WEST ANATOLIA, LATE 16TH CENTURY

The four lobed star Ushak carpet is part of an early group of carpets woven in the era of classical Turkish weaving. There are similar examples in various collections including the Victoria & Albert Museum, which has comparable proportions in the field to the current example but without the two outer borders (see Hali, Issue 126, p. 57, no. 2). The very unusual inner wide border in the present lot contains stylized elements, having a zoomorphic quality, similar to the border found in the 16th century 'Sailer Anchor Carpet' (Kirchheim, E. Heinrich, Orient Stars, London, 1993, p. 315, no. 198). Although the border in the present example is partially corroded it still maintains a beautiful archaic aesthetic. The overall spaciousness in the composition of the field and the unique primitive drawing of the border are characteristics of early Ushaks allowing us to date this confidently to the 16th century.