NARRATOR: The carpet on this platform is an example of a type called “Ushak” after the city in which it was made.

WALTER DENNY: Sometimes carpets show us designs that were created strictly to be understood as encompassed by the border of the carpet. And other times, the design is infinite. That is, in theory, it goes on forever and ever, in every direction, and it's arbitrarily cut by the border of the carpet. This latter form of design was particularly favored by the 15th and 16th century commercial manufactories of carpets situated in or near the city of Ushak in western Turkey, showing an enormous variety of designs. And indeed, no two Ushak carpets that have survived are in exactly the same design. …These medallions theoretically go on forever and ever in every direction. And they tend to float above a field design, which may consist of foliage of one sort or another. Or in a celebrated example in the Metropolitan… it consists of a form called "chintamani."

NARRATOR: To find the chintamani, look for the repeating form of three round dots and wavy lines. The motif originated in Buddhist art, and, in Islamic contexts, it is sometimes interpreted as meaning good fortune. The chintamani form was particularly popular within the arts of the Ottoman court, appearing not only on carpets, but also on textiles, ceramics, and other media.