Early Turkish Dazkırı Rug

This Turkish Dazkırı rug dates to the early 19th century. It was made by a village weaver in the Menderes River area of southwestern Anatolia. 

The striking design and colour combinations follow the classic format of Dazkırı rugs: a large green central medallion almost completely fills the red field. It incorporates two further, concentrically arranged medallions in red and a soft, custard yellow, with a cruciform centre. A string of twelve interconnected rosettes forms the border between the outer green and the inner red medallion, with a fan shaped plant element emanating from the connective lines and protruding into the green medallion. Individually placed rosettes and two sets of leaf pairs at the top and bottom ends of the outer medallion decorate the field.

A sequence of three borders encloses the field: the main border on a green ground is a string of squares which are filled with a rosette or a star each, echoing the rosettes in the field. This border is flanked by a narrower border on a white ground, again filled with stars/rosettes which are separated by a V- shaped arrangement of three small, dark brown squares. A meandering border on a red ground follows on the edges of the rug. Original kelim ends in red and green and in red and blue form the bottom and top ends.

Not very many rugs of this type and age are known - according to HALI "at least twelve such pieces have been published" (HALI 206, Winter 2020, p. 122). That does not constitute a large number in the body of carpet publications. Our piece, which is new to the market, can be added to this list.

For further discussion of possible Ushak and "Transylvanian" influences, see our website at https://www.christopherleggeorientalcarpets.com/products/view/turkish-dazkiri-rug/. 

The rug is woven in soft wool on a wool foundation. It has a number of old, almost invisible repairs but is overall in very good pile. 

This is a rare find for a carpet collector and enthusiast. 

Dimensions

This object is eligible for a Certificate of BADA Provenance

Condition report

Stock number