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Object
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Type of arts & crafts
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MediumWool (warp, weft and pile); symmetrically knotted pile
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SizeRug: H. 69 1/4 in. (175.9 cm) W. 48 3/4 in. (123.8 cm)
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Geography detailsAttributed to
Turkey -
Country today
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Dateearly 17th century
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Type of sourceDatabase “Metropolitan Museum of Art”
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Fund that the source refers toMetropolitan Museum of Art
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Carpets displaying this striking design of stylized vegetal arabesques in yellow on a red background are often called “Lottos,” after a famous altarpiece by the Italian Renaissance painter Lorenzo Lotto that includes a similar textile. The motifs depicted in the center field here have additional hooks and curls that render the overall impression more decorative. “Ornamental Lottos” like this one commonly have a border containing a series of medallions with symmetrical patterns based on the split-palmette. During the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, Lotto carpets became a popular motif in Dutch and Flemish painting. Artists depicted them on tables in domestic scenes, portraits, and, occasionally, still lifes, as a sign of wealth and good taste.