[Patrick Weiler]

Rich,

A tactile inspection shows that the black is corroded, though not to the pile in any area. The corrosion is more from oxidation (i.e.from age) than only abrasion. The brownish-red of the mihrab is also a bit low, as well as the lighter of the two purple colors. Perhaps the same mordant was used in that purple, as well as the mihrab, but there is no way to tell. I recall reading that two different purple colors are known to be used in some other Anatolian rugs as well. One relevant item is that at the "waist" of the mihrab - or actually the shoulders - there is a red triangle on each side. Many Melas rugs of this type use that brighter red for the entire mihrab, but here it was only used for those triangles and to outline many of the motifs throughout the rug, such as in the lower, back photo of the purple flower seen in my earlier post. As to the general condition, most of the pile is "full" and there are a few spots where repairs were made. But the condition is such that the rug was most likely unused for most of its life; either stored away or hung on a wall in a dimly lit room. So, for some speculation as to what this rug was doing in Alaska, it is a substantial US military state, with adjacent Army and Air Force bases practically in downtown Anchorage, as well as the same in Fairbanks, and other bases on Adak and Kodiak and in Barrow - along with Coast Guard bases. So, it is possibly the case that someone stationed perhaps at Incirlik Air Base in southern Turkey acquired it, had the edges stabilized and a cotton sleeve attached at the top and then was transferred to Anchorage and got a divorce, with the aggrieved spouse selling their part of the proceeds for pennies in retribution. A former boss of mine was an avid hunter and as part of his divorce he was required to relinquish ALL of his trophies, which is why he brought to work one day a full adult cougar mounted in a naturalistic pose on a base that filled a 4x8 table. He complained that his ex wife hated his trophies and did not actually want them, but she just wanted him to not have them.
My luck was in taking a right turn instead of a left turn late one summer afternoon, and also in digging into that plywood box that was full of pillow cases and towels. So, Joy Richards, keep looking!

Patrick Weiler