Lot 84: A 'LOTTO' USHAK RUG

West Anatolia, Second Half 17th Century The shaded rust-red field with a lattice of yellow angular arabesques forming panels containing flowerheads, in a shaded medium blue border of linked polychrome cartouche panels containing stylised palmettes together with minor hooked panels and flowerheads between cream ribbon and angular vine stripes, scattered small repairs 5ft. x 3ft.11in. (152cm. x 119cm.) NOTES Most authorities believe that 'Lotto' rugs were made in the Ushak area of Turkey in the sixteenth and seventeenth century. The dating was established through the evidence of paintings by European artists of that period. The Venetian artist Lorenzo Lotto (1480-1556),from whom the name originated for this group, depicted these rugs in paintings. For a further discussion on this subject see Mills, J.: "Lotto" Carpets in Western Paintings', Hali, vol.3, no.4, pp.278-289. Charles Grant Ellis classified the field designs of "Lotto" rugs into three subgroups: 'anatolian','kilim' and 'ornamented' ('The 'Lotto' Pattern as a Fashion in Carpets', Ohm, A and Reber, H. (eds): Festschrift f/uur Peter Wilhelm Meister, Hamburg, 1975. The lot offered here falls into the 'kilim' subgroup; it has a cartouche border which is one of the best known border types of this group. This 'Lotto' is a classic example of one of the great exports to Europe in the seventeenth century; for another comparable example please see lot 228 in the sale of the Aita Collection.