Antique Turkish Ghiordes Rug BB5357 8'10" × 11'10" $18,000

This circa-1880 antique Turkish Ghiordes rug is an elaborate study in Oriental motifs and the use of color. It features an all-over design of the herati pattern – also called the “fish pattern,” it is a stylized design of a flower usually centered in a diamond and framed by diagonal leaves – as well as floral abstractions and arabesques in muted red and green against a field of ice blue. The antique carpet is completed by a border that echoes the botanical designs on a light green background. Since the beginning of their production in the 18th century, antique rugs from the Anatolian town of Ghiordes have mostly been known for their rectilinear, colorful and multi-bordered antique prayer patterns. Prayer rugs for sale from Ghiordes often have open fields with mihrabs or hanging lamps and stylized architectural motifs typically found on sixteenth and seventeenth century Ottoman court Turkish rugs.