has anyone seen a rug like this?

I found this as a teen in an old antique store. It has two guys praying to something in the air with goat heads, donkeys, Egyptian symbols, lion shaped animals with wings. If anybody could give me any history on it or value it would be great.

Thank you!

 

Looks like a souvenir rug.

Debora

 

With the human figures, this was not made for the Middle Eastern market. Islam forbids the representation of humans in their art work.

The clothing, headgear and the central figure are Egyptian, so it might have been made for the tourist market there, but maybe not. Might have been done in the west in the 1920's when all things Egyptian were the rage.

It would be helpful to show us a good close view of the underside and one of the fringe (assuming there is fringe on the short ends.) This may give us clues about how it was made.

 

Okay my iPad takes blurry pics but let me see what I can do. I'll try again tomorrow when I have sunlight it's night here now. Thanks

 

I'll try again tomorrow to get another pic of the back. Thanks!

 

The Quran prohibits idolatry. There are many different interpretations of idolatry, some Islamic schools of thought adhere to a total prohibition of the depiction of humans and animals, others just take it to be idolatry in the strictest sense of the word and do depict human beings, and many are somewhere in between these two interpretations. Some antique Qurans even have representations of human beings.

A page from Siyer-i Nebi (The Life of the Prophet) which dates from 1388. Muhammad as a baby, with his wetnurse. The faces of Muhammad and his mother Amina are veiled, which is traditional when depicting Muhammad and relatives.


Your rug is made in Egyptian Revival style, not for the Egyptian market. Could even be Western, machine made. Until we see the other side, we don't know how or where it was made.

 

Yup, it certainly isn't the case that Islam forbids depiction of the real. Otherwise, you'd not get prayer mats showing assorted mosques or the pictures I see in friend's homes. And then there's Persian Islamic art, which is wonderful.

I'll lay odds with this being 20s revival. Looks like it might be silk.

 

I'm throwing in with the Egyptian Revival crowd.
In the right setting, I think it would be well worth wall-mounting.
How big is it?

 

By the way Linda, welcome to the forum.

 

What AJ said... welcome!

 

Thank you @Any Jewelry and @Ownedbybear for correcting my misunderstanding.

 

Pleasure. After all, I support the right to bear knowledge. I'm pretty sure Ob does too.

 

Thanks everyone for your input and thanks any jewelry, working on loading a pic here. Galleria glia its 4 x 6. I tried to mount it but it just destroyed it.

 

So I shrank them a little I hope you can still see the thread work.

 

There are rug-whisperers who have special frames and thingies to hang them without damaging them. Pricey, though!
I saw one designer drape one over a big old trump (no, not the POTUS)!

 

Welcome!
And please always use the full image button.

 

Sorry I didn't notice a full Image button.

 

It's ok...
Many don't. It's a secret.

Even folks who've been here a long time don't know of it.

 

by the way...where is the secret button.