Carpet
ca. 1600-1700 (made)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
Object Type
This Turkish carpet is typical of the ones imported in the 16th and 17th centuries, when they were used as table covers. In the 18th century, as the commercial production of such carpets increased and more were available, their price fell and increasingly they were placed on the floor.
Materials & Making
In a pile fabric, such as this carpet, the foundation consists of two sets of threads, warp and weft, which interlace at right-angles. The pile is created by tying a knot of coloured thread around two adjacent warp threads, building up the design row by row while the foundation is being woven by the insertion of weft. It requires only a simple loom, and is easily done by hand. In this carpet there are 1,280 knots per square decimetre.
Design & Designing
Unusually for Turkish carpets, which tend to have geometric designs, the dominant feature of this type of carpet is its large medallion. This is thought to have been inspired by the medallion designs often found on Turkish book bindings and manuscripts. In this carpet the medallion is not in the centre, but is closer to one end. This suggests that the weavers could not, or did not, alter the proportions of the design - which was for a longer carpet - but simply stopped weaving when the required length had been achieved. Production of this design continued into the 19th century.
This Turkish carpet is typical of the ones imported in the 16th and 17th centuries, when they were used as table covers. In the 18th century, as the commercial production of such carpets increased and more were available, their price fell and increasingly they were placed on the floor.
Materials & Making
In a pile fabric, such as this carpet, the foundation consists of two sets of threads, warp and weft, which interlace at right-angles. The pile is created by tying a knot of coloured thread around two adjacent warp threads, building up the design row by row while the foundation is being woven by the insertion of weft. It requires only a simple loom, and is easily done by hand. In this carpet there are 1,280 knots per square decimetre.
Design & Designing
Unusually for Turkish carpets, which tend to have geometric designs, the dominant feature of this type of carpet is its large medallion. This is thought to have been inspired by the medallion designs often found on Turkish book bindings and manuscripts. In this carpet the medallion is not in the centre, but is closer to one end. This suggests that the weavers could not, or did not, alter the proportions of the design - which was for a longer carpet - but simply stopped weaving when the required length had been achieved. Production of this design continued into the 19th century.
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Materials and techniques | Knotted woollen pile on woollen warp and weft |
| Brief description | Carpet, knotted woollen pile on woollen warp and weft, Usak, Turkey, ca. 1600-1700. |
| Physical description | In the middle is a large pointed compartments, with small ornaments at each end, filled with arabesques and floral stems interlaced, in colours on a red ground. In each corner is a portion of a star-shaped compartment containing on a light blue ground a similar pattern. The remaining space is closely filed with flowering and leafy stems in yellow on dark blue. The border contains floral stems on a red ground, between two narrow bands of yellow and blue with a small leaf pattern. |
| Dimensions |
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| Gallery label | British Galleries:
Fine carpets from Turkey had been imported since the early 16th century and were highly valued for their design and colour. By the middle of the 18th century they were used as floor coverings in the modern fashion, rather than being used on tables, as they had been in the 16th and 17th centuries.(27/03/2003) |
| Object history | Purchased. Registered File number 85620/1903. |
| Subjects depicted | |
| Summary | Object Type This Turkish carpet is typical of the ones imported in the 16th and 17th centuries, when they were used as table covers. In the 18th century, as the commercial production of such carpets increased and more were available, their price fell and increasingly they were placed on the floor. Materials & Making In a pile fabric, such as this carpet, the foundation consists of two sets of threads, warp and weft, which interlace at right-angles. The pile is created by tying a knot of coloured thread around two adjacent warp threads, building up the design row by row while the foundation is being woven by the insertion of weft. It requires only a simple loom, and is easily done by hand. In this carpet there are 1,280 knots per square decimetre. Design & Designing Unusually for Turkish carpets, which tend to have geometric designs, the dominant feature of this type of carpet is its large medallion. This is thought to have been inspired by the medallion designs often found on Turkish book bindings and manuscripts. In this carpet the medallion is not in the centre, but is closer to one end. This suggests that the weavers could not, or did not, alter the proportions of the design - which was for a longer carpet - but simply stopped weaving when the required length had been achieved. Production of this design continued into the 19th century. |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | 528-1903 |
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| Record created | March 27, 2003 |
| Record URL |
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