'Star Ushak' Carpet
This fresh‑colored carpet is one of the earliest, largest, and best-preserved examples of its type. Woven in the Ushak region of western Turkey, "Star Ushak" carpets were made for regional consumption and for export throughout Europe. A similar carpet is depicted under the throne of the Venetian doge in a painting by Paris Bordone dating to 1534, and another is seen under the feet of Henry VIII in a sixteenth-century portrait of that ruler. Their association in European painting with royalty and sanctity underscores the status these carpets enjoyed as luxury trade goods.
Artwork Details
- Title: 'Star Ushak' Carpet
- Date: late 15th century
- Geography: Attributed to Turkey
- Medium: Wool (warp, weft, and pile); symmetrically knotted pile
- Dimensions: L.169 1/2 in. (430.5 cm)
W. 91 1/2 in. (232.4 cm) - Classification: Textiles-Rugs
- Credit Line: Gift of Joseph V. McMullan, 1958
- Object Number: 58.63
- Curatorial Department: Islamic Art
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