5’10″x6’6″ Ghirlandaio design Bergama; late 19th century, Western Anatolia (Turkey)
Rugs were used by famous portait artists during the renaissance in their paintings to symbolize the wealth of the person commissioning the portrait, just as a rendering of a globe may have suggested erudition. In the case of this example, the design of the rug has adopted the name of the painter who most commonly painted it (Domenico Ghirlandaio; 1449-1494).
