The pièce de résistance.
This was, unsurprisingly, hellish to draw. All that little floral work… It won’t be my last, though.
The carpet is an original design, borrowing elements from the Uşak style.
Uşak is a style of carpet that takes its name from Ayse’s hometown. Uşak was one of the dominant carpet-making towns during the Ottoman era. There are two styles of Uşak carpets: the medallion (which is the style featured here), and arabesque. They were commonly depicted in European Renaissance paintings. The Holbein carpet falls under the medallion style, and the Lotto carpet is arabesque.
Holbein carpet in The Somerset House Conference (1608).
If I were to redo the carpet in the comic today, I’d make the colours traditional and not so avant-garde/heightened. I’d also — ack! — make the patterns more intricate. I think it was in Volume 2 when I started to gain more confidence with the Uşak motifs. Oh well. We live and we learn.
It is a dazzlingly intricate floor rug. Deep red with a light blue frame, every section of it is filled with the tiniest detail of stylized florals. Within the deep red inset is a central four-leaf medallion, and a quarter of that same medallion at each corner. The medallions have a blue curvy border, curvy like the outlines of coral. Encased by those borders is a magenta flower, and in the remaining spaces, green and yellow floral vines. It is poetry manifest.
The sheikh could not help his gasp. His hand is over his mouth. He is transported. But he is smarter than this. He knows how the game is played in a carpet shop – showmanship is how sales are made. Still, still, this carpet is unlike anything he has ever seen…
