A "Transylvanian" prayer rug, West Anatolia

Burton Y. Berry, Out of the Past: The Istanbul Grand Bazaar, New York, 1977, p. 81

Pile generally low to knotheads overall. Oxidized dark browns and scattered foldwear. Some scattered reweaves with the largest reweave running from upper border into center of madder red field approximately 40 inches by 1 1/2 inch. Some futher scattered much smaller reweaves. Some scattered repiling. Upper and lower end guard borders rewoven. Left side with some very small reweaves to guard stripe, now reselvaged. Right side outer guard stripe rewoven in an approximately 50 inch long area, now reselvaged; remnants of original selvage in lower right corner measuring approximately 15 inches. Both ends with cloth bands sewn on reverse; upper end with hanging rings. Supple handle; some scattered spot stains and surface dirt; sound fabric and condition.
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 elegant format and delicate drawing of this lot is directly influenced by the magnificent Ottoman carpets produced in the court ateliers of Suleyman the Magnificent during the first half of the 1500s. For a sixteenth-century Ottoman court workshop prayer rug in the Metropolitan Museum, New York, see Joseph V. McMullan, Islamic Carpets, New York, 1965, pp. 32-33, no. 4. Unlike the majority of "Transylvanian" rugs, the present example retains the glorious architectural cloudband collar rotunda of its antecedents. For related "Transylvanian" prayer rugs sharing this Ottoman-style mihrab, light blue palmette and vine-filled borders, see Ferenc Batári, Ottoman Turkish Carpets, Budapest, 1994, pp. 73 and 187, inv. no. 7.952., and Ballard Collection of Oriental Rugs (Ex. Cat.), St. Louis, 1924, no. 29.