The State Hermitage Purchases Rare Oriental Carpet

In 2003, the State Hermitage purchased a plain woven Sumakh carpet of an extremely rare variety, usually associated with ‘Holbein’ fleece rugs. Similar rugs were often depicted in the paintings of the Dutch master Hans Holbein the Elder (1465-1524). There are very few carpets of this kind left in the world, and none have been auctioned for decades.

The Hermitage carpet, especially its ornament, very much resembles a similar carpet on display at the Textile Museum in Washington DC, USA. Woven in an identical technique, it also dates back to the late 15th or early 16th centuries, and its provenance is traced to either Turkey or Armenian Highlands. The similarity of decor in both carpets is amazing: not only fringe ornaments are the same, but also the tiniest ornament details of the centerpiece. The only differences are noticeable in the shape and position of some small intermediate figures on the sidelines of the central rosette. The color scheme of the two Sumakh carpets is also very much alike, dominated by red, brown, and yellow hues. The sizes are very close: 149x277 cm for the Hermitage carpet, and 176x300 cm for its US counterpart.

The carpet purchased by the State Hermitage is a unique specimen of Sumakh from an era historians call the classical period in oriental carpet weaving. As a crucial exhibit filling the gap in the museum’s Sumakh collection, this artifact is destined to occupy a place of prominence in the permanent Turkish Art section at the Hermitage.

Sumakh carpet
Late 15th or early 16th centuries
Larger view