Rare Early Ushak carpet

Object Description

A rare circa 1800-1820 antique Ushak carpet of monumental proportions, using an original 16th century design of classical Ushak’s.  A prestigious and rare beautiful Turkish Ushak, or Oushak as often known in the US. Condition is exceptional, a high wool pile on red wefts, we have undertaken professional conservation of this carpet.  It required some areas of restoration but in general it is in remarkable condition for its age of around 200 years.  A rare collectable, decorative antique carpet in an enormous size.    The design is based on a 16th Century Star Ushak carpet, with a more abstract, geometric design, the motifs are not as curvilinear as the Star Ushak’s of 200 years earlier.

Request a home visit to view this very rare Ushak carpet in-situ, we travel all over the UK showing our carpets to private customers and interior designers by appointment.  You can select the ideal day and time for us to visit you, with no obligation or fee.  We have travelled to Scotland, Ireland, France and Belgium over the years and would be happy to help you.

Object History

Ushak’s from the 16th century are more often in museums on display. In the 17th century Oushaks have been made in high quantities for the Christian churches, and court dynasties of Europe and this continued into the 18th and 19th century. Oushak rugs were used by great artists in their paintings and by this contributed to their history, value and demand.  The Arabasque design in yellow on a red ground were named after painters like Hans Holbein and Lorenzo Lotto.  We see rare Lotto rugs and fragments reach very high prices at auctions these days.

Undoubtedly commissioned for the Western market these huge carpets often found there way to the US or Europe for large homes.   We have been placing enormous rare antique carpets of this magnitude in beautiful private homes since the 1990’s and they can truly transform and make a room.  Like famous antique Ziegler carpets, these large Ushak carpets have highly decorative designs, and fabulous natural dyes, sought after by the best interior designers all over the world.

Ushaks were woven in Western Anatolia which was one of the largest rug production areas since the Ottoman Empire.  Their designs tend to be more open than Persian rugs and soft dyes are not uncommon.  Often younger Ushaks or Oushaks will be rich red in colour and use bolder geometric designs.  An Ushaks construction is always quite coarse and never fine like a Persian carpet, this is partly what makes them so interesting.  They are extremely popular with the best interior designers in the UK and overseas.

Object Condition

We have undertaken careful preservation of this carpet, it required conservation to the fringe in places and some repile in the main design. In general it is very well preserved having been used for the last 200 years.

Object Details