Lot 80
USHAK CARPET
WEST ANATOLIA, LATE 19TH CENTURY
Auction: Day One: 14 March 2012 From 10am
Description
the pink field with allover stylized palmette, lozenge and vine pattern, within orange palmette and vine border between bands
648cm x 440cm
Footnote
Note: Usak in western Turkey has been a centre of carpet-making since at least the 15th century. To the looms of Usak are attributed many classic Turkish carpets, including 'Lottos' and 'Holbeins', named for their appearance in paintings by those artists in the early 16th century. It is also well known for large 'medallion' and 'star' carpets from around the same period, influenced by Ottoman court designs. After the 17th century, the market waned and carpet production went into decline. Then in the late 19th century demand returned, with a European fashion for all things 'Orientalist'. The town found it did not have enough skilled weavers left and it turned to neighbouring villages and towns for craftsmen who had kept up the traditional techniques. These weavers had a slightly more tribal style, which saw the use of larger knots and longer pile on an all wool foundation. There was a fusion of tribal styles and older Ushak designs, as well as an incorporation of simplified Persian style floral patterns. Ushak carpets had often been large, but now they were woven to fit European and American room dimensions.