Bursa Carpet Silk Embroidery Western Turkey. Circa 1880

Bursa silk carpet (silk warp, weft and velvet), Western Turkey, circa 1880.

Bursa (or bush) owes its name to Prusias, king of Bithynia ; it is located at the foot of Mount Ulug Dag, in a green mountainous region, and this is why it is often nicknamed Yesil Bursa, the Green Burs.
Roman, then Byzantine, it was for a time the capital of the Ottomans. (…)

In 1585, during the reign of Murad III, some master weavers from Cairo were taken to Bursa, on the occasion of the opening of the court factories, and they produced carpets which could undoubtedly compete with Mamluk carpets. and Persians. This is where the Ottoman floral style adopted for carpets was created; kilims and precious velvet and silk sheets.

It is in fact in Bursa that the oldest silk spinning mills in all of Turkey are located, where fine and resistant silks are produced. The weavers of Istanbul, Kumkapu and Héréké still source their supplies there today. Bursa silk is indeed renowned for its luster and its great tensile strength, which make it a particularly suitable material for the warp as well. than for tying velvet. It is spun in three different qualities and is the finest used for weaving rugs. The transfer of the Ottoman capital from Bursa to Istanbul caused the slow decline of local weaving. At the beginning of this century, the factories of Bursa ceased all activity, after having tried in vain to compete with the production of Héréké.

This rug is decorated with a multi-lobed mihrab on an earthen background surrounded by flowering trees on a navy background decorated with animals and floral motifs.
The saffron yellow main border with a garland of stylized polychrome flowers is framed by two counter-borders.

Attention collectors!

Bibliographic reference: Sabahi, T Splendors of oriental carpets.

Dimensions : 190x133 cm
Condition : Used, main restorations in the center of the carpet in the earth color visible in the photos. other slight small restorations and wear outside.   On one side the edge is folded in part. The rug is lined with fabric at the back to hang it on the wall and protect it from its fragility.

*Video available on request

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