17TH CENTURY

Anatolian coupled-column prayer rugs are an exceptional group of Ottoman court rugs, characterised by their elegant proportions and effortless melding of delicate architectural details and stylised floral elements. In her oft-cited article ‘Coupled-column Prayer Rugs’, May Beattie discusses the development of the design of this small group and traces their origins back to the great 16th century court rugs such as the Ballard Prayer Rug in the Metropolitan Museum (‘Coupled-column Prayer Rugs’, Oriental Art, vol. XIV, no. 4, Winter 1968, pp.243-258). Most scholars think that the present design was brought by weavers to Central Anatolia with the earlier examples being made further west (J.Bailey, 'Ladik Prayer Rugs', HALI, no.28, October-December 1995, p.25).

A number of examples of this design have survived in central Europe where they were exported in the seventeenth century (G.Vegh and K. Layer, Turkish Rugs in Transylvania, Museum of Applied Arts, Budapest, London, 1977 reprint, no.23; F. Batari, 500 Years of Ottoman Turkish Carpet Weaving, exhibition catalogue, Budapest, 1986, nos.45, 47 and 48; F. Batari, Ottoman Turkish Carpets, Budapest, 1994, pls.66-68; A. Kertesz-Badrus, Türkische Teppiche in Siebenburgen, Bucharest, 1985, pl.21). A few other closely related examples have been on the market (for example with Elio Cittone, HALI, vol.5, no.1, 1982, gallery p.I; and Christie's New York, 15 March 1996, lot 144).