| MAIN GUIDES Persian Rugs Turkish Rugs Caucasian Rugs Turkmen rugs The Best Rug Dealers
|
London, Olympia, David Sylvester: The Private Collection Sale L02959 lot 42
The chronology of Mamluk weavings is still not conclusive. One of the most basic divisions in dating this group of carpets has been the distinction between those woven with three colours as the present lot, and those using a five to seven colour palette. Scholars remain divided as to which, if either, of these colour schemes is earlier or later. Mamluk carpets precede the so-called Cairene carpets which evolved after the Ottoman conquest of Egypt in 1517. The Ottoman carpets woven in Egypt retained the Mamluk colour scheme while incorporating floral elements in their designs, for one example please see lot 35 in this catalogue. For related Mamluk examples see, Erdmann, K., Seven Hundred Years of Oriental Carpets, London, 1970, p.142, fig.179; Charles Grant Ellis, Oriental Carpets in the Philadelphia Museum of Art, Philadelphia, 1988, p.121, pl.39., and Sotheby's London, 12th October 1988, lot 421. For a further discussion on Mamluk carpets see, Ellis, op.cit., pp.117-127 and Pinner and Franses, op.cit., pp.33-39. Picture and Information from www.Sothebys.com For Further Reading: Thanks and best wishes, J. Barry O'Connell Jr. |
