International Journal of Art and Art History

An Approach to Medallion Ushak Carpets in European Painting
Assoc. Prof. Nurcan Perdahcı

Abstract
During the second most prominent period in the Art of Turkish Carpet-Weaving, large carpets were weaved with the patterns developed by muralist/miniaturists in the Ottoman Palace atelier for mosques, palaces, mansions and export. One of the two main groups of 16th century Ushak carpets is Medallion Ushak carpets, which continued to develop until the end of 18th century. Those carpets produced in Ushak and its environs, have been transported to the West throughout the centuries via Izmir, the safest port city in Western Anatolia. The earliest and best large Medallion Ushak carpets were woven for the Ottoman market but we can see from paintings by artists such as Holbein, Velasquez and Zurbaran, that large medallion Ushaks began to appear in Europe by the sixteenth century, depicted in the paintings of Royalty and the very rich (christies) Categorized as ‘Oriental Carpets’ in the West, Medallion Ushak carpets made by knotted weaving technique appear in European Painting until the end of 16th and 18th centuries.

Full Text: PDF       DOI: 10.15640/ijaah.v4n1a1