261 - Important and fine silk Cesaree (Asia Minor, Turkey) — Late 19th, early 20th century.

Important and fine silk Cesaree (Asia Minor, Turkey) — Late 19th, early 20th century. Ottoman period. The city of Kavesri (Kayseri, the modern Turkish name for the city located in Anatolia, Cappadocia) Silk velvet on a silk foundation. The reverse side of the rug reveals an extremely tight and even weave, characteristic of Cesarea craftsmanship. In excellent condition. The selvedges and fringes have been carefully restored and are in magnificent condition. Density of approximately 8,000 knots per dm². Remarkable fineness. Description: brick-red field (natural silk variation) decorated with garlands of fine branches and slender stems bearing flowers and foliage, framing a large, scalloped, multi-lobed central medallion shaped like a pendant and a pale pinkish-beige water drop, inlaid with an Armenian cross (Caesarea being a city where an Armenian population existed prior to the massacres). Four spandrels with motifs and colors reminiscent of the central medallion. Four borders, the main one bluish-gray with a design of alternating rows of cypress trees and trees of life (symbols of eternity very common in Ottoman art), framed by two secondary ivory-colored bands dotted with small stylized flowers. Length: 340 cm. Width: 230 cm. Rings on the back (the fact that it was hung on the wall is a major plus: this prevented significant wear from foot traffic, preserving the condition and structure of this rug) Example: result (Dorotheum in Vienna, Cesaree, Turkey, late 19th–early 20th century, measuring 288 x 203 cm, estimate: 3/4000 €, sold for 4250 €). Bibliography: 1) Pure Silk Turkish Rugs from Hereke and Kayseri (by Ugur Ayyildiz, 1983) 2) Turkish Rugs by Hirit Color (1988) 3) The Splendor of Oriental Carpets (André Bronimann, 1974) 4) Understanding Carpets (Edwin Gans Ruedin)