'Lotto' Carpet Fragment

probably late 15th–early 16th century

Not on view

Carpets displaying this striking design of stylized vegetal arabesques in yellow on a red ground are often called "Lotto" carpets after a famous altarpiece by Italian Renaissance painter Lorenzo Lotto that depicts a similar carpet. While the earliest examples of carpets using this design probably date from before 1500, the design remained popular for several centuries, and large numbers were exported to Europe, where they frequently appeared in paintings. Early examples of Lotto carpets exhibit pseudo-calligraphic borders like the one seen here. Thought to derive from a rectilinear form of Arabic script known as kufic, this type of interlaced border is characteristic of many early Turkish carpets.

Artwork Details

Overview

Catalogue Entry

Provenance

References

Title: 'Lotto' Carpet Fragment
Date: probably late 15th–early 16th century
Geography: Attributed to Turkey
Medium: Wool (warp, weft, and pile); symmetrically knotted pile
Dimensions: L. 13 1/2 in. (34.3 cm)
W. 27 in. (68.6 cm)
Classification: Textiles-Rugs
Credit Line: Gift of Joseph V. McMullan, 1972
Object Number: 1972.80.6
Curatorial Department: Islamic Art

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'Lotto' Carpet, Wool (warp, weft and pile); symmetrically knotted pile — 'Lotto' Carpet
16th century

'Holbein' Carpet, Wool; symmetrically (?) knotted pile — 'Holbein' Carpet
15th–16th century

'Star Ushak' Carpet, Wool (warp, weft, and pile); symmetrically knotted pile — 'Star Ushak' Carpet
late 15th century

The Emperor's Carpet, Silk (warp and weft), wool (pile); asymmetrically knotted pile — The Emperor's Carpet
second half 16th century

Textile with Large Chintamani Design, Silk, metal wrapped thread; lampas (kemha) — Textile with Large Chintamani Design
16th century

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