Uşak

Uşak (110 km west of Afyon) was one of the most important and renowned carpet centers in Ottoman times (late 15th to 18th century). Rug production is still going on today, but on a lesser level and with altered designs.
In the 17th century great quantities of Uşak carpets were made for the royal houses and the Christian churches of Europe. They are named according to their specific design: ‘star’, ‘medallion’, ‘bird’, ‘chintamani’ (or: leopard spot), ‘cloud band’ or after renaissance artists who included them in their paintings: ‘Holbein’ and ‘Lotto’, after Hans Holbein the Younger (1497-1543) and Lorenzo Lotto (1480-1556).

The carpet on this picture is a ‘chintamani’ (or: leopard spot; Turkish: ‘şintemani’), because of the three coloured spots arranged in triangle (in the main field of the rug). This motif is thought to be a Central Asian symbol of good fortune. It is alternated with so-called ‘Chinese clouds’ (the parallel wavy lines), which are a stylized form of the ‘Dragon’ and symbolize rain, fertility, wealth and never ending good fortune.

Correspondent: J.M.Criel, Antwerpen.
Sources: ‘Catalogs of Turkish Handwoven Carpets’– Turkish Ministry of Culture
& ‘Oriental Rugs, volume 4: Turkish’ (Zipper & Fritzsche) .

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