Description
This magnificent rug attributed to Mehmet Ocevik forms part of the last of the Kum Kapi masterweavings. Ocevik, originally from
Hereke, studied the carpets of the Top Kapi Sarai and the work of Zareh Penyamian, whose technique, of interlacing
coloured silk with metallic thread to create an irridescent effect, he mastered.
Ocevik was an inventive weaver of exceptional skill, devoting much energy to minute
detail. He preferred repetitive floral and figurative fields rather than centralised
compositions such as the medallion shown here, and his rugs, like those of Tossounian, have characteristic ends, in this
case apricot coloured plainweave one inch depth. This feature, together with the pastel
colour combinations, particularly an apricot-orange shade, and the fine drawing, make his
carpets easily recognisable.
Ocevik's tragic and untimely death in a vehicle accident in 1971 effectively
brought to an end to the revival of Kum Kapi weaving after the Second World War, and he
may rightly be considered the last of the Kum Kapi master weavers.
Size 222x141cm.
Silk Hereke catalog number 15242 |
