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Anatolia, Milas area

Bagface, 19th century

This is one pile front of a pair of bags (heybe) likely - given their small size - to have been carried over a human shoulder. It shares the color scheme of more common Milas prayer rugs, which sometimes have variants of its bold, bud-sprouting medallion in their fields. But this bagface is coarser and more robust than most of the prayer rugs to which it is related. Its thick pile and strong colors, especially its deep purple, give it tactile appeal and visual force.

J.B.