Large Transylvanian Double-Niche Prayer Rug
216 x 159 cm (7' 1" x 5' 3")
Turkey (Western Anatolia), 17th century
Condition: good according to age, low pile, foundation partially visible, sides and ends partially damaged, scattered small repairs and reweavings in the field, age related signs of use
Warp: wool, weft: wool, pile: wool

The design of this carpet is unexpected as it shows a traditional couple column prayer rug design in the top half of the rug that is duplicated in the lower half of the rug. While this design is not unprecedented, the number of examples published in the literature runs to only a dozen or so. And what this rug helps to illustrate is how the traditional prayer rug format was adapted in the workshops of the Manisa province of western Anatolia in the 17th century, painting a picture of an innovative workshop system that would adapt to demand in in this case Europe, which would seem to be the natural marketplace for a secular rug such as this.
In this rug the so-called lazy lines can be seen clearly in the red panels as slight breaks in the pile colour and design fluidity, which are a product of two weavers building up parts of the pattern at different speeds on the loom and is characteristic of weavings from west Anatolia in the 16th-18th centuries.
The placement of the medallion at the top of the central prayer arch is particularly nice as are the range of colours, including a deep aubergine, and the complexity of the borders all of which are indicative of the quality of this rug. This style of rug was much admired by collectors in the early part of the 20th century and examples can be found in many museum collections.
Indeed, the virtual pair to this rug is was given by respected collector James Ballard to the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York (22.100.65).