Carpet is 57" high by 33" wide. Wool. Date "1905" is embedded in lower center of design. KPI is about either 240 or 120 (Turkish knot count). Photo with quarter is back of rug.
I purchased it from Husey Carpets, Huseyin Yilmaz, in Istanbul in 2012.
Dear Judith,
Thank you for contacting Mearto with your appraisal inquiry. Your antique Anatolian prayer rug appears to be in good condition. It is made out of naturally dyed wool, most likely sheep, which has been handwoven in a flat weave technique on a cotton foundation. Traditionally rugs were made by women of the tribe or village. A lot of the time, they were included as a part of a dowery. I believe that this is the case with your rug. Two elements of design on the rug are symbols for marriage, the hooks, and a chest. The hooks or cengel are located at the top of the mihrab on the center of the rug. The chest or sandikli is on the middle border. Based on recent price realizations for rugs similar to yours in age, style, and condition, a fair market estimate would be between 200 and 400 US dollars.
Thanks,
Morgan
The foundation is the warp, what the wool is woven on, the fringe would be the "leftover" of the warp. Flatweave, in this instance, just means there is no pile on the rug.
Ah, thanks! One more question: you refer to it as a prayer rug, but it seems too big for that, being about 5 feet by 3 feet. Is prayer rug the correct designation?
And finally, the Appraisal report I received lists the price estimate as "$400-$400." Can this typo be corrected, please?
Question, please: I don't see a cotton foundation or a flatweave on the rug, it seems like a straightforward woven rug. The photo with the quarter on it is the back of the rug.