Among the canonical Ottoman design types, the so-called 'Lotto' probably enjoyed the widest diffusion in the West. Characterized by a repeat pattern of golden-yellow arabesques, usually on a red ground, the design is named after the Venetian painter Lorenzo Lotto (1480-1556) who depicted it at least twice: in “The Alms of St. Anthony”(1542, Venice, Church of Saints John and Paul) and in “Family Group”(1547, National Gallery, London). This type of rug first appears in Sebastiano del Piombo’s “Portrait of Cardinal Bandinello Sauli”(1516) and subsequently in works of the Portuguese, Flemish, Dutch and English schools as well as in Hungarian catafalque painting of the 17th century. Popularity and success of ‘Lotto’ rugs in Europe is demonstrated by the fact that so far their appearance is recorded in about 80 old master paintings, which provide invaluable information for the study of the evolution and for the dating of the group.
