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Lot Essay
'Transylvanian' rugs are part of a clearly defined group which vary in design, layout and colouring but are still immediately recognisable due to a relatively small range of motifs and colours. Although the majority have provenance that traces them back to Transylvania, it is clear that they are of Anatolian origin, partly because of the lack of any proof of a local production and partly because the structure is consistent with other Anatolian weavings.
Most of the motifs in this group of rugs are of pure Ottoman origin but have an increasing stylisation and angularity of form. One of the largest collections of Transylvanian rugs is found in the Black Church in Braşov formed of over a hundred and fifty one pieces woven before the 19th century, which indicates that these rugs were not only a symbol of wealth but played an important role in the social history of the period when they were used as gifts or possibly as money for bartering. As the market grew they appear to have been woven in different parts of Turkey such as Ushak, Bergama or Kula and therefore employ a variety of weaving techniques (Marino and Clara Dall'Oglio, 'Transylvanian Rugs - Some Considerations and Opinions', HALI, vol.1, no.3, pp.274-275).
Stefano Ionescu divides the rugs into four different design groups, the largest of which is composed of the double-niche design as seen here, that makes up the largest proportion of those found in regional churches and museums. Their palette consists primarily of reds, blues and yellows in varying tones and their design is always symmetrical along the vertical axis, although one will always find a minute 'asymmetrical' detail in each rug, (Stefano Ionescu, Antique Ottoman Rugs in Transylvania, Rome 2006, p.58). A number of closely related examples with minor variations bearing the double-handled urns at each end of the field remain on display today in the Black Church in Braşov (Ionescu, op.cit., cat nos; 72, 73, 82,), two are in the Budapest Museum of Applied Arts (Ferenc Batári, Ottoman Turkish Carpets, Budapest, 1994, nos.53 and 54) and another sold in these Rooms, 13 April 2000, lot 81.
Most of the motifs in this group of rugs are of pure Ottoman origin but have an increasing stylisation and angularity of form. One of the largest collections of Transylvanian rugs is found in the Black Church in Braşov formed of over a hundred and fifty one pieces woven before the 19th century, which indicates that these rugs were not only a symbol of wealth but played an important role in the social history of the period when they were used as gifts or possibly as money for bartering. As the market grew they appear to have been woven in different parts of Turkey such as Ushak, Bergama or Kula and therefore employ a variety of weaving techniques (Marino and Clara Dall'Oglio, 'Transylvanian Rugs - Some Considerations and Opinions', HALI, vol.1, no.3, pp.274-275).
Stefano Ionescu divides the rugs into four different design groups, the largest of which is composed of the double-niche design as seen here, that makes up the largest proportion of those found in regional churches and museums. Their palette consists primarily of reds, blues and yellows in varying tones and their design is always symmetrical along the vertical axis, although one will always find a minute 'asymmetrical' detail in each rug, (Stefano Ionescu, Antique Ottoman Rugs in Transylvania, Rome 2006, p.58). A number of closely related examples with minor variations bearing the double-handled urns at each end of the field remain on display today in the Black Church in Braşov (Ionescu, op.cit., cat nos; 72, 73, 82,), two are in the Budapest Museum of Applied Arts (Ferenc Batári, Ottoman Turkish Carpets, Budapest, 1994, nos.53 and 54) and another sold in these Rooms, 13 April 2000, lot 81.