Mamluk Carpet, early 16th century, Cairo, Egypt. The C. L. David Collection, Copenhagen

Pile “Mamluk carpet,” wool
Egypt; 1st quarter of 16th century
199 × 145 cm
A palette with red, light shades of blue and green, and sometimes yellow, coupled with a clear geometric organization around a central octagon, is characteristic of “Mamluk carpets.” Typical elements are also interwoven patterns and borders that bring to mind Kufi calligraphy and stylized papyrus flowers, as seen in both the central octagon and the widest border.

The carpets were knotted in workshops in Mamluk Egypt, and their geometric structure reflects the art of the day as found in e.g. book illuminations, but also in the ceilings in the rooms whose floors they graced. The production of carpets of this kind stopped more or less at the time when the Ottomans conquered Egypt in 1517.

Inv. no. 1/1987