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The Lotto pattern carpets are named after the Italian
Renaissance painter Lorenzo Lotto (1489-1556) who depicted these
carpets in at least two of his paintings, including "The Alms of
Saint Anthony" (1542 San Giovanni e Paolo, Venice) shown at the
left, and "Family Group" (1547, National Gallery, London). The
earliest known appearance of a Lotto pattern carpet in a Western
painting is in Sebastian del Piombo's "Portrait of Cardinal
Bandinello Sauli" (1516). The prevalence and diffusion of this
design throughout Europe is demonstrated by their appearance in
more than 80 old master paintings. It has been estimated there
are about 500 Lotto rugs still in existence in private and
museum collections around the world. Their manufacture between
the 15th and 18th centuries is variously attributed to the Ushak
and Konya regions of Central Anatolia. |
