Oushak

Woven in western Anatolia, this Oushak type carpet recalls earlier design traditions from the eighteenth century. A small diamond shaped central medallion floats among rows of palmettes derived from Northwest Persian models. Such borrowing from Persian sources was not uncommon among seventeenth and eighteenth-century Turkish weavers. This piece may then be seen as an antique copy of an even earlier classical model. In keeping with the tastes of the turn of the century, colors are soft and mellow highlighted by red and gold.