A Central Persian prayer rug, early 20th century, the pictorial mihrab with an exterior scene of figures, a horse and deer, surrounded by ascending flowering trees and birds above a stylized pond with fish and ducks, within a cartouche border enclosing vignettes of birds, plants and winged figures to each corner, 205cm x 139cm. Provenance: formerly owned by Alphonse Mingana, ethnic Assyrian theologian, historian and Syriacist, thence by descent. Note: Mingana is best known for collecting and preserving the Mingana Collection of ancient Middle Eastern manuscript, which is now housed at Special Collections, University of Birmingham.