Denizalp D.

Mearto specialist

Hello Rodney, I’m very glad that you chose Mearto for your online appraisal, Considering the photographs, overall pattern, knot density and the colours, I concluded that this is a classical Taşpınar Rug. Probably newly made in 2000's. The writing says "Taşpınar Seccade", seccade is the name given to a prayer rug in Turkish. As you can conclude from this and of course the dimensions of the piece, this is a prayer rug. This kind of prayer rugs were knotted as very precious personal items in the past. When you try to investigate the piece and cut it into half in your mind, you will realise there are two seperate triangle like shapes looking to different directions. Each of these shapes represents a "mihrap" which is basically the altar of a mosque. Normally in many Anatolian prayer rugs there are just one "mihrap", but in Taşpınar rugs the locals introduced an artistic solution by creating this symmetry which allow them to create a central medallion to the rug. A central medallion is a lot more prestigious as a symbol than just one "mihrap". For your individual piece, this is rather newly knotted. It is probably from new ateliers of rug. But it is not from Turkish-Syrian border. It is from Central Anatolia, the city of Niğde. This characteristic pattern is constantly applied to Taşpınar Rugs since the late 18th century as far as we know. Yours has a considerably lower density of knots than usual. Therefore, the motifs are less clear than traditional pieces. The colours are not made of natural dyes as it's ancestors but rather made by fabricated paints of 21st century, you can see this when you compare it to naturally dyed Taşpınar examples from early 20th Century. Wool quality seems quite high, the longer you use it, the better it will look. Taşpınar rugs get a silk-like appearance as they age. About the value, 9600$ is an incredibly high price for this piece. Even 2000$ is not expected at an auction. Entirely hand knotted, a piece of this size can take 2 months to knot by one artist. Dimensions: 196x118 Centimeters (77 Inches x 46.5 Inches) Condition: Perfect condition without any visible faults, almost new. Provenance: Purchased from Diana Collection in Istanbul for 2000$ Heavily decorated by flower and plant shapes, despite some discussion outer borders are thought to be decorated by "karanfil" motif which is clove flower. 1000-1200$. Please don’t hesitate to reach us again for more online appraisals on your precious items, thank you for choosing Mearto.