A Bergama rug, West Anatolia,

The design for this rug is directly descended from 16th and 17th century Oushak carpets of a 'variant star' pattern, for two early examples in the Vakiflar Museum, Istanbul see Balpinar, Belkis and Udo Hirsch, Carpets of the Vakiflar Museum Istanbul, Wesel, 1988, pls. 37 and 38.  Here, the basic design format has been retained, however it has become more stylized and the coloring has the addition of a sea green to the palette.  These features are found in other village rugs that follow the basic star variant pattern such as Herrmann, Eberhart, Asiatische Teppich-und Textilkunst, band 3, Munich 1991, pl. 7; a rug once with Davide Halevim, sold Christie's London, 14 February 2001, lot 24; a rug once in the collection of James F. Ballard and now in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, see Dimand, M.S. and Jean Mailey, Oriental Rugs in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, 1973, fig. 165, cat. no. 75; and a rug from the Joseph McMullan collection also now in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, see McMullan, Joseph V., Islamic Carpets, New York, 1965, pl. 69.