38
The Rupea Ottoman Kilim
West Anatolia, probably 17th century
94 x 320 cm, incomplete, tapestry weave in wool
Evangelical Church, Rupea (Reps), inv. no. 49
This is the only Ottoman kilim preserved in the churches of Transylvania. The Rupea kilim, which probably dates from the 17th century, is related to a small fragment in the Museum of Islamic Art, Berlin. Examples of this sub-group resemble some contemporaneous knotted pile carpets from Karapinar in central Anatolia, one can be seen illustrated in about 1620 in a portrait of Anna Drummond. This kilim is particularly interesting because it has a geometric trefoil guard stripe also found on at least two 16th and 17th century Karapinar rugs. It has been repaired with patches from another Ottoman kilim with stylised carnations, belonging to a different sub-group.
text and images © Sakip
Sabanci Museum, Istanbul
and textile-art, London, 2007:
not to be reproduced without permission