Early 19th Century Anatolian Kilim Fragment

An Antique Kilim Fragment
West or central Anatolia
First half 19th century
258 cm. x 88 cm. / 8 ft 5 ½ ins by 2 ft 10 ½ ins

This fragment formed one half of a large kilim and exhibits an unusual tribal design. The striped end border has narrow interlocking ‘S’ patterns and is flanked by a skirt decorated with animal-tree motifs and interlocking flowerheads. The field consists of horizontal rows of varying colours containing medallions (linked vertically and horizontally to one another) between two smaller medallions.

For a Konya kilim with similar animal-tree and ‘S’ motifs in the border, see Yanni Petsopoulis, Kilims, p. 123, no. 142. Another kilim from the Konya-Ni?de region in central Anatolia, containing a comparable design of linked medallions in the skirt to that of the field in the present kilim, is also illustrated in Petsopoulis, p. 128, no. 153.

This wonderful piece makes a bold, colourful piece of wall art when hung like a tapestry on a wall.