Jul 22 2008
Milas / Melas and Karaova Turkish Village Rugs
Milas / Melas rugs are among the most collectible Turkish village weavings. Long a staple of antique Turkish rug collections, Milas / Melas pieces are prized for their rich yet delicate palette and for the finesse and sureness of their drawing. The most well-known type of Milas / Melas is the prayer rug format, characterized by a relatively simple red niche with a diamond mihrab or arch at the top, often with a wide main border of floral or geometric type. Less familiar is another type of small or scatter sized Melas that has been attributed more specifically to the village of Karaova to the south of Melas itself. These are not generally prayer rugs, but like the more familiar Melas type, they tend to have a small field with the rest of the surface occupied by one large or several smaller borders. Nazmiyal 41963 is an outstanding and unusual example of these Karaova-Melas rugs, while another from the Nazmiyal Collection, 8297, is more representative of the type. Continue Reading »
