Ararat Rugs Chessboard Carpet Mamlouk Checkerboard Rug Antique Mamluk Revival

The source of the carpet comes from the Mercer Collection Sotheby’s 2000 (catalog cover). This Mamluk-Cairene carpet is known, curiously featuring some t...

The source of the rug comes from the book Völker, Angela, Die orientalischen Knüpfteppiche das MAK, Vienna: Böhlau, 2001: 42–5. This rug with the central star was designed in the early 16th century rug by Mamluk Sultane of Cairo, Egypt. It is exhibited at MAK – Museum of Applied Arts, Vienna Austria. As its impressive size, materials, and design quality suggest, the carpet is a product of an accomplished court workshop and likely dates from the late period of the last Mamluk dynasty. The quantity of the colors used speaks for an earlier date around 1500; the delicate vegetal border with leaf tendrils and the characteristic umbrella leaves...

Origin and Inspiration: The Mamlouk Rug is a contemporary masterpiece that draws its inspiration from the rich textile traditions of the Mamlouk Sultanate, which reigned over Egypt a...

This lattice pattern is composed of palmettes and leaves filling the various compartments against the imposing ground. One has the impression that it is only part of a larger scheme designed 15th-century rug from the Mamluk era, Cairo region, Eygpt. These designs have often been described as wagirehs or samplers and were said to have been used as weaver`s aids, or for demonstration purposes, made as a template or pattern for the carpet design and production of larger rugs, they are generally small pieces of the size of a scatter rug or mat. Mamluk carpets originated in a physical environment that lacked the combination of abundant marginal grazing land and a temperate climate with cool winters that were common to most carpet-weaving areas in the Islamic world. While related to a broader tradition of Turkish weaving centered in Anatolia, far to the north, the designs of these carpets include atypical elements, such as stylized papyrus plants, that are deeply rooted in Egyptian tradition. Their unusual composition and layout probably represent an attempt to develop a distinctive product that could in effect establish a “Mamluk brand” in the lucrative European export market. The uncharacteristic color scheme—devoid of the undyed white pile and employing a limited range of three or five hues in much the same value—also suggests a conscious attempt to create a particular stylistic identity. Also virtually unique in the world of Islamic carpets is the S-spun wool. It has been argued that the tradition of clockwise wool spinning originated in Egypt because of the earlier Egyptian tradition of spinning flax into linen thread. Details of the plant’s botanical structure make it impossible to spin flax fiber in the more common counterclockwise direction utilized throughout the Middle East for wool and cotton. Mamluk carpets with the color combinations seen in the Simonetti are now generally accepted as part of an earlier tradition that has many links to the weaving of Anatolia, Iran, and Syria. The “three-color” Mamluk carpets, well represented in the Metropolitan’s collection, represent a later development that continued well after the Ottoman conquest of Egypt in 1517. Many such carpets may have been produced well into the seventeenth century, and possibly even later. (Walter B. Denny in [Ekhtiar, Soucek, Canby, and Haidar 2011]). The design of the rug is interpreted by our designers from our Mamlouk-type rugs collection and soft colors are used for this rug. Color summary: 3 colors in total; Moss Green 27 (Spurge – Indigo) Mount Olive...

Measures: 4'9 x 7'7. Tribal checkerboard design vintage Turkish Tulu rug with bright multi-colors. Keivan Woven Arts / rug EN-165404, country of origin / type: Turkey / Tulu, circa...

This vintage 6x9 Zeki Müren European style rug, hand-knotted in wool, circa 1960-1970, has been inspired by Savonnerie, Aubusson, and even Persian rugs in some of its elements—intere...

A late 19th century antique Caucasian Baku Khila rug with 6-light green medallions (2 of the medallions are half full) on a light blue field surrounded by a ...

A majestic Mamluk Design rug from our collection features grandiose medallions and motifs. Borders are well-coordinated with intricate patterns over a goldfield. Perfect for your int...