Star Ushak Carpet

The source of the carpet comes from the book How to Read – Islamic Carpets, Walter B. Denny, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York 2014 fig.46-47 and Orientel Rugs, Volume 4 Turkish, Kurt Zipper and Claudia Fritzsche, Antique Collectors' Club, 1989 nr.82 and Antique Rugs from the Near East, Wilhelm von Bode and Ernst Kühnel, Klinkhardt & Biermann, Berlin 1958, pg.43. This 16th-century deeply serrated eight-lobbed starlike medallion rug is from central Anatolia. Similar designs are exhibited at various museums. The town of Ushak, north of Denizli, is probably one of the most important and renowned carpet centers. Carpets have survived from the 16th century and can be seen in several museums. In the 17th century great quantities of Ushak carpets were made for the royal houses of Europe, often incorporating crests; many Christian churches, not only in Transylvania, were often decorated with very large pieces. According to their structure and patterning, there are several types of Ushak carpets: the star Ushak, the medallion Ushak, the 'bird' carpet (with a white background, the name relates to the shapes of the field motifs), and 'Chintamani' carpets (often with a white background and three-ball pattern, mostly in connection with cloud bands). Many great painters have ensured the survival of Ushak carpet designs by including them in their works. Two representatives of the Ushak group take their name from such renowned artists: pieces with plaited band medallions in several variations are named 'Holbein' carpets after Hans Holbein, the younger; 'Lotto' carpets refer to the painter Lorenzo Lotto. Beautiful old Ushak carpets are rare and seldom appear in the trade. This Star-Ushak is of unusually beautiful and brilliant, intense, clear, and vibrant color. In the field, large, four-pointed, indented stars in repeat alternate with sided indented diamonds, all enclosing several types of arabesques drawn with great feeling for space. The rest of the field seems to be filled with a loose floral spray. Closer examination reveals, however, an exceedingly fine trellis that connects all floral elements into a continuous, secondary pattern covering the entire field. The border pattern of an angular floral scroll is drawn with equal skill. The constantly shifting play of color in the floral motives throughout the rug follows no set system, adding a unique charm. The design of the carpet is interpreted by our designers, and vivid colors are used for this carpet.