Turkish carpets depicted in European paintings with Turquerie effect

With the conquest of Istanbul by Fatih Sultan Mehmet in 1453, the transfer of effective power from Byzantium to the Ottomans had a great impact in Europe and ignited the curiosity and admiration that Europeans felt for the Turks. The works of art performed within Turkish art, which influenced Europe in the fields of small handicrafts, architecture, clothing, literature, music and painting, attracted great attention in Europe and always caused cultural exchange between the two civilizations. Living like Turks became normal for Europeans and Turkish fashion became widespread in Europe over time. Turkish carpets, which had the largest share in this cultural interaction, were used as ordinary and daily items in the geography where they emerged, but in Europe they became a decorative element spread on tables, hung on walls, windows and gondolas. Turkish carpets, which reached Europe through European merchants, were donated to churches, purchased by the leading nobles of the period and used as decorative elements in homes, palaces and castles. So much so that the European bourgeoisie, who saw Turkish carpets as a status symbol, became the pioneers of the tradition of commissioning portraits by posing for famous painters of the period on Turkish carpets. The European interest in and use of works produced within the tradition of Turkish art are regarded as reflections of the cultural interaction between Europe and the Turkish world. The emergence of elements of Turkish art in Europe, particularly after the conquest of Constantinople, is considered within the scope of the "Turquerie" movement. In this context, traditional Turkish carpet art stands out as one of the most popular and widely adopted examples of Turkish art in Europe." Works in European painting that include depictions of Turkish carpets stand out as an extremely important source in terms of dating original carpets. Although the Turquerie period was the period when the most Turkish carpet depictions were made in Europe, it has been observed that Turkish carpets were depicted in the works of European painters in the period of a hundred years before, which we attribute to the pre-Turquerie period. These carpets are dated to the 14th century. The fact that they have been depicted in Europe since the beginning of the century provides evidence that Turkish carpet art attracted attention in Europe long before Turquerie. Within the scope of our study, a total of 149 works depicting Turkish carpets were identified, 29 in the pre-Turquerie period and 120 in the Turquerie period. The works dated between the 14th and 15th centuries were evaluated within the scope of the pre-Turquerie period, and the works dated between the 15th and 18th centuries were evaluated within the scope of the Turquerie period. The Turkish carpets depicted in Europe are the Geometric Composition Carpets and Animal Figured Carpets that constitute the content of the Seljuk Carpets group, the Geometric Composition Carpets that constitute the content of the Early Period Ottoman Carpets group, Type I Holbein Carpets, Type II Holbein/Lotto Carpets, Type III Holbein Carpets, Type IV. Type Holbein Carpets and Early Ottoman Carpets Named After Some European Painters are classified under 15 headings, including Medallion Uşak Carpets, Star Uşak Carpets, Carpets Developing from Medallion and Star Carpets, Bellini Carpets, White-Based Uşak Carpets, Transylvania Carpets and Smyrna (İzmir) Carpets, which constitute the content of the Classical Period Ottoman Carpets group. It is noticeable that the Italian school was at the forefront in both periods. While Turkish carpet depictions in the pre-Turquerie period were only in scenes with religious themes, in the Turquerie period, portraits, interiors, daily life and symbolic narratives came to the fore in addition to religious scenes. Carpets were generally depicted under the feet of the figures or in the center of the stage. The works depicting Turkish carpets identified within the scope of our study have served as an important resource both in identifying and dating original Turkish carpets that have survived to the present day, and in documenting and tracing historical traces of examples that have been lost over time.