A Konya yatak, Central Anatolia,

Raymond Bernardout, London

Ottoman Treasures: Rugs and Ceramics from the Collection of Dr. and Mrs. William T. Price, Birmingham Museum of Art, Birmingham, October 3-December 12, 2004

Divine Images and Magic Carpets: From the Asian Art Collection of Dr. and Mrs. William T. Price, Amarillo Art Center, Amarillo, Texas, April 18-May 31, 1987, no. 37

Bernardout, Raymond, Antique Rugs, London, 1983, p. 70, pl. 44.

Denny, Walter B., Ottoman Treasures: Rugs and Ceramics from the Collection of Dr. and Mrs. William T. Price, Birmingham, 2004, p. 9, fig. 9.

Pile ranges from approximately 1/4 of an inch to low to knotheads. Oxidized dark browns. Scattered foldwear. Scattered rewoven areas, with the largest being an approximately 20 inch by 7 inch irregular reweave around right medallion in center. Further larger reweaves around two other medallions in center. Most of right guard border is rewoven. Some reweaves in left guard border. One approximately 6 inch by 5 inch reweave into upper end. Two approximately 3 inch by 1 inch reweaves around upper right medallion. Further smaller reweaves. Blues in central medallion repiled. Further scattered smaller repiling to other colors. Ends complete with original striped kilim finishes, some fraying in areas. Sides with new 3-cord wool selvaging. Very supple handle, good pile, high quality lustrous wool, unusual design, restored, respectable condition for age.
In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective qualified opinion.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.

Throughout the centuries, yataks were among the most essential furnishing objects of the Anatolian home. Similarly to gabbehs in neighbouring Persia, yataks were used as bed covers. The thick warm pile made these weavings not only very comfortable, but also excellent insulators. The large quantity of felted foreign wool found in the pile of surviving yataks suggest that these weavings were used often, see W. Brüggemann and H. Böhmer, Rugs of the Peasants and Nomads of Anatolia, Munich, 1983, p. 212. The primary motif of the lot offered here is a hooked, stepped polygon enclosed in a slightly elongated octagon, found in other examples such as a yatak illustrated in Brüggemann and Böhmer, ibid., p. 229. However, what makes the lot offered here unlike other yataks with similar field patterns, which almost always incorporate smaller design elements in their borders, is the plain band that frames the octagonal shapes and which, with its simplicity, emphasizes the geometric nature of the entire piece.