Antique Turkish Oushak Long Rug

About the Item

Usak carpets, Ushak carpets or Oushak carpets (Turkish: Usak Kilimi) are Turkish carpets that use a particular family of designs, called by convention after the city of Usak, Turkey, one of the larger towns in Western Anatolia, which was a major center of rug production from the early days of the Ottoman Empire, into the early 20th century (although these patterns were woven in other regions also. After the 17th century, Ushaks (Ovshaks), development of Oushak rug weaving is less well known. Late 17th century saw a decline in the Oriental rug market as European consumers tended to purchase rugs of European origin – primarily Aubusson, Savonnerie and Axminster. The wane in the European market meant that Ovshak production declined. Those that were still made throughout the late 18th and early 19th centuries were manufactured for upper-class people in the Turkish territories on Eastern Europe. Towards the end of the 19th century, when the European market began to be interested in Persian carpets once again, the Ushak (Ovshak) population did not have enough weavers still skilled in the traditional Ovshak craft. Manufactories had to turn to neighboring villages and their craftsmen who still maintained traditional techniques. Ushak carpets, particularly those known as lotto carpets, are among the later types of Oriental carpets in renaissance painting, as they were imported by Europeans, where they adorned cathedrals, churches, and the homes of the wealthy and powerful. Ushak (Oushak) rugs are some of the finest Oriental rugs, so much so that many of the masterpieces of the 15th and 16th centuries have been attributed to Oushak. The popular star and medallion carpets originated in Oushak. Oushak rugs are known for the silky, luminous wool they work with. The dyes tend towards: cinnamons, terracotta tints, gold, blues, greens, ivory, saffron and grays.

Dimensions:

Width: 49.32 in (125.28 cm)Length: 136.8 in (347.48 cm)

Style:

Oushak (In the Style Of)

Materials and Techniques:

Wool,Hand-Knotted

Place of Origin:

Turkey

Period:

Early 20th Century

Date of Manufacture:

1910