WHO WE ARE  (page 5 of 15)

Chris & Ibrahim in the Museum of Turkish & Islamic Art in Istanbul comparing a vagireh to an original Medallion Ushak
HOW WE CREATE OUR DESIGNS ~1~

All of Classical Carpet's patterns are inspired by what are called by scholars and collectors the "classical" Anatolian carpets, those carpets dating from the 13th through the 17th centuries, produced in the area known today as Turkey, in both court and commercial workshops, for domestic use as well as for export, that were made in such quantities, obviously in response to a great demand, that they developed into “types”, that are clearly distinguished, and recognized, so to a great extent, even though these are anonymous craft artifacts, we can trace the actual genesis of the individual designs over time, as well as their relationship to each other. 

Like classical music, or classical architecture, these designs are held up as emblematic, as amongst the highest manifestation of this craft, one that has rarely been equaled.     

An esopecially noteworthy aspect of these designs is that they are a central  part of a fantastic global, cross cultural exchange, as when these rugs were first discovered in the West, brought back to Europe by the Venetian and Portuguese traders, they were documented by some of the great Renaissance painters, including in  Italy by Lotto, Ghirlandaio, Bellini, Crivelli and Tintoretto, and in Northern Europe by Holbein, Memling, Vermeer, and many others.  One of the critical ways we have of tracing the history and development of these patterns is through their depiction in these old master paintings.    

A significant thing about this cultural exchange is that is not just across political and ethnic lines, but across religions as well.  These particular carpets served as venerated objects used by several of the world’s great spiritual traditions, all with an important role in their creation and dissemination.

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