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Carpet with Triple-Arch Design

ca. 1575–90
Not on view
This carefully drawn, subtly colored carpet is among the finest of all Ottoman weavings. One of the earliest carpets to include a triple-arched gateway, its design probably originated in the Ottoman imperial workshop. The hanging lamp in the center arch recalls verses from the Qur'an that liken God to the light of a lamp, placed within a niche. The combination of this carpet’s imagery, high quality, and relatively small size suggest that it was used as a prayer rug by a member of the Ottoman courtly elite.

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Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: Carpet with Triple-Arch Design
  • Date: ca. 1575–90
  • Geography: Attributed to Turkey, probably Istanbul
  • Medium: Silk (warp and weft), wool (pile), cotton (pile); asymmetrically knotted pile
  • Dimensions: Rug: L. 68 in. (172.7 cm)
    W. 50 in. (127 cm)
    Mount: L. 71 in. (180.3 cm)
    W. 53 3/4 in. (136.5 cm)
    D. 3 5/8 in. (9.2 cm)
    Wt. 120 lbs. (54.4 kg)
  • Classification: Textiles-Rugs
  • Credit Line: The James F. Ballard Collection, Gift of James F. Ballard, 1922
  • Object Number: 22.100.51
  • Curatorial Department: Islamic Art

More Artwork

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Textile Fragment, Silk, metal wrapped thread; lampas (kemha)
Textile Fragment
mid-16th century
Fragmentary Loom Width with Wavy-Vine Pattern, Silk, metal wrapped thread; lampas (kemha)
Fragmentary Loom Width with Wavy-Vine Pattern
ca. 1565–80
Fragment of a Kaftan Back, Silk, metal wrapped thread; taqueté (seraser)
Fragment of a Kaftan Back
mid-16th century
Fragmentary Loom Width with Ogival Pattern, Silk, metal wrapped thread; lampas (kemha)
Fragmentary Loom Width with Ogival Pattern
ca. 1570–80
'Lotto' Carpet, Wool (warp, weft and pile); symmetrically knotted pile
'Lotto' Carpet
16th century

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