method_for_datation":"Entry in the TMS digital collection database, documents from the estate of the late collector.","method_for_provenance":"Entry in the general inventory book, documents from the estate of the late collector.","provenance":"Iran, Isfahan","obtention":"Estate of the late Fritz Willfort, Vienna, purchased from the heirs, 2003","bibliography":"Steinmann, Axel, \"Der Phantastische Wald. Symbolik der Bäume. Baum der Vergänglichkeit\", in Gerard van Bussel and Axel Steinmann (eds), *Wald / Baum / Mensch, exhibition catalogue*, Vienna: Museum für Völkerkunde, 2011: 121.  \nSteinmann, Axel, \"At the Threshold of the Orient\", in Claudia Augustat and Reinhard Blumauer (eds), *In a Nutshell, exhibition catalogue*, Vienna: Weltmuseum Wien, 2017: 90-95.","materials":["pigments","cotton"]},"f2184f11-1f51-5514-8416-c8a8dc45cdec":{"name":"Kerman Carpet","short_description":"Originating from Kerman, a region known for a wide range of designs utilizing natural dyes in a broad colour palette and asymmetrical knots, this Iranian carpet depicts a human with the body and wings of a bird, which demonstrates a closeness to God and divine protection. Colourful patterns featuring the damask rose frame the central scene in earth tones representing honesty, support and trustworthiness. The Zoroaster symbol stands out at the top while Darius I, commonly known as Darius the Great of Persia, is sitting on the throne uplifted by eight men. As a pyramid-like hierarchy, the Achaemenid Empire ruled over eight countries from the Ancient World. These territories included Lydia, Babylon, Persia, Palestine, Egypt, Sindh, Libya, and Macedonia.","type":"Carpet; Rug","holder":"FBQ Museum","owner":"Sheikh Faisal Bin Qassim Al Thani","dates":"1896 AD / 1314 Hegira","location":"Shahaniya","dimensions":"Length: 190cm, Height: 130cm","method_for_datation":"Date and origin were derived from material, colour, pattern and knot examination.","method_for_provenance":"Date and origin were derived from material, colour, pattern and knot examination.","provenance":"Iran, Kerman","obtention":"Purchase","bibliography":"Sharbatian, Y., and Bagheri, R., \"Anthropological Study of Kerman Carpet Symbols, Shapes, and Designs\", *American International Journal of Social Science Research*, 7 : 1 (2021): 15-29.  \nSoudavar, A., J. Curtis and St. J. Simpson. L. (eds), *The Formation of Achaemenid Imperial Ideology and its Impact on the Avesta. The World of Achaemenid Persia: History, Art and Society in Iran and the Ancient Near East*, London / New York: IB Tauris, 2010.","author":"Sarah Schroeder","copy_editor":"Valerie Pulsifer","keywords":["rug","Darius","carpet","Achaemenid","Karman"],"materials":["wool","Senneh knot"]},"f3dbf7ea-0203-52c4-bde7-025357b75c96":{"name":"*Puppenfiguren aus Volksmärchen (Puppets from Folk Tales)*","description":"The oblong tapestry shows in its central part a number of characters as they appear in common German fairy tales, the most well-known story collection being Grimm’s *Children’s and Household Tales*. The figures are sewn onto the ground in a patchwork, using fabric of many different colours and patterns. The darker coloured fields above and beneath the figures show flowers and birds.  \nThe artwork was created by an artist and acquired for the state by the Sekretariat für Kunstausstellungen des Bezirkes Dresden \\[Dresden secretary for Fine Art Exhibitions\\] in 1980. This was standard procedure in the German Democratic Republic (GDR) since even art production was scheduled in the socialist economy plan and the government took seriously its role as the main supporter of the country’s artists. Government-owned artworks were considered public property and as such were installed in public places for everybody to see. This was the case for the tapestry discussed here, which furnished a kindergarten during the 1980s. One can imagine that the children might have guessed the figure’s names and the corresponding fairy tales. Furthermore, the figures resemble the typical hand puppets from the GDR, which could have been a prop in retelling the figures’ stories.  \nThe artist Agathe Böttcher was born in Bautzen in 1929. She studied textile design beginning in 1947 in Dresden and later on in Berlin-Weissensee (post-graduate study from 1954–57). In 1954, she married the painter and film maker Jürgen Böttcher (Strawalde). Through her husband, she became acquainted with artists of the Dresden artist group *Erste Phalanx Nedserd*. In 1958 she took up a job as lecturer at the Technical University of Dresden, which she held more than 20 years. Since 1979, she has been working as a freelance artist with temporary lectureships. Agathe Böttcher lives in Dresden (2017).","type":"Tapestry","holder":"Kunstfonds, Dresden State Art Collections","owner":"Kunstfonds, Dresden State Art Collections","dates":"1980","location":"Dresden","dimensions":"Height: 85cm, Width: 294cm","method_for_datation":"The date mentioned above is the date of production","provenance":"German Democratic Republic","obtention":"Purchased from the artist in 1980. Originally belonging to the Sekretariat für Kunstausstellungen des Bezirkes Dresden (Dresden Secretary for Fine Art Exhibitons), it came into the Kunstfonds after the German Reunification.","bibliography":"Böttcher, Agathe, *Agathe Böttcher: Malerei, Applikationen, Collagen*, exhibition catalogue, Dresden: Galerie West, 1985.  \nBöttcher, Agathe and Nagel, Kirsten, *Agathe Böttcher, Lebensweg – Zeitspur: Nadelmalerei*, exhibition catalogue, Bautzen: Stadtmuseum, 2000.  \nBöttcher, Agathe *Zu fünft*, exhibition catalogue, Moritzburg: Käthe Kollwitz Haus, 2010.  \nBöhme, Lothar and Busch, Barbara, *Faszination Kopf + Figur*, convention paper, Dresden: 1995.  \nGenossenschaft Bildender Künstler Kunst der Zeit (Dresden), *Ursula Höing, Ingeborg Lahl-Grimmer, Aini Teufel – Malerei und Graphik, Charlotte Sommer Landgraf – Plastik und Zeichnung, Agathe Böttcher – Struktur in Papier und Stoff*, exhibition catalogue, Dresden: Galerie “Kunst der Zeit”, 1979.","author":"Silke Wagler","keywords":["GDR","human figure","wall hanging","Dresden","figurative decoration"],"materials":["hand- and machine-sewn","beads","sequins","Appliqué and embroidery","material mix"]},"f3dc702b-3b10-5fee-ae0f-1ee4b2bb97e7":{"name":"Dragon Rug","description":"This 18th century Dragon Rug is a unique expression of artistic achievement. This is the only known Dragon carpet that is woven in the Persian style of *Sehna* knotting. It was made by what is assumed to be a migratory craftsman. This assumption stems from the fact that the last 12 inches of the carpet were woven in the opposite direction than the rest, suggesting that it was taken off the loom before completion and then placed back on later. It features the standard dragon carpet layout with decadent patterns of symmetrical floral and leaf motifs. The frame consists of an interlaced pattern, while the field of the carpet includes dragon, animal, and floral motifs.","type":"Carpet; Floor coverings","holder":"Philadelphia Museum of Art","dates":"18th century","location":"Philadelphia, Pennsylvania","dimensions":"584.2 x 208.3cm (19 feet 2 inches x 6 feet 10 inches)","provenance":"Iran, Persia, Kurdistan?","obtention":"The Joseph Lees Williams Memorial Collection, 1955","bibliography":"Ellis, Charles Grant, *Oriental Carpets in the Philadelphia Museum of Art*, Philadelphia: Philadelphia Museum of Art, 1988: cat. 53.  \nRiefstahl, R. Meyer and Bell, Hamilton (ed), *Special loan exhibition of carpets and other textiles from Asia Minor*, Philadelphia: Pennsylvania museum and school of industrial art, 1919: so-called Armenian, 14th - 15th century.  \nValentiner, Wilhelm R., *Catalogue of a Loan Exhibition of Early Oriental Rugs*, New York: MET, 1910: Armenia, 14th - 15th century.","author":"Quintin Blumka","copy_editor":"Xena Wang","keywords":["rug","carpet"],"materials":["wool and cotton","Sehna knotting"]},"f3f71340-4ba9-56b9-bb2e-aa39656b9630":{"name":"The *Annunciation*","description":"Aside from the *Annunciation*, the *Mass of St Gregory* is one of the most common and important painting subjects in which representations of carpets can be found. Into one of the crucial moments of Christian iconography, artists transposed aspects of the typical Portuguese feminine interior spaces of the 16th century, with the marked presence of the female dais (*estrado*). Its use appears associated with the context of Islamic presence in the Iberian Peninsula during the Middle Ages.  \nIn this painting, the Virgin Mary appears kneeling on a mat: this, along with other similar representations bear witness to the past presence in Portugal of these types of small carpets that are non-existent in collections today. Such is the case of these “mats”, used during the summer as an alternative to the dense knotted carpets of the winter months, as well as of the tapestries, which alternated in the summer period with the *guadamecis*.  \nThe artist’s decision to include a mat, rather than an Oriental carpet, may be down to the painting being commissioned for a convent of the Order of Saint Claire, where the strict rules called for austerity. This appears in opposition to Gregório Lopes’s painting intended for a wealthy clientele.  \nIn addition, it all goes to prove the absorption and influence of African artistic production in Portuguese contemporary life and art since the 15th century, when mats, but also other objects such as saltcellars and ivory spoons, began to be imported to Portugal from Benin.","type":"Painting","holder":"National Museum of Ancient Art","dates":"1515","location":"Lisbon","dimensions":"H: 160.5cm, W: 29.5cm","method_for_datation":"Technical information provided by José Alberto Seabra de Carvalho","method_for_provenance":"Stylistic analysis and material dating","provenance":"Portugal, unknown location","obtention":"Transferred from the Convent da Madre de Deus (Order of Saint Claire), Lisbon, Portugal, in 1912","bibliography":"Hallett, Jessica and Pereira, Teresa Pacheco, *The Oriental Carpet in Portugal: Carpets and paintings, 15th‒18th centuries*, Lisbon: MNAA, 2007.  \nCarvalho, José Alberto Seabra, “Madre de Deus Altarpiece”, in Alexandra Curvelo (ed.), *Casa Perfeitíssima 1509‒2009: Celebrating 500 years of the Foundation of the Convent of Madre de Deus*, Lisbon: Ministério da Cultura/IMC/Museu Nacional do Azulejo, 2009.","workshop":"Unknown","author":"Ana Kol","translator":"Lily Chadwick","translation_copy_editor":"Mandi Gomez","keywords":["Jorge Afonso","painting","Portugal","carpet","the Annunciation"],"materials":["Oil on oak panel"]},"f3fdf942-da01-5816-9d0f-f6a44c2afba1":{"name":"Shirvan carpet","description":"The Shirvan district is an area south of the Greater Caucasus and east of the Ganja area, but in earlier times – as a khanate dependent upon Persia – it included the Apsheron Peninsula, where the city of Baku is located. Shirvan design motifs are from all over the Caucasus and even Persia.  \nThis carpet was purchased from Ladislav Lata Mihalović, a member of the old Zagreb nobility whose family members were important figures in Croatian political life. He was also a patron and art lover who carefully took care of the family's art collection. The interior of his apartment was lavishly furnished with oriental carpets and cushions among which numerous were Caucasian carpets.  \nThe central field of this carpet has a polychrome *afshan* (“scattered” in Persian) pattern on dark blue ground. The *afshan* motif consists of right-angle flower calyxes, palmettes and rosettes. The roots of this design lie in various seventeenth and eighteenth-century Indian and Persian floral rugs. A common Shirvan design results from elongating the arabesque leaves and orienting them at right angles so that the branches run parallely to the sides of the rug. The main border has a *kufic* pattern on red ground and it is often used with these field repeats. The *kufic* motif is thought to derive from a specific Arabic script termed “*kufic*”. The script has elongated angular letters with serifs. The *kufic* border is used on rugs of Shirvan and other Caucasian rugs. Minor borders or *afshan* borders have a floral meander pattern on white ground. These borders and also often used with *afshan* field repeat motifs.","type":"Carpet","holder":"Museum of Arts and Crafts","dates":"c. 1800","location":"Zagreb","dimensions":"H: 344cm, W: 153cm","method_for_datation":"By stylistic analysis","method_for_provenance":"By stylistic analysis","provenance":"Caucasus","obtention":"Purchased from Lata Mihalović, Zagreb, Croatia","author":"Andrea Klobučar","translator":"Petra Milovac","translation_copy_editor":"Daniel de la Vega","keywords":["Shirvan","Caucasus","Afshan"],"materials":["knotted carpet","wool","symmetrical knots"]},"f445365e-28d3-5b5f-869c-11cd87fe18f8":{"name":"The *Circumcision*","description":"We are witnessing the representation of one of the most important episodes of Jesus’ childhood, in which, according to Jewish law, the Child gains its identity.  \nThe scene has been re-created in the interior of a Renaissance-style temple where the Holy Family and several figures cluster around the table where a priest is about to carry out the circumcision.  \nCovering the altar there is a white towel, in turn, this covers a carpet, of which only the border, filled with “vine scrolls”, palmettes and foliage, is visible. This variant in the use of carpets in a painting makes this a very interesting document.  \nAlongside its use as a floor-cover in paintings, when its symbolism is associated with dignity and spatial boundaries, carpets were used widely as a cover for altars in churches as well as in civil settings as furniture covers, as several Portuguese inventories attest.  \nIn the *Circumcision*, a so-called knotted “Holbein” carpet can be seen. It is put to the same use here as the carpet represented by Hans Holbein, the Younger (1497/8‒1543), in his famous portrait *The Ambassadors*, which thereafter gave this specific compositional structure the name “Holbein”.","type":"Painting","holder":"National Museum of Ancient Art","dates":"c. 1550","location":"Lisbon","dimensions":"H: 213.5cm, W: 169cm","method_for_datation":"Technical information provided by José Alberto Seabra de Carvalho","method_for_provenance":"Stylistic analysis and material dating","provenance":"Portugal, unknown location","obtention":"Transferred from the convent absolved in 1834","bibliography":"Hallett, Jessica and Pereira, Teresa Pacheco, *The Oriental Carpet in Portugal: Carpets and paintings, 15th‒18th centuries*, Lisbon: MNAA, 2007.","workshop":"Unknown","author":"Ana Kol","translator":"Lily Chadwick","translation_copy_editor":"Mandi Gomez","keywords":["Annunciation","Holbein","painting","Portugal","carpet"],"materials":["Oil on oak panel"]},"f4ea69e8-9de2-5382-aca9-484c574fcf53":{"name":"Konya Prayer Rug","description":"This rug is known as the “prayer rug with a high estrade”.It was woven specifically for the midday religious service in mosques on Fridays. The Kaʽba and its surrounding  buildings are portrayed. Kaʽba  motifs and foot marks at the bottom side indicate the direction of the prayer, as one must turn his/her face to the Kaʽba during prayer. There are hanging candle motifs symbolizing the holy (eternal) lights of the prophet along the right and left side of the Kaʽba motifs. The floral decoration on the borders are typical for its origin and date.","type":"Prayer rug","holder":"Museum of Turkish and Islamic Arts","dates":"16th century","location":"Istanbul","dimensions":"L: 113cm, W: 146cm","method_for_datation":"The analyses of the material and the technique used for weaving the rug and the motifs seen on main ground and borders.","provenance":"Middle Anatolia, Konya","obtention":"From the  Konya Sultan Aladdin  Mausoleum","bibliography":"Denny, Walter, and Tekeli, Gönül, *Anadolu Dokuma Mirası*, Istanbul: C.2, 2007, s.23, Kat.no.1. Erdmann, Kurt, *Seven Hundred Years of Orıental Carpets*, London: Faber and Faber Limited, 1970: 102.  \nKollektif, *Türk El Dokuması Halılar*, Ankara: Kültür ve Turizm Bakanlığı Yayınları, Cilt 1, Katalog no: 99.  \nŞahin, Seracettin, *Türk ve İslam Eserleri Müzesi: Emevilerden Osmanlılara 13 Asırlık Ihtişam*, Istanbul: Kaynak Yayınları, 2009: 131‒135.","author":"Deniz Kanberoğlu","copy_editor":"Lisa Kelman","keywords":["Konya","Middle Anatolia","prayer rug"],"materials":["Natural wool coloured with natural dyes","symmetrical knot","Gördes knot"]},"f50bd176-bda6-5419-b0f2-72d317a0f0f5":{"name":"Prayer rug","description":"At the centre of this prayer rug there is a *mihrab*, which indicates the *qibla* ‒ the direction of the Kaʽba in Mecca. The Kraków example is especially attractive because of its vivid colours: a warm-red niche, closed with an arch of bizarre shape, contrasts with yellow borders. Inside the white spandrels is a black arabesque ornament. In the cross-panel there are rosettes inscribed in lozenges. The most striking feature is a wide border with a pattern of rhythmically turned rosettes and pomegranate motifs. Such a border reflects the style of Ottoman court rugs attributed to Bursa. Similar rugs can be found in many churches in Transylvania.","type":"Prayer rug","holder":"National Museum in Kraków","dates":"18th century","location":"Kraków","dimensions":"H: 183cm, W: 119cm; knot density 960/dm2","method_for_datation":"Geometrisation of the motifs as well as simplification of the design dates this rug to as late as the 18th century","method_for_provenance":"Stylistic analysis","provenance":"Anatolia, Gördes","obtention":"Donated by Erazm Barącz in 1928","bibliography":"*Amor Polunus czyli miłość Polaków* (Amor Polonus or Polish love), exhib. cat., Warsaw: Wilanow Pałace Museum, 2010: 320.  \n*Antique Oriental Carpets from Austrian Collections*, Vienna: Society for Textile Art Research, 1986: cat. 11‒12. (Analogy)  \nBiedrońska-Słotowa, Beata, *Kobierce wschodnie. 1. Kobierce tureckie*, Kraków: The National Museum in Kraków, 1983: 62‒3, 158‒9, cat. 20.  \nGrzybkowska, Teresa, and Żygulski, Zdzisław, junior (eds), *Cuda Orientu* (Wonders of the Orient), Gdańsk: National Museum of Gdańsk, 2006: 33, cat. t, p.  \nPásztor, Emese, *Ottoman Turkish Carpets in the Collections of the Budapest Museum of Applied Arts*, Budapest: Museum of Applied Arts, 2007: 158‒9. (Analogy)","author":"Joanna Regina Kowalska","copy_editor":"Mandi Gomez","keywords":["Anatolia","mihrab","Ghiordes","Ottoman","prayer rug","Gördes"],"materials":["symmetrically knotted pile (Turkish knot)","Wool (warp","weft","pile)"]},"f52af067-edfe-5f5e-95b7-9a131fd3f4f1":{"name":"Kula prayer rug","description":"This prayer rug was probably made in Kula. It is decorated with a terracotta-red *mihrab* closed with a stepped arch, the spandrels of which are light blue. The bordure, which consists of 23 thin stripes, is divided into three colouristic areas of green and yellow, ivory and dark-brown, and red and blue. Every space of the carpet is filled with minute motifs: four-petal rosettes in the niche, upside down tulips in the spandrels, and flowers on leafy stalks in the bordure. The big red, yellow and ivory carnations in the cross-panels beneath and above the niche, contrast with the other flora. The colouristic and ornamental composition gives an impression of delicacy and lightness.  \nCarpets made in Kula were strongly influenced by the Gördes production, but the multi-striped borders can be more often found in Kula rugs. In addition, the choice of minute floral motifs is very characteristic of this production centre. It is worth noting just how differentiated the floral motifs used to decorate the carpet are, especially in terms of the colour scheme.  \nPrayer rugs were very popular among the 17th- and 18th-century nobility in Poland. Taste for Oriental art was one of the characteristic features of Polish culture at the time, and prayer rugs were widely used for interior decoration.  \nThe Kula rug was obtained by the very famous Polish collector Feliks Jasieński ‒ called Manggha (1861–1929) ‒ and formed part of his extensive and precious collection. Part of this collection was donated to the National Museum in Kraków in 1929, according to Jasieński’s last will and testament.","type":"Prayer rug","holder":"National Museum in Kraków","dates":"End of the 17th century","location":"Kraków","dimensions":"H: 180cm, W: 130cm; knot density 1,085/dm2","method_for_provenance":"The ornament is typical of Kula rugs","provenance":"Anatolia, Kula","obtention":"Bequest of Feliks Jasieński in 1929","bibliography":"Biedrońska-Słotowa, Beata, *Kobierce wschodnie. 1. Kobierce tureckie*, Kraków: The National Museum in Kraków, 1983: 86‒7, 167, cat. 33.  \nBiedrońska-Słotowa, Beata, *Leksykon sztuki kobierniczej* (Lexicon of carpet art), Kraków: Radamsa publications, 1999: 219–22.","author":"Joanna Regina Kowalska","copy_editor":"Mandi Gomez","keywords":["Anatolia","prayer rug","Kula"],"materials":["symmetrically knotted pile (Turkish knot)","Wool (warp","weft","pile)"]},"f5d52aac-d406-5fea-b100-03be2aa59694":{"name":"*Tekke Ensi*","description":"This carpet was made by the Turkoman nomad tribe Tekke. The term *ensi* refers to a decorative *yurt* (tent) door hanging, in which many elements of the ornamental design functioned as protective symbols to ward off evil spirits.  \nThe central field is divided into three panels along the vertical axis. The upper and lower panels have the same decoration. The central column divides the panels into quarters. The column is decorated with “curled leaf” motifs separated by vertical bands with *bovrek* (bud) motifs. Each quarter is filled with a *gush* (bird) pattern arranged in horizontal rows. The central horizontal panel is decorated with “curled leaf” motifs separated by horizontal bands with *kochak* (ram's horns) motifs. The upper transverse band is intercepted in the middle by the *mihrab* (prayer niche) arch flanked by straight lattice design of oblongs and triangles. Above this transverse band there is another one with the variation of *kelle* (head) motif. The central border is decorated with variation of the *gapyrga* (ribs) motif. The inner border is decorated with *kochak* motifs. The outer border is decorated with the *sainak* motif. This type of border is a very common outer border on *ensi*s. The minor border is the soldat border or guard stripe, a very common minor border. The base panel carries a small geometrical design.","type":"Carpet","holder":"Museum of Arts and Crafts","dates":"19th century","location":"Zagreb","dimensions":"H: 143cm, W: 110cm","method_for_datation":"By stylistic analysis","method_for_provenance":"By stylistic analysis","provenance":"Turkmenistan","obtention":"Purchased from Nikola Buchsbaum, Zagreb, Croatia","author":"Andrea Klobučar","translator":"Petra Milovac","translation_copy_editor":"Daniel de la Vega","keywords":["Turkmenistan","engsi","Tekke"],"materials":["asymmetrical knots","knotted carpet","wool"]},"f64702ac-9f88-5cc3-82c2-e16ebbc1cc14":{"name":"Chair seat cover","description":"The whole picture created on this carpet presents a quiet and leisurely scene of a lotus pond in summer with an egret among the large lotus leaves on delicate stems.  \nThe lotus blossom, when first introduced into the Chinese artistic repertoire, symbolized the Buddhist notion of purity. It is a beautiful, spotless white flower which grows from the muddy bottoms of ponds. This characteristic of growing out of mud unstained would have played a role in the Buddhist meaning of the flower.  \nThe picture on this small carpet, however, forms a rebus that plays upon the sounds of Chinese written characters. The egret standing in a pond with lotuses can be “read” as “wishing you success in an ever upward path”. Designed to cover the seat of an elegantly carved large wooden chair, the size and format of this rug were determined by its intended use.","type":"Carpet","holder":"The George Washington University Museum and The Textile Museum","dates":"18th century","location":"Washington, D. C.","dimensions":"L: 101cm, W: 103cm","method_for_datation":"Stylistic analyses, comparative materials, and historical documentary evidence","method_for_provenance":"Design analyses and comparison with carpets sharing similar design and structural characteristics.","provenance":"China, Ningxia","obtention":"Purchased by The Textile Museum founder George Hewitt Myers in 1949 and donated to the Museum in 1949.","bibliography":"Bier, C., “Approaches to Understanding Oriental Carpets”, *Arts of Asia*, 26.1 (January/February, 1996), Hong Kong: 66-81.  \nCarmel, L., “The Last Emperors”, *HALI*, 77.16.5 (October/November, 1994) London: Hali publications: 116-118.  \nRostov, C. I., and J. Guanyan with Li Linpan and Zhang H. Z., *Chinese Carpets*, New York: Harry N. Abrams, 1983.  \nEllis, C. G., “The Strengths of The Textile Museum's Oriental Carpet Collection”, *The Textile Museum Journal*, 24 (1985), Washington, DC: The Textile Museum, 1986: 60-73.  \nEllis, C. G., “Chinese Rugs”, *Textile Museum Journal*, 2.3, (December 1968), Washington, DC: The Textile Museum, 1969: 35-52.","workshop":"Anonymous","author":"Sumru Belger Krody","keywords":["wool","Chinese motifs","floral motifs","bird"],"materials":["wool","cotton","knotted pile carpet","asymmetrical knot"]},"f6de5b7e-2072-57cf-8c8c-0a705ded20d8":{"name":"Dragon Carpet","description":"A 17th century Caucasian pile carpet, better known as a Dragon carpet for its iconic design. Its red-background is dominated by a lattice system of two wide vegetal stems in ivory and in blue, overlapping each other in a drop-repeat directional layout. Covering each of the intersections of the lattice system are large multi-coloured palmettes of various designs. In the diamond shaped voids, or compartments, enclosed by the lattice are positioned a variety of animals including two rows of yellow “S” shaped dragons (hence the carpet’s name), three rows of pairs of deer fawns, two rows of pairs of flaming lion-and-chi-lin in combat. On the blue lattice branches are illustrated pheasants above ducks. The carpet’s narrow border has an ivory-coloured background decorated with a multi-coloured scroll of flowers.  \n  \nConsidered to be of one of the earliest types of Caucasian carpets, a product of a cottage industry, this carpet’s design is thought to be based on earlier, and much less abstracted, Iranian prototypes. These Caucasian versions were made for the trade and its many routes.","type":"Carpet","holder":"Glasgow Museums - The Burrell Collection","dates":"17th century","location":"Glasgow, Scotland","dimensions":"H: 5055mm, W: 2439mm","method_for_datation":"Manufacturing techniques and stylistic analysis","method_for_provenance":"Stylistic analysis","provenance":"Azerbaijan, Shemakha, Shirvan","obtention":"Gifted by Sir William and Lady Burrell to the City of Glasgow, 1944","workshop":"Shemakah workshop","author":"Noorah Al-Gailani","keywords":["leaf lattice","animal decoration","palmette","imaginary animal","dragon","bird"],"materials":["wool pile","Wool warp and weft"]},"f7879232-ae13-54c3-8e2a-b4f64e92dbd7":{"name":"Uşak carpet (Bergama).","alternate_name":"‘Holbein’ carpet.","description":"This is a carpet woven in the region of Western Anatolia in the AH 10th / AD 16th century. Both warp and weft are of wool. The weaving technique used is the 'Turkish double knot', known as the Gördes knot. The carpet is divided into five compartments: three pairs of octagons alternate with large rectangles on a dark-yellow ground and within a border of rosettes. Within the rectangles, which have red backgrounds, concentric octagons make up the primary motif. At the centre of each octagon is a six-armed star rosette. Around the inner octagon, resembling a floral rosette because of the hook and interlace motifs around the central star, the field is filled by a group of stars with stylised red and white leaves among them. The main octagon is completed by yellow and blue interlace motifs, while corner-pieces made up of hook motifs complete the large rectangle. Two narrow borders with chain and leaf motifs are in turn surrounded by the main border, which has groups of stylised *kufic* script on a dark-blue ground. The imitation *kufic* interlace motifs, which are white, yellow, green, and blue with red contours, are made to contrast with the contrary colours placed between them.  \n  \nTurkish carpets, which had an important place in Ottoman trade, were exported in large numbers to European markets beginning in the AH 8th / AD 14th century. As an expensive export ware, these carpets met with great demand from noble families, church officials, and the wealthy middle classes who engaged in trade. These groups were also highly interested in painting, and they had the valuable carpets they owned painted into the portraits of themselves with which they adorned their churches and palaces.  \n  \nThese paintings, produced by many European artists beginning in the AD 15th century, have played an important role in establishing the dates and typology of carpets. Some carpets, known as 'Holbein' carpets, appear in paintings by the German artist Hans Holbein (AD 1497–1543), while some are known in carpet terminology as 'Holbein' carpets even though they do not appear in any paintings. The present work is judged to be part of the group known as 'Holbein IV'.","short_description":"This woollen rug was woven with Turkish double knots (Gördes knots) in Bergama in the AH 10th / AD 16th century. These rugs with rectangular frames and geometric and stylised floral motifs came to be known as 'Holbein' carpets after the German painter Hans Holbein, who included them in his paintings.","type":"Wool, knotted, carpet","holder":"Museum of Turkish and Islamic Arts.","dates":"Hegira 10th / AD 16th century.","location":"Sultanahmet, Istanbul.","dimensions":"Length 292 cm, width 170 cm.","method_for_datation":"The carpet is dated to the 10th / 16th century on the basis of the characteristics of the motifs and composition as well as paintings in which similar carpets appear.","method_for_provenance":"It is well known that there was a thriving carpet-making industry in Bergama and Ushak in the 10th / 16th century. The presence of particular motifs and a style based on geometric division, both of which are still found on carpets produced in Bergama today, suggests that the carpet was woven in Bergama rather than Ushak.","provenance":"Western Anatolia (Bergama – Uşak region), Turkey.","obtention":"The carpet was transferred to the Museum in 1911 from the Shaykh Baba Yusuf Mosque in Sivrihisar as part of the initiative begun in the 19th century to collect up artworks from all over the Empire.","bibliography":"Aslanapa, O., *Türk Halı Sanatının Bin Yılı*, Istanbul, 1987, p.94, pl. 127.  \n  \nErdmann, K., *Seven Hundred Years of Oriental Rugs*, London, 1970, p.105.  \n  \nErdmann, K., *Der Türkische Teppich des 15. Jahrhundert*, Istanbul, 1958, p.32.  \n  \nölçer, N., *et al, Turkish Carpets from the 13th–18th Centuries*, Istanbul, 1996, pl. 42.","linkcatalogs":"IAM_TR_EN_001","author":"Gönül Tekeli","translator":"Barry Wood","translation_copy_editor":"Mandi Gomez","keywords":["carpet","Gördes"],"materials":["woven with the Turkish double knot also known as the Gördes knot.","Wool on wool"]},"f7ed68df-d80f-52d6-89b8-e4a57d8f8085":{"name":"Triple-arch prayer rug","description":"Triple-arch rugs, sometimes also described as six-column rugs, were very popular in Transylvania – there are several interesting examples preserved in the collections at the Budapest Museum of Applied Arts and the Brukenthal National Museum in Sibiu, and in a number of Austrian collections as well. It is very probable that in this case the niche doesn’t represent the *mihrab*, but derives from mosque architecture.  \nThe red niche at the centre of the rug is divided into three pointed arches supported by six columns, on bases in the form of polygonal turrets, with the so-called “precious stones” decoration. The large carnation flower is suspended from the pick of the central arch, and much smaller flowers hang from the lower arches. The dark-blue spandrels are decorated with a mainly yellow ornament of rosettes, and lanceolate leaves flanking them. The main, wide border, filled with an ornament of hexagonal cartouches enclosing lozenges with carnations rising from them, is placed between two narrower borders with flower ornament. The main colours of the carpet are red, yellow and dark-blue, with details in white, red and blue.  \nSome characteristic features distinguish the Kraków carpet from other examples of this type: the ornaments are rather simplified, and a clear, precise outline is almost lost especially in the spandrels; the paired central columns rise from the bases as one column, which is quite an unusual solution. Worthy of note also are the delicate, small flowers rising from the central part of the columns. The left arch has a bizarre shape, which is probably the result of an error made by the maker.","type":"Prayer rug","holder":"National Museum in Kraków","dates":"17th century","location":"Kraków","dimensions":"H: 180cm, W: 130cm; knot density 1,184/dm2","method_for_datation":"The composition of the rug and also its stylistic features prove that it belongs to the group of triple-arch carpets traditionally connected with the Anatolia workshop of the 17th century","method_for_provenance":"Both composition and technique suggest that it could have been made in Ladik, Anatolia","provenance":"Anatolia, Ladik (?)","obtention":"Donated by Erazm Barącz in 1922","bibliography":"*Antique Oriental Carpets from Austrian Collections*, Vienna: Society for Textile Art Research, 1986: cat 9.  \nBiedrońska-Słotowa, Beata, *Kobierce wschodnie. 1. Kobierce tureckie*, Kraków: National Museum in Kraków, 1983: 78‒9, cat. 30.  \nIonescu, Stefano (ed.), *Kobierce anatolijskie z kolekcji Muzeum Narodowego Brukenthala w Sibiu / Anatolian Carpets From the Collection of the Brukenthal National Museum in Sibiu* (Romanian ed.), Gdańsk: National Museum of Gdańsk, 2013: 181–5. (Analogy)  \n*Katalog wystawy kobierców mahometańskich, ceramiki azjatyckiej i europejskiej* (Catalogue of the exhibition of Mahometan carpets, Asian and European pottery), Kraków: National Museum in Kraków, 1934: cat. 7.  \nPásztor, Emese, *Ottoman Turkish Carpets in the Collections of the Budapest Museum of Applied Arts*, Budapest: Museum of Applied Arts, 2007: 136–56. (Analogy)","author":"Joanna Regina Kowalska","copy_editor":"Mandi Gomez","keywords":["floral decoration","wool","mihrab","dark-blue","floral motifs","palmette","prayer rug","niche","Ottoman carpet"],"materials":["symmetrically knotted pile","Wool (warp","weft","pile)"]},"f85d9f00-4083-5a27-a359-1b0775ec55d5":{"name":"Carpet fragment","description":"In the Middle East, woven fabrics served not only as seating, storage bags, curtains, bed linen and covers for objects and animals, but also as decorative floor coverings. The literature, artifacts and European paintings of the 16th and 17th centuries all testify to the trade in carpets, which fostered the spread of designs and beliefs across cultures. The designs, colours and shapes of textiles bore an implicit message of protection. This carpet fragment, in which onager (wild ass), deer and lion motifs are placed around a cypress, is a variation on what is known as the Garden of Paradise design that was widely used in northern and northwestern Iran in the Safavid period (1501–1722/36). Abiding features in Iranian thinking for thousands of years, gardens and the search for paradise were prominent themes in poetry, literature and painting. Carpets were viewed as reflections of the heavenly garden and as the ideal means for artistic expression that were easy to carry during the seasonal moves between winter and summer quarters. The most magnificent Garden of Paradise-design carpets were reserved for the nobility, and few examples of them from the Safavid era have survived to this day. Fragments of carpets datable from the 16th to the 18th century have been sold since the mid-19th century in order to satisfy demand among Western collectors. A large fragment of this 17th-century carpet is in the collection of the Cleveland Museum of Art (1953.128).","type":"Carpet fragment","holder":"Montreal Museum of Fine Arts","dates":"18th century","location":"Montreal, Quebec","dimensions":"113cm x 57cm","method_for_datation":"Stylistic and comparative analyses","provenance":"Iran","obtention":"Purchase  \nPurchased from Adolph Loewi, New York, in 1954","bibliography":"Ittig, Annette, *Rêves tissés: tapis d’orient de la collection du Musée des beaux-arts de Montréal / Woven Dreams: Oriental Carpets from the Collection of the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts*, Montreal: Montreal Museum of Fine Arts, 1994: 18.  \nSalam-Liebich, Hayat, *Art islamique: objets du quotidien / Islamic Art: Objects for Daily Use*, Montreal: Montreal Museum of Fine Arts, 1983: 65.","author":"Shirin Shafiee","copy_editor":"Mandi Gomez","keywords":["Safawid textile","Islamic carpet","Persian carpet"],"materials":["wool","cotton","knotted"]},"f949b89d-44f8-53f5-9176-1e600c351147":{"name":"Bergama rug","description":"Bergama is a town in western Anatolia. Rugs woven there are usually square, and their design geometric. Most are decorated with five medallions: square, rectangular or polygonal in the centre and four others near the corners of the central field. Such a composition is a distant reflection of the so-called “Holbein” carpets from the 15th and 16th centuries.  \nThe Kraków Bergama rug is woven from wool using a very warm colour palette, predominantly shades of ochre and yellow, with the addition of light-orange, yellowish green, dark-blue and greyish violet. The fleece is high and adds an impression of softness to the geometric ornament. In the centre of the ochre field there is an octagonal white medallion surrounded by hook motifs with a colourful rosette inside. The white surface of the medallion is decorated with a meander-like ornament, which looks engraved – an effect achieved by the light-brown fleece being cut lower than the white fleece. In the corners rest smaller medallions with ornamental crosses constructed of triangles. Between the medallions are leafy stalks with tulips. Small roses and other minute designs, difficult to recognise, also appear on the main field. The main border is filled with tulips inscribed inside squares. The Kraków rug is an attractive example of the style typical of the Bergama carpet-weaving centre.","type":"Rug","holder":"National Museum in Kraków","dates":"Second half of the 18th century","location":"Kraków","dimensions":"H: 158cm, W: 120cm; knot density 756/dm2","method_for_datation":"The ornament is very characteristic of “Bergama” carpets","provenance":"Anatolia, Bergama","obtention":"Bequest of Feliks Jasieński in 1929","bibliography":"Biedrońska-Słotowa, Beata, *Kobierce wschodnie. 1. Kobierce tureckie*, Kraków: The National Museum in Kraków, 1983: 98‒101, 172, cat. 42.  \nBiedrońska-Słotowa, Beata, *Leksykon sztuki kobierniczej* (Lexicon of carpet art), Kraków: Radamsa publications, 1999: 182‒3.  \nGrzybkowska, Teresa, and Żygulski, Zdzisław, junior (eds), *Cuda Orientu* (Wonders of the Orient), Gdańsk: National Museum of Gdańsk, 2006: 85, cat. 8.  \n*Tkanina turecka XVI‒XVII w. ze zbiorów polskich. Muzeum Narodowe w Warszawie wrzesień ‒ listopad 1983* (Turkish textiles of the 16th and 17th century in Polish collections), exhib. cat., Warsaw: The National Museum in Warsaw, 1983: 33, cat. 29.","author":"Joanna Regina Kowalska","copy_editor":"Mandi Gomez","keywords":["wool","Anatolia","Bergama","tulip","prayer rug"],"materials":["symmetrically knotted pile (Turkish knot)","Wool (warp","weft","pile)"]},"fbde1ba4-0cc0-547e-9260-e7d47c092d47":{"name":"Picture postcard, *Greetings from Pirot*","description":"A picture postcard with the Cyrillic inscription *Pozdrav iz Pirota* (*Greetings from Pirot*) shows a woman from Pirot weaving a kilim, with a child standing by her side. Pirot, a town in south-eastern Serbia, was an important centre of kilim weaving in the Balkans. Pirot kilims were woven on vertical looms (as the one shown in the picture) with a slit weave technique (*klečanje*), which renders both front and back of a weave even and identical. It took one to ten weavers to weave a kilim, depending on its dimensions. The kilims were made of fine, thinly and evenly spun wool which, until 1880’s, was exclusively processed at homes. One of their major characteristics are the studied coloristic effects, achieved by choice and distribution of colours. Natural herb dyes were replaced by the aniline ones at the beginning of the 20th century.","type":"Postcard","holder":"Museum of Applied Art","dates":"Not later than 1903","location":"Belgrade","dimensions":"H: 8.8cm, W: 13.8cm","method_for_datation":"Ref. Perać, J., *Razglednice u Srbiji 1895–1914 = Postcards in Serbia 1895–1914*, Belgrade: Museum of Applied Art, 2009.","provenance":"Pirot","obtention":"Purchased in 1987","bibliography":"Perać, J., *Razglednice u Srbiji 1895–1914 = Postcards in Serbia 1895–1914*, Belgrade: Museum of Applied Art, 2009.  \nVitković-Žikić, M., *Pirotski ćilimi = Les Kilims de Pirot*, Belgrade: Muzej primenjene umetnosti, 2001.","workshop":"National Printers","author":"Draginja Maskareli","keywords":["weave","Şarköy","postcard","Pirot","Kilim"],"materials":["Autotype"]},"fbffece3-0074-5895-9c10-cd61fb31f7d9":{"name":"Tent bag","description":"Nomads of Central Asia made a variety of storage and carrying bags of different sizes. They were hung on a wooden trellis of the yurt and, during migration, carried on the back of horses and donkeys. They were woven in a variety of techniques, often a combination of knotted pile and flat weave. This bag is notable for its colours of extreme richness and clarity.","type":"Bag","holder":"Textile Museum of Canada (TMC)","owner":"TMC","dates":"1930-1940","location":"Toronto, Ontario","dimensions":"L: 86cm, W: 137cm","method_for_datation":"By stylistic analysis","method_for_provenance":"By stylistic analysis","provenance":"Afghanistan,the Kazakh or Hazara","obtention":"Gift of George O'Bannon","bibliography":"O’Bannon, George W., *Kazakh and Uzbek Rugs from Afghanistan*, Pittsburgh: George W. O’Bannon, 1979.","author":"Natalia Nekrassova","keywords":["Central Asia","wool"],"materials":["knotted pile","wool","plain woven"]},"fd9909b2-4573-5acb-ac97-18b27b9f7074":{"name":"Qashqa´i","description":"The carpet's base is formed by two dark blue diamonds set vertically on top of each other and cut to the borders. Each of them is inscribed with a striking, ivory-coloured row of hooks in a clearly narrower rhomboid. A Memling gul appears at the centre of each hooked diamond, with emblematic octagonal motifs placed at the corners of the diamonds. As medallions, these hooked diamonds constitute the central motif of the carpet. The remaining spandrels and triangles (semi-rhomboids) of the central field are contrastingly designed with alternating red and yellow backgrounds. All areas are lavishly filled with small motifs in many variations. The major border is designed in the same colour as the base. Because midnight blue and ivory are predominant here as well, the contrast to the adjacent bright red and yellow areas is repeated. In the minor borders, however, shades of red and yellow dominate. This is a very well-balanced and gorgeous carpet – quite finely woven, of outstanding wool quality and a relatively small format, which is certainly reminiscent of the finer examples of the pile-woven saddlebags (*khorjin*) of the Qashqa´i.","type":"Carpet","holder":"Museum für Völkerkunde Dresden (Ethnological Museum Dresden), Dresden State Art Collections","dates":"19th century, second half","location":"Dresden, Saxony","dimensions":"Length: 190cm, Width: 110cm","provenance":"South West Persian, Fars region","obtention":"Purchased from Dresden Collector Hedda Gehm in 1986, who supported Dresden painter Wilhem Müller (1928–99) establishing a collection for the Ethnographic Museum of Dresden, mainly between 1979 and 1986.","bibliography":"Black, D. and Loveless, C., *Woven Gardens: Nomad and Village Rugs of the Fars Province of Southern Persia*, London: David Black Oriental Carpets, 1977: no. 1–3, 17–26.  \nGans-Ruedin, E., *Der Persische Teppich*, Fribourg: Office du Livre, 1978: 408–421.  \nOpie, J., *Tribal Rugs of Southern Persia*, Portland: James Opie Oriental Rugs Inc., 1981.  \nSaunders, P.E., *Tribal Visions*, Marin: Marin Cultural Center, 1981.  \nWhitworth Art Gallery/University of Manchester, *The Qashqa´i of Iran. World of Islam Festival 1976*, Manchester: Whitworth Art Gallery/University of Manchester, 1976.","author":"Simone Jansen","copy_editor":"Janice Medina","keywords":["Tribal"],"materials":["pile weave","wool","symmetrical knot"]},"fe134b50-319c-5411-b2af-fb5d9bcfd6cf":{"name":"Ladik Prayer Rug","description":"Ladik town of Konya Province was one of the most important rug producing centres of Anatolia. From the 17th to the 19th centuries many kind of carpets including large ground rugs, hall rugs, floor mats and cushions were produced in Ladik. Prayer rugs from the region are the most famous group. The distinctive feature of a Ladik prayer rug is a *mihrab* with a triple niche and stylized columns. Ladik prayer rugs are popular in Transylvania. Rugs were exported to the region and this type became known as a “Transylvanian rug”.","type":"Prayer rug","holder":"Museum of Turkish and Islamic Arts","dates":"18th century","location":"Istanbul","dimensions":"L: 115cm, W: 172cm","method_for_datation":"The analyses of the material and the technique used for weaving the rug and the motifs seen on main ground and borders.","provenance":"Middle Anatolia, Konya","obtention":"Transferred from Ankara Ethnography Museum","bibliography":"Kollektif, *Türk El Dokuması Halılar*, Ankara: Kültür ve Turizm Bakanlığı Yayınları, Cilt 4, Katalog no: 409.","author":"Deniz Kanberoğlu","copy_editor":"Lisa Kelman","keywords":["Konya","Middle Anatolia","Ladik Prayer Rug"],"materials":["Natural wool coloured with natural dyes","symmetrical knot","Gördes knot"]},"ff0f0b5a-89b7-5bab-b342-1924a2ccdcb4":{"name":"Rug","description":"This knotted-pile carpet is an example of a typical Anatolian rug, decorated with a *mihrab*, surrounded by three different borders. It features floral and geometric patterns in red, yellow, green and blue.","holder":"Musée Public National des Antiquités","dates":"19th century","location":"Algiers","provenance":"Algiers","author":"Houria Cherid","translator":"Flaminia Baldwin"},"ff573f89-f67a-5394-a12a-08edfa8872a9":{"name":"Silk Carpet with metal thread","description":"This relatively small carpet is produced with a luxurious combination of silk knotted pile design against background areas of metal brocade, creating a shimmering combination. Today the colours are reduced to light blue, pale green, cream and other light pastels, with some dark blue details: it is possible that the silk pile has faded over the centuries. This lightness conceals the refined complexity of the design itself, which is folded across a horizontal and a vertical axis – a quartered design of calculated symmetry. Ordered around a central point, two lobed pendants mirror each other at the upper and lower side. Each features a striped central roundel, embedded in floral surrounds and scrollwork. Half-medallions meet the sides of the carpet design, with large bisected lotus flowers.  \n  \nVery fine carpets such as this were woven in Isfahan, Iran’s capital under the Safavid dynasty from 1598 until the fall of the Safavids in 1722. Throughout the seventeenth century, international traders from across Asia and Europe were attracted to Isfahan to buy raw silk, following an economic policy introduced by Shah ‘Abbas I. Silk carpets brocaded with precious metal thread, such as this, made impressive diplomatic gifts, as well as trading goods: examples were sent to courts and trading corporations alike, in Venice, Copenhagen and many other centres. Examples survive in international collections to this day.  \n  \n[V&A online catalogue link](http://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O67211/carpet-unknown/)","type":"Carpet","holder":"Victoria and Albert Museum","dates":"1600-1650","location":"London","dimensions":"Metric. L: 2.08m, W: 1.49m","method_for_datation":"The carpet design and technical structure fits perfectly with similar examples in this category, including one which Shah ‘Abbas sent from Isfahan to Venice in 1603.","method_for_provenance":"See “How Objects was obtained.”","provenance":"Iran, Isfahan","obtention":"After years on loan to the South Kensington Museum (today the V&A), this carpet was bequeathed to the museum in 1910, by George Salting.","bibliography":"Jon Thompson in Sheila Canby Shah Abbas (BMP) p.242.","author":"Moya Carey","keywords":["lotus","Polonaise","half-palmettes","flowers","Isfahan","silver"],"materials":["wool. Silk pile on cotton","knotted pile","silk","cotton","wool and silk foundation","asymmetrical knots open to the left."]}}