Ushak carpet

The carpet belongs to a group with a similar decoration, named after the Renaissance painter Hans Holbein the Younger (1497–1543), on whose paintings such carpets often appear. Apart from carpets with small patterns, there is also an individual group of Holbein carpets with large patterns. Both groups display a characteristic border in pseudo-Kufic script, i.e. reminding of Arabic writing, but executed in an illegible way. The decoration in the central field of the “Small patterned Holbein carpet” consists of interlaced octagons set diagonally in the same colours, and offset diamond-shaped ornaments. In this example are seven rows of three ornaments, each on a bicoloured quadrangle ground. A white interlace pattern in pseudo-Arabic script on a dark ground forms the border decoration.