Carpet

Date17th or 18th c.

MediumWool pile, natural wool warps, red wool wefts.

Dimensions12'10" x 7' 0"

Credit LineMuseum Purchase

Object number1953-538

DescriptionCarpet: Ghiordes knot; approx. 63 knots per square inch; two shoots red wool wefts after each row of knots. Seven colors: field and outer guard band-red; central medallion-dark blue; corner medallions-dark brown; inner guard band-light blue; Pattern: white, pink, red, light blue, dark blue, green, dark brown. The field has a central oval medallion and sections of medallions in the corners. The central medallion with cartouches at each end contains a smaller medallion and is filled with arabesques and floral scrolls. The rest of the field is decorated with stylized floral scrolls. The border has a design of floral scrolls with small and large palmettes. The guard bands contain wavy scrolls.
Above descriptive information and date by Dr. Maurice Dimand, 1964.

Construction History
17th or 18th century: Initial construction
Aug. - Sept. 1954: Repaired, lined with linen, moth-proofed by Beshir Galleries (New York, NY)
1962: Repaired and cleaned by Beshir Galleries (New York, NY)Label TextUshak medallion carpets were highly represented amongst the types of Eastern "Turkey carpets" imported into Europe and America throughout the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. Evident in documentary records and portraits, these carpets functioned as symbols of wealth and status among the elite. After a visit to the residence of Nicholas Boylston in January 1766, John Adams recalled, " A Seat it is for a noble Man, a Prince. The Turkey Carpets, the painted Hangings, the Marble Tables, the rich Beds with crimson Damask Curtains and Counterpins, the beautiful Chimny Clock, the Spacious Garden, are the most magnificent of any Thing I have ever seen."
This carpet's bold blues, greens, and yellows upon the brick-red ground, as well as its arabesque and floral motifs, are typically associated with the Ushak medallion.Inscription(s)NoneMark(s)NoneProvenancePrior to 1953, Beshir Galleries (New York, NY); 1953-present, purchased by the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation (Williamsburg, VA)