With its vividly colored pattern of stars and octagons, this rug exemplifies the distinctive "Holbein" carpets that were produced in great numbers during the fifteenth century in the Spanish province of Murcia. Illustrated in paintings by Hans Holbein the Younger as well as other artists, these carpets—Spanish adaptations of Turkish designs—found a ready market among Christian patrons.
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Artwork Details
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Title:Carpet
Date:first half 15th century
Geography:Made in Murcia, Spain
Culture:Spanish
Medium:Wool
Dimensions:Overall: 122 x 66 1/2 in. (309.9 x 168.9 cm)
Classification:Textiles-Rugs
Credit Line:The Cloisters Collection, 1953
Object Number:53.79
[ Maison Jansen (sold 1953)]
Granada. Alhambra. "Al-Andalus: The Art of Islamic Spain," March 18–June 7, 1992.
New York. The Metropolitan Museum of Art. "Al-Andalus: The Art of Islamic Spain," July 1–September 27, 1992.
Kühnel, Ernst. "Maurische Teppiche aus Alcaraz." Pantheon 6 (1930). p. 417, fig. 3.
Victoria and Albert Museum, A. F. Kendrick, and C.E.C. Tattersall. Guide to the Collection of Carpets. Publication ; no. 111T. 3rd ed. London: The Board of Education, 1931. fig. XLIII.
Ferrandis Torres, José. Exposición de alfonbras antiqas españoles: catálogo general. Madrid: Sociedad español de amigos del arte, 1933. fig. V, 7.
Ferrandis Torres, José. "Alfombras Hispano-Moriscas 'Tipo Holbein'." Archivo Español de Arte 15, no. 49 (1942). fig. 7, 10.
Kühnel, Ernst, and Textile Museum. Catalogue of Spanish Rugs, 12th century to 19th century. Catalogue raisonné / Textile Museum, Vol. 2. Washington, D.C.: National Publishing Co., 1953. pp. 7, 17–18, fig. XVI, XVII.
The Metropolitan Museum of Art. "'Additions to the Collections,' Eighty-Fourth Annual Report of the Trustees for the Year 1953." The Metropolitan Museum of Art Bulletin 13, no. 1 (Summer 1954). p. 21.
Dimand, Maurice Sven. "Two Fifteenth Century Hispano-Moresque Rugs." The Metropolitan Museum of Art Bulletin, n.s., 22, no. 10 (June 1964). p. 347–348, fig. 9.
Dimand, Maurice Sven, and Jean Mailey. Oriental Rugs in the Metropolitan Museum of Art. New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 1973. no. 152, p. 257, 262.
Jose, Sánchez Ferrer. Alfombras Antiguas de la Provincia de Albacete. Ensayos historicos y cientificos, serie 1, Vol. 26. Albacete: Instituto de Estudios Albacetenses, 1986. pp. 344–345.
Dodds, Jerrilynn D., ed. Al-Andalus: The Art of Islamic Spain. New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 1992. no. 101, pp. 342–43.
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