Lot 140

KONYA RUG

An honest village rug made of lustrous hand-spun wool with a high lanolin content, used in the region to bind the thick carpets that were used for sleeping shepherds and their families in simple summer mountain dwellings. The design is dominated by three octagonal medallions, in which the ram's horns are particularly prominent as a popular symbol of virility and fertility, especially in pastoralist cultures. The layered triangles are a popular motif for good luck, and the hook motifs (the so-called 'jengel') originate from ancient Anatolian cultures, where they probably had a protective meaning. Very remarkable is the wide border, which is more likely to be found on rugs without fleeces (called kelims) and decorated with an archaic finger motif (the so-called 'parmakli' motif). A very novel palette of colours, amongst which the subtle salmon hue, which may have been achieved by the use of turmeric in the dyeing process, is particularly striking.