79232 Late 19th Century Antique Pastel Turkish Oushak Rug, 11'08 x 14'07.
The Gilded Pastel Reverie: Late 19th Century Turkish Oushak Masterpiece of Grace
Gracefully woven at the twilight of the Ottoman Empire, this hand-knotted wool Oushak rug radiates an aura of aristocratic serenity and historic prestige. Its luminous field—bathed in soft parchment, pale apricot, and muted celadon—feels as though time itself brushed the surface with a delicate, antique wash. Elegantly drawn vine scrolls, stylized palmettes, and imperial floral bouquets flow in a symmetrical garden around a faintly crowned medallion structure, composing an exceptional design of refined botanical ornament. This palette and composition, favored by Istanbul’s courtly patrons and exported to Europe’s grand estates, distinguish the piece as an emblem of taste, wealth, and cultivated artistry.
The entire layout unfolds as a page from an illuminated manuscript: slender vinery arabesques, lotus-like blossoms, rosette sprays, and acanthus-touched leaves drift across the abrashed field in poetic harmony. With every signature motif, this museum-caliber treasure narrates a story steeped in symbolism and curated significance: cypress trees, symbols of eternal life, rise with commanding poise, while boteh elements, the ancient Persian emblem of fertility and renewal, deliver a visual benediction of abundance. Florals, hand-rendered with painterly restraint, recall exclusive, vanished palace gardens—accessible only through heritage and craftsmanship. Nothing shouts—rather, it whispers—creating that rare balance of restraint and splendor for which Oushak weaving is revered. The pastel tracery in coral, apricot, pale gold, and powdery sage reflects the color sensibilities of atelier dyers who understood how to soften vegetal pigments into ethereal hues. Every delicate motif appears to float weightlessly, suspended within a tableau of parchment-soft ground tones that convey both antiquity and aristocratic polish.
Encasing this one-of-a-kind treasure is an extraordinary border composition: layered guard bands and botanical meanders gently frame the interior garden, adding an architectural clarity that signals court-commissioned craftsmanship. The softened outlines, abrash tonal shifts, and delicately broken contours reveal the passage of nearly one and a half centuries—an honest, noble patina found only on genuinely antique weavings. Its controlled wear reads as a historic signature, evidence of a life lived among cultured interiors rather than a reproduction of modern convenience.
A true rarity of scale, tone, and historical origin, this exquisite work of art is far more than a decorative furnishing—it is a passport to a vanished world of ceremonial salons, lacquered chambers, and Ottoman palatial refinement. Its pastel luminosity suits the most elevated environments: a collector’s library, a Parisian-styled drawing room, or a gallery-level contemporary space craving a touch of poetic nostalgia. To own it is to inherit an heirloom of quiet magnificence: a woven relic of imperial artistry, made to be admired, cherished, and passed down as a symbol of cultivated legacy and taste.
- Abrash. Age Wear.
- Hand knotted wool.
- Made in Turkey.
- Measures: 11'08 x 14'07.
- Pile Height: 0.25 of an inch.
- Date: 1880's. Late 19th Century.
