The weaving workshops of Western Anatolia, where Oushak carpets such as this piece were originally made, have a rich history, stretching back at least as far as the Early Modern era – as the 14th Century explorer Marco Polo once wrote, ‘here they make the most beautiful silks and carpets in the world, and with the most beautiful colours.’ These were among the earliest carpets to reach the Western market, and feature in in many of the paintings of the Old Masters, including those of Holbein, Vermeer, and Reubens. During the 19th Century, these pieces were highly sought after in the West, inspiring many of the designs of European weavings of the period, and can be found in grand historic homes across the UK and Europe, and continue to be widely sought after today, thanks to their grand scale drawing, delicate colours and silky wool.

This striking example has a grand-scale all-over pattern, in a palette of gracefully aged vegetable-dyed colours. Being an earlier weaving, this carpet has much finer, more characterful dyes than one finds in later examples; a warm terracotta ground accented by soft green and blue-grey tones in the drawing, well suited to its understated design. One particularly attractive feature is the uniformity of colour between the field and the border, rather than the more traditional contrast, which lets the eye travel at ease across the carpet and lends the work a lovely sense of space and balance.

In very good practical condition for every day use, this Antique Oushak carpet has retained its original plain outer borders on all sides, boasting a tasteful age-related patina.

A handsome example with the versatility to suit a wide variety of interior styles – rare in this large, square-ish format. We strongly recommend viewing this carpet in person, to fully appreciate the depth and complexity of its colours – we can arrange this at our North London studio-showroom, or in situ at your location, anywhere in the UK.