Konya prayer rug fragment
central Anatolia
circa 1800
Size: 135 x 107 cm
This well preserved niche fragment has the hallmarks of the most evocative of Anatolian prayer rugs through its striking colours and elegant proportions.
The palette is dominated by luminous greens and pink reds.
Such vibrance is a feature of early village or peasant rugs from Anatolia.
The simple narrow prayer niche ‘mihrab’ is beautifully proportioned in relation to the wide and more complex main borders.
It creates the impression of ‘looking through’ the frame of the borders into the space beyond.
For many devout Moslems, the prayer rug was often their most treasured possession and an important expression of their religious aspirations.
