With its bright, clear colors and essentially rectilinear design, this carpet includes the most distinguishing features of Turkish village weavings. Beyond these elements, however, this carpet is an art historical mystery. While the central motif on the green ground and the stylized tulip motifs of the main border can be traced to Ottoman designs of the late sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, the centralized design of the main field is not typical of the endless-repeat or directional designs in Anatolia nor other designs derived from the Ottoman court. Dating this carpet is also problematic; however, the red insect dye used provides a clue. In Anatolia, lac and cochineal were the two sources of red insect dye, the latter being quite prevalent in Turkish village rugs beginning in the nineteenth century.

Village rug
Turkey
18th and 19th century
Wool; knotted pile
Dr. Theodore Mast
Photo by Don Tuttle Photography

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