Publication Date
Second half of the ninth century/second half of the fifteenth century?
Publication Place
-
Museum of Technical Industries
Subject
Wool, hand knotted.
Type
Other
Language
Undetermined
Digital
Yes
Manuscript
No
Physical Dimensions
الطول: 410 سم ؛ العرض: 195 سم
Library
Museum With No Frontiers
Library Asset ID
KGM 1886,602
Record ID
object;ISL;de;Mus01;47;ar
Library Location
Museum of Islamic Art
Date
Second half of the ninth century/second half of the fifteenth century?
Notes
This large carpet, preserved in parts, belongs to a group of 15th-century Spanish carpets that were imprinted with the Enriques family crest. The scenes used, the colors, and the general appearance indicate that this carpet belongs to this group. It is believed that this type of carpet was made in the Spanish city of Letur in the second half of the fifteenth century. What distinguishes this carpet, and Spanish carpets in general, is the Spanish knot used. It was initially thought that this type of carpet, called Mudéjar carpets in Spain, was the work of oriental craftsmen for Spanish people. But these Spanish carpets are characterized by significant changes in the principle upon which the patterns of drawings are divided from what is known about the carpets of Islamic countries, so that a direct relationship between the two types cannot be assumed. The drawings of the inner field consist of one continuous, repeated scene consisting of a six-pointed star on a blue hexagonal ground. The drawings of birds alternate with roses in the fields with specific shapes that arise as a result of this repetition. The inner field is surrounded by four borders of different widths. The inner border consists of zigzags, followed by braided and aligned stars in the next footnote, then flowers arranged in the third footnote, followed by the outer footnote consisting of scenes approximating the writing in kufic calligraphy on a blue background. Long letters with hooks alternate with triangles, between which appear animal scenes formed in the style of logos (peacocks, ducks, lions, and other animals), in addition to geometric drawings and rhombuses filled with hooks. Likewise, in Islamic countries, logos woven in knots indicate that these carpets were made based on a special request. There is an Ottoman carpet preserved in Sweden bearing the logo of a priest, and there are other Ottoman carpets bearing the logos of families from Genoa. This is important evidence of the wide and complex trade in all countries of the Mediterranean basin.
Sample Text
Jens Kröger “Spanish Carpet” in Discover Islamic Art. Museum Without Borders, 2026. https://islamicart.museumwnf.org/database_item.php?id=object;ISL;de;Mus01;47;ar
