SOUTHERN SPAIN, 18TH CENTURY

Alpujarra is a region in the Sierra Nevada renowned for the weaving of loop pile carpets. It is thought that carpet weaving in the area first started with the Moors, who settled in Alpujarra after the fall of Grenada in 1492. Although we are unaware of any surviving carpets from this early period, it seems likely that the unusual weaving technique originated with the Moors in late 15th century. The carpets of Alpujarra are distinctive not only for their lopped pile but also for their construction, being woven in strips on narrow looms which would then be joined together. It seems likely that the present lot was originally wider and has lost its central section. A related carpet with a very similar border is published in Edoardo Concaro and Alberto Levi, Sovrani Tappeti, Il Tappeto Orientale dal XV al XIX secolo, exhibition catalogue, Milan, 1999, pl.169, p.196. The Sovrani Tappeti rug is woven in three strips and is complete with a central medallion, which is most likely how our carpet would have been configured.