About this product
Anatolia, the western region of Turkey, has a long-standing rug-weaving tradition, dating at least as far back as the 13th Century. As the explorer Marco Polo once wrote, ‘Here they make the most beautiful silks and carpets, and in the most beautiful colours.’ It is these carpets, among the first to reach the European market in the Early Modern era, that can be spotted in many of the paintings of the Old Masters, including those of Holbein, Vermeer, and Reubens.
An interesting 1940s example featuring a monochrome overall pattern, cleverly repeated in different forms and colours. The paisley motif, seen here, repeated in the central field, is an ancient Zoroastrian design, originally representing the evergreen cypress tree, a symbol of everlasting life. The muted aubergine-grey ground compliments the wide palette in the drawing, framed by an ivory border.
