AN OTTOMAN BROCADE 'KEMHA' PANEL WITH UNDULATING TULIPS, TURKEY, 16TH CENTURY |

woven with a repeat pattern of closely placed flowering tulip motifs, on a cerise ground, mounted within a later glazed rectangular frame

Ex-collection Dikran G. Kelekian, early 20^th century.
Ex-collection Sir Howard Hodgkin (1932-2017).

La Collection Kelekian, Paris, 1908.
Turquie au Nom de la Tulipe, Paris, 1993. 
Couleurs d'Orient, Brussels, 2010. 
Turkophilia, Paris, 2011.

La Collection Kelekian, Paris, 1908, pl.52.
Paris 1993, p.40.
Brussels 2010, p.25.
Paris 2011, p.61.

The panel is a cerise pink with delicate yellow and pretty blue. The panel is a complete loom width, with original selvedges to both edges. There are some minor abrasions. Overall in very good condition. As viewed.
"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. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
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Dated to the sixteenth century, this ‘kemha’ is woven with stylised tulips on swaying stems, with two rows alternately leaning in opposing directions. This piece was both exhibited and published in La Collection Kelekian (Paris 1908, pl.52) alongside a vast collection of over 300 textiles from across the Ottoman empire and spanning the Coptic, Persian and Islamic Middle East. An avid collector, Dikran Garabed Kelekian (1868-1951) was involved in not only the purchasing of various textiles, coins and pottery, but also in archaeological excavations, founding his antiques business later in the US in 1983 (New York Times, Obituary, 10.01.1982). It was later owner by the famed British artist, Howard Hodgkin, part of whose collection was sold in these rooms, 24 October 2017. 

A highly similar design is seen in a length of textile in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York (inv.no. 08109.25) and in the Topkapi Museum (inv. no. 12/216). For further discussions and examples of similar undulating stem patterns and tulips across the sixteenth century, see N. Gürsu, The Art of Turkish Weaving, Designs through the Ages, Istanbul, 1988, p.96, no.94). To see the evolution of this design, see Petsopoulos 1982, p.144 no.155, for an eighteenth century example where the design is reworked, attesting to the continuing popularity of this motif.