Transylvanian Prayer Rug
151 x 116 cm (4' 11" x 3' 10")
Turkey, 17th century
Condition: according to age good, low pile, slightly incomplete all around, scattered small old repairs
Warp: wool, weft: wool, pile: wool

Prayer rugs with spandrels filled with arabesques and an Ottoman border come either with a red or beige field color. The larger part of this group has an indented mihrab. Some have even several indentations. Our example's mihrab starts with a diagonal which turns to steps towards the top.

None of the Transylvanian carpets show corner solutions for the main border. In this group the borders run like strips either horizontal or vertical. The floral ornamentation relates closely to the Ottoman court style.

The same outer minor border can be found on a rug of this group in the Black Church in Brasov bearing the inscription ‘Schlosser Benkli Gehörig Täpig 1710'. See Stefano Ionescu, Antique Ottoman Rugs in Transylvania, cat. 154.

A very closely related example but with red field was advertised by Sailer in Hali 55 page 69. The only other differences being are the inner minor border and a stronger indentation in the mihrab.