'Holbein' carpet fragment upholstered walnut armchair, the carpet fragments 16th century, the frame 19th century

with gilded lion mask finials, straight backs, arms, square seat and legs joined by stretchers, with 'Holbein' carpet fragment upholstery, including fragments on the seat and back with the open 'Holbein' design, on a green blue ground, with sections of closed Kufesque border, in cream on madder red, and inner border with scrolling vine on brown ground

Die Kunst- und Antiquitatenfirma Bernheimer, Judischen Museums, Munich, November 2007-March 2008, cat. nr. 5.
Armchair used as a throne (with alternative protective damask covering, in Papal colours of white and yellow) on the occasion of the public appearance for the Pontifical Mass in the Theresienwiese square of Pope John Paul II (1920 - 2005), during his visit to Munich, November 1980, for the Eucharistic World Congress, organised by the then Cardinal Paul Marcinkus, President of the Vatican Bank (1971-1989).
Exhibited 'Eastern Carpet in the Western World; from the 15th to 17th century', which coincided with the (ICOC) International Conference of Oriental Carpets, London, 1983.

Otto Bernheimer, Alte Teppiche des 16 bis 18 Jahrhunderts der Firma L. Bernheimer, Munich, 1959, Nr. 143.
Kurt Erdmann, Seven Hundred Years of Oriental Carpets, London, 1970, pg.55, fig. 49. illustrates armchair, with note `woollen knotted carpet (pieces of a carpet of the type illustrated in fig. 48), Anatolia, 16th century, Munich, L. Bernheimer, Ltd (168). see fig.2.
Emily D. Bilski, Die Kunst- und Antiquitatenfirma Bernheimer, exh. cat., Judischen Museums, Munich, Minerva, 2007, p.42-43, ill.
Friderich Spuhler, Islamic Art in the Keir Collection, London, 1998, Carpets and Textiles, pp.49-106, Holbein rugs, pp.55-58, with reference to`Bernheimer Chair', and comparable pieces in Keir Collection (T2) and fragment in the Victoria & Albert Museum (acquired 1908).

Comparative Literature

Ferenc Batari, Ottoman Turkish Carpets, Budapest, 1994, Holbein and Lotto rugs, pp.14-17, pp.46-50, pp.95-113, pl. 1-18.
Charles Grant Ellis, Oriental Carpets in the Philadelphia Museum of Art, London, 1988, Turkish Carpets, pp.1-115, Nr. 1-12, 'Holbein' and 'Lotto rugs'.
Kurt Erdmann, Seven Hundred Years of Oriental Carpets, London, 1970, pg.55-56, fig. 45, 48 & 49.
Michael Franses,'Ottoman rugs in the churches of Transylvania:Tracing the origins of the designs', In Praise of God: Anatolian Rugs in Transylvanian Churches, 1500 - 1750, Istanbul, 2007, pp.55-57.
John Mills, Small pattern Holbein carpets in Western Paintings, Hali, 1/4, 1978, p.332., no.30 with further references.
Sarah Sherrill, Carpets and Rugs of Europe and America, New York and London, 1996, Chp.1.,Origins and Oriental Influences, pp.13-27.
Friedrich Spuhler, Oriental Carpets in the Museum of Islamic Art, Berlin, 1988, Turkey, pp.21-29, Holbein carpets, pp.30-32, pp.145-149, pl.1-6.
Friedrich Spuhler, Islamic Carpets and Textiles in the Keir Collection, London, 1978, Chp. 2, Anatolia: The Ottoman Period, pp.33-63, Holbein and Lotto rugs, 34-46.
Daniel Walker, In Pride of Place (John. H. Bryan's Crab Tree Farm, near Chicago), for details on the collection of classical Turkish rugs including Holbein rugs, Hali, No.172, 2012, pp.70-77.
Onno Ydema, Carpets and their datings in Netherlandish Paintings, 1991, pp.27-39.

Carpet Fragments: The seat and back are made up of fragments from a carpet and the sides from a border. There are small repairs to both. Some sections of reweave, visible in the photograph. See for example the reweaves visible as a slightly different ground colour across the panel, and to the motifs. The same type of repairs are on the seat. The distinctive border fragments extend around the sides, but not the reverse. There are repairs to brown ground of inner border strip on the front of the chair rail, visible in the photograph. Small fragments of carpet included in the areas around the front arm supports, visible in the photograph. Later silk fringing passementerie attached to lower edge of border fragments to the three sides. The reverse of the seat back has a linen panel. Frame: In overall good conserved condition. Joints sound and sturdy. Old minor marks, chips and scratches commensurate with age and normal usage. Some very minor chips to carving and gilding of finials which can easily be touched up. There appears to be a moulding missing from below the finials but this can easily be replaced. The decoration on the baluster supports has been refreshed. Evidence of old woodworm worm which appears to be no longer active. There may be some old elements. This is a particularly evocative piece, with carpet fragments rarely found at auction.
"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.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

The 'Holbein' rugs like some other Turkish rug types produced in the mid fifteenth to the mid sixteenth century were becoming increasingly popular in Europe, during the late fifteenth and early sixteenth centuries, and were for local consumption and exported in large quantities to the European market. The specific patterns of imported pieces were associated with the names of the artists that used them most frequently, which included Ghirlandaio, Bellini, Crivelli and Lotto, although all the artists used different design examples. The Holbein rug designs used included the 'small pattern' and 'large pattern' of staggered repeat geometric octagonal patterns and distinctive Kufesque borders. Holbein used these designs in his paintings, for example a large pattern rug appears in The French Ambassadors, National Gallery, London and a small pattern rug appeared in the Portrait of George Gisze, Hans Holbein the Younger, of 1532 (See Fig. 3). The Holbein rugs show a variety of colours, some combinations being rarer than others, such as a green ground, and the design has variants, such as the large pattern incorporating pointed star medallions ('large star Holbein'). These very expensive, prestigious and precious weavings were used to decorate surfaces due to the status with which they were bestowed, and as is revealed in the paintings in which they are shown.

Ferenc Batari, Ottoman Turkish Carpets, Budapest, 1994, Holbein and Lotto rugs, pp.14-17, pp.46-50, pl. 1-18, and pg.100, pl.6, illustrates an example of a Holbein rug with the rare green ground. See Charles Grant Ellis, Oriental Carpets in the Philadelphia Museum of Art, London, 1988, Turkish Carpets, pp.34-35, Nr. 11, for examples of a Lotto rug and a comparable fragmentary Holbein rug, Anatolia, 16th century (Islamisches Museum, East Berlin) with comparable design of closed Kufesque border type to present fragments.