A Central Anatolian village rug

The Collection of James F. Ballard
Thence by descent

Pennsylvania Museum and School of Industrial Art, Special loan collection of carpets and other textiles from Asia Minor, 1919
Carnegie Institute, Pittsburgh, Exhibition of Oriental rugs lent by James F. Ballard, Nov. 17, 1923 - Jan. 31, 1924
The John Herron Art Institute, Indianapolis, Indiana, Oriental rugs in the Collection of James F. Ballard, August - September 1924
The Art Institute of Chicago, Special Exhibition of Oriental Rugs, October - December 1924

Catalogue of Oriental Rugs in the Collection of James F. Ballard, St. Louis, 1924, no. 83
Tom Hubbard, "A Ballard Postscript," Hali, issue, 124, pp. 104-106, fig.2

Very good, lustrous pile overall, approximatel 1/5th of an inch with some dark browns oxidized lower to approx. 1/8 of an inch. Some natural browns in full pile. Reselvaged, a 2x1.5" reweave lower left end of medallion. A .5x2" reweave in medallion. 5x3/4" rewoven area in right guardborder. Another area approx. 12x.5" also along right edge. Quite well executed, more visible on reverse. Hanging strips on reverse of upper edge, and burlap band sewn to reverse of lower end. Good, dense pile, highly lustrous wool, good vivid colors, supple handle, good overall conditon. Upper end missing several rows of knots, now secured with binding stitch. Small 1" slit in upper right corner.
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.

The present lot, which remained in the family collection of James F. Ballard after he had donated the bulk of his collection to the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York and the Saint Louis Art Museum,  belongs to a very small and elusive group of Central Anatolian rugs, of which only four other examples are known. These include one sold Skinner Bolton, December 16, 1986, lot 102; one published in Eberhart Herrmann, Seltene Orientteppiche, vol. X, Munich, 1988, pp. 46-47, no. 17; one in the Vakiflar Carpet Museum in Istanbul and a fragment with Galerie Sailer, Salzburg, see Hali, Issue 38, p. 23. Herrmann relates these rugs to Anatolian kilims, more specifically Ottoman tent-kilims, due to the lack of contouring lines framing the design elements. Herrmann offers an example of a Konya rug with a similar medallion as another exemplar of an Ottoman pile weaving whose design originates in tent-kilims. According to him these rugs, including the lot offered here, are contemporaneous with, or slightly later than, their Ottoman flatwoven counterparts.