AN OUSHAK 'TRANSYLVANIAN' DOUBLE NICHE RUG, WEST ANATOLIA |

Pile overall fair, with knotbars visible; end guards partially rebuilt to about half their depth, side guards partially rebuilt and with new sidecords; scattered repiling through rug. Additional images can be requested from the department. The restorations are very well executed and only noticeable by touch in the guard stripes; in the red fidl they are just visible to the eye as slightly lighter areas. With nice, crisp drawing, this is ready to use and display.
"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."

This example, with its border composed of linked cartouches, absent the connecting star motifs found in the earliest examples, and with a hexagonal rather than lobed motif within the skeletal palmette, here with a simplified diamond centre, is likely to date from the mid to second half of the 17th century.  The plain red ground of the border also appears to be more generally associated with rugs from the second half of the 17th century. The field design is the variant type which employs palmettes on the central axis, rather than vases and where the central red reserve is allowed to 'float' slightly away from the borders, allowing room for a pair of curled leaves linked by a striped stem which encircle a secondary pair of leaves, often rendered in contrasting colour, here in yellow.  These features are also found in the other double-niche 'Transylvanian' rug from the Pohl collection offered in this sale, see Lot 280.  Comparable examples  for the border layout include,  Ionescu, Stefano, Antique Ottoman Rugs in Transylvania, Rome, 2005, p.124, Cat.100 and p.127, Cat109, and for the arrangement of supporting leaves with a palmette field, ibid., pp.120-121, Cat.90, 92, 93, 94.  For an example of a 'Transylvanian' double-niche rug with star and cartouche border, and with stylised vases in the field, please see Lot 275 in this sale. 'Transylvanian' Rugs

This group of rugs, from the weaving centre of Oushak in Western Turkey, are widely known by their apparent misnomer ‘Transylvanian’, originally prompted by the number of these weavings which still remain in Lutheran and Saxon Evangelical churches in the Transylvanian region of modern-day Romania; the largest collection is in situ in the Black Church in Brașov. These holdings represent the pious donations of parishioners, communities and guilds to their churches. and their continuing presence testifies to the regard in which they were held.

From the mid-16^th, to late 17^th century, Transylvania was an autonomous principality of the Ottoman Empire and the rugs themselves had enormous significance both within local government and as symbols of wealth and stature.  Following trade privileges being granted by Mehmet II (1432 – 1481), in 1453, Turkish rugs were used as valuable commodities by the merchants trading with the Ottoman Empire and were exchanged in Transylvania for expensive spices and coffee. 

Within the group there are four main design types: 'double-niche', 'single-niche', and 'Transylvanian' prayer rugs and column rugs.  The rug offered here is of the ‘double niche’  type. Theories are inconclusive as to why the ‘double niche’ rugs design developed, but it is widely agreed that they are later in dating to the single niche and the development of the design may be attributable to religious beliefs or the export market. There is speculation that they were created following the edict by Sultan Ahmed I (1590 – 1617) prohibiting the representation of the mihrab, or niche, for items which were intended for non-Muslim countries, therefore the single niche was mirrored to create the double niche design. Their appearance and growth in popularity in Europe from the mid-17^th century would support this, see Boralevi. A & Ionescu. S, Antique Ottoman Rugs in Transylvania, Rome, 2005, p. 60. See also  'A lesson in Looking', Frances. M., Hali, Reviews, Exhibitions, Issue 175, Spring 2013, p. 118 & 119 for discussion on the design development. What is abundantly clear is that the rugs were powerful trade commodities coveted by the Western world and highly prized by their owners. The dating of these rugs is supported by the number of ‘Transylvanian’ rugs reproduced in paintings,  recorded in 17^th century inventories, and inscribed with donor information, as seen on several of the rugs still in the holdings of the Transylvanian churches.

The ‘Transalvanian’ group is one that has always fascinated; they are highly sought after in the collecting community and examples are now in the permanent collections of highly prestigious museums. These include for example the Brukenthal National Museum, Sibiu, the Museum of Applied Arts, Budapest, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, The Philadelphia Museum of Art and the Victoria & Albert Museum, London.  For further information on this subject, the seminal work written by Alberto Boralevi and Stefano Ionescu, Antique Ottoman Rugs in Transylvania, Rome, 2005 provides a in-depth review of these rugs and their historical and social contexts.