Mid 17th century, 215 x 150 cm, West Anatolia

This large fragment originally belonged to a red-ground Medallion Ushak. The scale of the designs allows us to draw conclusions about the original size of the carpet, which would have been at least five metres in length. Medallion Ushaks were woven in the workshops of that West Anatolian city over a long period of time, not only for the sultans' court and Anatolian dignitaries but also for export to Europe, then chiefly handled by merchants in the Maritime Republics of Venice and Genoa. Many examples came to be owned by European royal families. - Obvious signs of age and wear, several holes. Provenance: Signora Gallo Collection