The Splendor of Rugs and Tapestries

7506 Bakhshaish Carpet Northwest Persia, 19th century 11ft 8in x 15ft 2in (3.56 x 4.62m) This multi-layered design shows the height of the weaving art in these Heriz area carpets. The decoration inside the medallion is typical of Bakhshaish carpets, as is the deeply abrashed blue ground. It is interesting to note that the blue ground is revealed once more in the medallion, an indication that the design should be seen in terms of layers.

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88818881 Mahal Mahal 8ft 3in 8ft x3in 12ft x 12ft 3in (2.51x3.73m) 3in (2.51x3.73m)

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man’s special relationship with God and the path of submission to His will.

This path ultimately leads to a heavenly paradise, often depicted in prayer rugs by beautiful floral and leaf designs or the tree of life. A sevenfold border evokes the seven heavens awaiting the true believer. Many prayer rugs also depict a hanging mosque lamp representing the light of God, again, a symbolic use of light shared with Judaism and Christianity. Folk patterns and symbols also appear, especially in the bright geometric designs of rugs from the Caucasus. Birds, representing the human soul, are a recurring theme, while the phoenix and dragon, symbols borrowed from China and shared with Christianity, appear in many stylized forms to signify the struggle between good and evil.

Architectural designs in many rugs reflect the geographic and cultural diversity of Islam. Examples include the tripartite arch recalling the lands conquered by the Roman Empire and later absorbed by Islam. Additionally, the domed arch of the Mogul-Indian prayer rug reflects the beauty of an Islamic culture that produced the Taj Mahal. The prayer niche plays the same role for Moslems as the cross in Christianity, and the presence of mihrab has a great spiritual effect on devotees.

ANATOLIAN RUGS Around ninety percent of all Turkish rugs are produced in Anatolia, and many good books have been exclusively devoted to Anatolian carpets. The small Anatolian towns of Ghiordes and Kula, located to the west of Oushak and southwest of Ankara, have earned a high regard for their magnificent prayer rugs. At times, they are very difficult to tell apart, although the double weft of Kulas is said to be a differentiating characteristic. Ghiordes is associated with the Ghiordes knot, and prayer rugs from this town usually measure under seven feet, and come in cool color schemes with medallion patterns in addition to prayer-rug designs.

Kula rugs frequently have multiple border stripes, usually seven, often featuring the “shobokli”, pipe-stem pattern, and only one horizontal panel, as opposed to two in Ghiordes rugs. A characteristic Kula design, “Mezarlik” (cemetery), depicts small repeating arrangements of a house flanked by two cypresses, usually on a dark field. These rugs may have been found in tombs.

Hereke rugs derive their name from a village located north of Kula, some forty miles from Istanbul on the Gulf of Ismir. In 1884, the Sultan Abdul Mejid established this old weaving center as a royal factory, commissioning Persian master-weavers to set up the highest quality weaving industry. This resulted in rugs woven entirely of silk, with over a million knots per square meter. The silk Hereke testifies to the heights reached in

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formal designs, betraying Persian inspiration in elegant oval medallions and gracefully curling cloud bands and floral sprays.

Melas, on the southwest coast of Turkey in Western Anatolia, has a long tradition of making prayer rugs warmly colored in reds, yellows, and aubergine.

The prayer arch is usually pinched in by two triangular wedges near the top. A very unusual example of this type resembles the Kula in its design, especially the spandrels filled with flower heads and the two columns containing floral stems, but its unmistakable color scheme and red wefts identify it as a Melas.

Another type from this region, often called “Karova Melas” consists of vertical panels, carrying an angular stem meander with cockscomb-like attachments and turtle medallions.

Ladik and Konya, in Central Anatolia, both draw on a long history of rug making. Konya became the capital of the Seljuks in 1080. Many rugs from the surrounding area are called Konya but can be placed more specifically. Ladik ranks especially high in the pantheon of Anatolian prayer rugs. Earlier types included the triple-arch-and-column prayer rug.

Later examples from the late eighteenth century are known for their blazing reds and clear blues articulating an open field and horizontal panels with slender tulips among the crenelations or vandykes of what looks like a battlement. Konya rugs feature a looser weave and a more subdued color spectrum in earth shades of brown, beige, dull, yellows, and reds.

The village of Makri (Fethiye) in southern Anatolia also produced brilliant prayer rugs with two vertical panels of differing colors, containing large geometric devices in strong yellows, blues, and reds, with a predominance of ivory. These colors resemble those of certain Caucasian rug types.

Up the coast from Makri rises the hilly Bergama region. This region is famous for many types of rugs, mostly of a smaller size, under eight by six feet. The boldly geometric patterns recall Caucasian Kazak designs. Some of the finest Bergama rugs are the “Kiz”, or wedding rugs, traditionally woven by the bride to commemorate the great event of her life. The field usually contains a hexagonal medallion and stars, with a wavy band running along the broad border. The favorite colors are yellow, sand, apricot, and light blue in delicate harmonies, giving these rugs a “peaches and cream” aura.

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7531 Silk Hereke (above) 3ft 5in x 5ft (1.04 x 1.52 m) Typical of 20th century silk Hereke rugs that are continuing the same designs of centuries ago with a new color pallet.

3202 Ghiordes (opposite page) 3ft 5in X 13ft 3in (1.04 x 4.04 m)

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8849 English tapestry “Ulysses finding Achilles Among the Maidens” 7ft 4in x 17ft 4in (2.24 x 5.28 m) 18th century

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This, the sixth episode of seven in the mythological legend, the “Story of Ulysses,” illustrates Ulysses (in Greek, Odysseus) finding Achilles among the maidens at the Court of Lycomedes. On the left in the open colonnade, Ulysses in disguise with Diomed offers musical instruments to the daughters of King

Lycomedes. Four maidens are grouped around the seated Achilles, dressed in women’s clothes. As he draws a sword from its sheath, two other maidens enter from the right.

The mythological sequence for this dynamic composition is compelling. When Achilles was a boy, a prophet predicted that he alone

would conquer Troy. Achilles’ mother, Thetis, soon realized that such a destiny would bring death upon her son. To protect him from the evident peril she hid him in the court of King Lycomedes, disguised as one of the maidens. Eventually the Greeks, helped by Ulysses, revealed Achilles’ identity through

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an ingenious trick. Ulysses placed arms and armor amidst a display of women’s finery and musical instruments that he presented to the daughters of Lycomedes. One story tells that Ulysses seized upon Achilles when he was the only “maiden” to be fascinated by the swords and shields, whereas anoth-

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er version narrates that when Ulysses and his companions created battle cries and sounded the trumpets, Achilles, thinking they were being attacked, rushed for weapons.

He then went willingly with the Greeks to attack Troy, for he could not escape his destiny.

This tapestry as identical to the

example illustrated in Henry Currie Marillier, English Tapestries of the 18th Century, London: Medici Society, 1930, plate 42b. At the time of publication, known examples from the “Story of Ulysses” series were limited to: one set of five pieces located at Hinwick House, Wellingborough, England; one set

of three pieces formerly at the Spanish Art Gallery, one piece the former property of a Mr. Herrmann. A single fine copy of this tapestry with a different border and dimensions was located at Tylney Court, Hampshire.

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