The collection of the Theodore Springmann Foundation (TSS) includes an unusual flat woven carpet. Currently, only one other example of this type of weaving is known. This piece is part of the „Orient Stars“ collection and has been classified as „Mamluk“.
In the following article both flat weaves are compared with Mamluk carpets of North African origin. An intensive study was made of the patterns and designs used in these pieces. Remarkable similarities were found as well as multiple deviations in charateristics.
Based on the structural analysis of both weavings it has become apparent that these pieces are not double weaves as originally thought. In this case we are dealing with „double-faced weaves“. This technique is very unusual for carpets and is described in detail in the following publication.
The question of origin takes a surprising turn due to the discovery of a photograph taken in 1912. It was originaly thought that these weavings may have come from either North Africa, Anatolia or the Caucasus.
To determine age a radiocarbon analysis 14C (C14) was completed. For both textiles the results show a wide span of time in several periods. A precise period of manufacture can therefore not be narrowed down, but is assumed to be in the 2nd half of the 18th or the 1st half of the 19th century.
