East Mediterranean Ottoman Court Carpet, 17th century, Victoria and Albert Museum, London

Place of origin: Turkey (made)
Date: 17th century (made)
Artist/Maker: unknown (production)
Materials and Techniques: Woven wool
Museum number: 476-1883
Gallery location: In Storage

Descriptive line
Wool carpet, featuring a design of large and small flowers in various colours against a crimson ground. Turkey, 17th century.
Physical description
Woollen pile carpet, featuring a design of large and small flowers in various colours against a crimson ground. The border is filled with panels
and circles with a lace-like outline.
knotted pile Ottoman court carpet
Warp: white silk s2z, density: 40/inch, 160/dm
Weft: red silk(?); not able to determine spin, ply, twist; 2 shoots after each row of knots; 16/inch rows of knots, 64/dm.
Pile: wool and cotton
8 colours: dark red, dark yellow, green, light green, dark blue, light blue, black (details in lower main border-corroded), white (cotton)
Asymmetrical knot open to left, tied around 2 warp threads. 320 knots/sq.in (5120/sq.dm)
Side Finish: incomplete, but evidence to suggest returned weft around outer warp. No evidence of a cord.
End Finish is missing.

Design: Dark red ground with a central row of small blossoms and palmettes and 2 half rows down each side. Ther are 2 intermediate rows of
larger blossoms; in each there is a single below and above the centre and a vertical pair at the centre, all with a dark blue scalloped outline.
From the base of each blossom extends a pair of sprays of small white flowerheads-these loop together in the central part of each row. Below
the lowest blossom and above the highest extend long, graceful saz leaves and blossoms. Towards the top of the field this design squashed.
Main Border: dark red ground with dark blue cartouches alternating with circles. Each cartouche contains a central light blue rosette from
which extend a pair of dark red composite blossoms and leaves. The elaborate white cloudband frame around the cartouches continue to
encircle both a smaller circular flower and the large dark blue circular rosette, which lies on the other side of it. The small circle lies between 2
half rosettes at the edges of the main border. The upper main border is squashed.

Inner and Outer borders: Green ground with floral meander of alternating dark blue and dark red rosettes on dark blue stem.
Guardstripes: reciprocal pattern in dark red/dark blue outlined in white.

Museum number: 476-1883

Object history note
Purchased from A. Myers and Son, 179 New Bond Street
URL: http://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O79381/carpet-unknown/


Materials and Techniques

Woven wool

Dimensions: Length: 284.5 cm, Width: 251.4 cm

Object history note

Purchased from A. Myers and Son, 179 New Bond Street

Descriptive line

Wool carpet, featuring a design of large and small flowers in various colours against a crimson ground. Turkey, 17th century.

Labels and date

THIS 16TH CENTURY OTTOMAN COURT CARPET has been made with an asymmetrical knot in order to achieve the high knot density required to weave flowing, rounded designs. There are 330 knots per sq.inch (5280 per sq.dm). There is one particularly interesting feature of this carpet: the well-spaced, relaxed pattern of the lower part of the field and border has been compressed in the upper half - all the elements are there, but they are squashed into a much shorter length. This suggests that the weavers had to adapt the design while they were working, possibly in order to speed up the work because the carpet had to be completed by a certain date. [Used until 11/2003]