This extraordinary carpet with its unusual design is one of only two room sized Melas carpets we have encountered in 50+ years.  Melas is an area usually known for small prayer rugs with very sophisticated color combinations.

Here a grand stepped and indented medallion with finials hovers amidst an open terracotta field otherwise occupied only by two strange pictorial animal forms at the top -the ghostly outline of a peacock, and a lamb exiting a manger.  The Christian imagery in this carpet may be indicative that this was a special order for one of the Greek churches not too far from Melas. A cultural note, peacocks were common on church grounds in Greece at the time and in some cases contemporarily.

The border is simplyexquisite.. It consists of a series of pointed ‘mihrabs’ or prayer niches reminiscent of multiple-niche prayer rugs or ‘saphs.’ This is strange in this otherwise Christian iconography featured in the rug. Each of these niches has internal geometric decoration like a little rug unto itself, and they vary irregularly in color greatly animating the design. 

A one-of-a-kind carpet if ever there was one.