Gallery Moshe Tabibnia is delighted to present to the public an extraordinary display, which brings together five small medallion Ushak rugs so-called “Tintoretto”.

This group of notable Anatolian textile artefacts, dating from the 16th Century, entered common language under the name of the painter Jacopo Robusti, better known as “Tintoretto” (1518 - 1594). The great protagonist of 16th Century Venetian painting depicted examples of this type in two important paintings: Susanna and the Elders (1550) and The discovery of the body of Saint Mark (1562 - 1566). This last, now in the Pinacoteca di Brera in Milan, depicts a highly theatrical scene with the body of the saint, in the foreground, lying on a rug belonging to this category. A close look at the artwork reveals the elegant “cloud-band” motif of the rug border, an element of ancient Chinese origin, also featured in a marvellous example currently on display.

 

Jacopo Robusti was not, however, the first to represent this type of rug, neither the most careful in reproducing its stylistic peculiarities. The most fitting juxtaposition in European painting is the work painted in 1519 by Gerolamo da Santacroce (1480? - 1556) entitled The Calling of Saint Matthew, in the Museo Civico of Bassano del Grappa. The painting provides an essential timeline, to which carpet historians can refer in order to deduce the period of this Anatolian production.

           

The design known as “Tintoretto” certainly originated in the 15th Century, as evidenced by stylistic similarities with the decorations of book bindings in vogue during this period.

The plain field is characterised by the presence of a small central medallion, with an elegant and essential design in the earliest examples, framed at the four corners by ornamented spandrels that join on both sides of the header to give the appearance of a niche. From the upper niche sometimes hangs a decorative detail, present in four specimens on display, reminiscent of the pendant lamp from the mihrab, a niche inside the mosques that indicates the direction of Mecca, which Muslims face when praying.

 

The rugs on display, while maintaining a similar layout, bear elements of great originality in the refined design of the borders and spandrels, presented here in three distinct types.

The two principal border patterns in the family, “cloud-band” and “palmette”, are well illustrated by the textile artefacts exhibited. The first border, which can be found in 16th Century Italian painting, is characterised by the rhythmic pattern of the clouds, often combined with small four-lobed motifs, reminiscent of the infinite knot, a classical symbol of auspiciousness in the Buddhist iconography. The rug with a “cloud-band” border, currently on display, immediately draws attention for the delicate pastel colours, as well as the polychromy of the spandrels, making it a truly unique example of its kind.

Three rugs, on the other hand, display the rich “palmette” border with a decoration around an arabesque outline in which vine leaves and various rosebuds can be recognised.

The display also features a rug with a third type of border that stands out due to its elaborate floral decoration.

Another noteworthy element is undoubtedly the precious ornaments of the spandrels. Two rugs of rare elegance feature the “cloud-band” motif, which floats softly on the field. The other pieces are characterised by spandrels adorned with sinuous arabesques, light and refined, evoking the idea of a chiselled metalwork leaned on a red background.

 

The stylistic details seal the high artistic value of the so-called “Tintoretto” rugs, which stand out for the preciousness of the ornamental peculiarities and the range of colours, identifying them among the most coveted and sought-after types in the production of the Ushak area.

* Tintoretto (Jacopo Robusti), The discovery of the body of Saint Mark, 1562-1566, oil on canvas, 396 x 400 cm, Pinacoteca di Brera, Milan.
** Gerolamo da Santacroce, The calling of Saint Matthew, 1519, oil on canvas, 242 × 165 cm, Museo Civico, Bassano del Grappa.