A 17th century 'four-lobed-star-medallion rug', central Anatolia, c. 193 x 134 cm.

A red melange ground with a large polychrome stylised star pattern. A narrow main border with a stylised floral pattern.

Provenance

The rug has been passed down within the Kessiakoff family. The current owner inherited it from his father, who in turn inherited it from his mother, Mara Kessiakova (1875-1951). Mara had inherited the rug from her husband, Stojan Kessiakoff (1856-1913).

Stojan and Mara married in Vienna in 1898 after moving there from Bulgaria. The Kessiakoff family originates from Koprivshtitsa, a historic town in Bulgaria that was previously an important place for trade along the silk road.

Stojan Kessiakoff was a prominent businessman. He operated a Sepiolite mine at the Black Sea and was also active in Eskişehir in present-day Turkey.

Literature

Compare Martin, Fredrik Robert, A history of oriental carpets before 1800, Printed for the author with subsidy from the Swedish government in the I. and R. State and court printing office, Vienna, 1908, fig. 293, p. 116

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