An Oushak saph fragment, West Anatolia, 16th Century

Private purchase, Germany, 1998

This fragment is from the tops of two arches of a multi-niche saph. These saph were originally woven as large carpets, or large sections meant to be laid side-by-side, for a mosque, and the rows of arcaded niches would have provided ‘stations’ for the worshippers. Early examples were probably woven as part of the original decoration scheme for the mosque and as such may include motifs echoing those found in the tile panels which decorated the walls, or architectural motifs. Examples recently offered at auction include the large fragment sold Sotheby’s London, June 10, 2020, lot 253 and lots 11 and 12, Howard Hodgkin, Portrait of the Artist Sotheby’s London, October 24, 2017.