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Lot Essay
This carpet is notable for its size in which the design elements, pertinent to Medallion Ushak carpets, are here condensed into a striking small scale version of the classic genre. Dating to the 17th century, this carpet has retained its wonderfully rich colouring in the well preserved pile. The basic design principal consists of a red field with indigo floral tracery enclosing a large indigo ogival medallion with quartered radiating medallions in each corner, all filled with split-leaf rumi and angular floral vinery. The origin of the design has been the subject of great debate, but one suggestion is that it originated as a response to stylistic developments in illuminated manuscripts during the rule of Mehmet II Fatih (1432-1481); for a full discussion of the design see Jon Thompson (Milestones in the History of Carpets, Milan, 2006, pp. 90-101).
The earliest and best examples of these carpets were woven for the wealthy Ottoman home market. However they already appeared in European paintings during the 16th century with examples being depicted by artists such as Velasquez, Zurbaran and Vermeer (Donald King and David Sylvester, The Eastern Carpet in the Western World from the 15th to the 17th Century, London, 1983, p.73). By the 17th century there is evidence of a substantial export market in Europe where they continued to be popular for decades if not centuries. A Medallion Ushak carpet with a very similar cartoon was sold in these Rooms, 12 October 2023, lot 260, while a border fragment in the Castellini-Stroganoff collection almost exactly matches the borders of the present lot (Alberto Boralevi, L'Ushak: Castellani-Stroganoff ed altri Tappeti Ottomani dal XVI al XVIII secolo, Florence, 1987, p.17, fig. a). A further comparable was offered in these Rooms 17 October, 2002, lot 102.
The earliest and best examples of these carpets were woven for the wealthy Ottoman home market. However they already appeared in European paintings during the 16th century with examples being depicted by artists such as Velasquez, Zurbaran and Vermeer (Donald King and David Sylvester, The Eastern Carpet in the Western World from the 15th to the 17th Century, London, 1983, p.73). By the 17th century there is evidence of a substantial export market in Europe where they continued to be popular for decades if not centuries. A Medallion Ushak carpet with a very similar cartoon was sold in these Rooms, 12 October 2023, lot 260, while a border fragment in the Castellini-Stroganoff collection almost exactly matches the borders of the present lot (Alberto Boralevi, L'Ushak: Castellani-Stroganoff ed altri Tappeti Ottomani dal XVI al XVIII secolo, Florence, 1987, p.17, fig. a). A further comparable was offered in these Rooms 17 October, 2002, lot 102.