EXHIBITION METHODS AND DISPLAY ELEMENTS OF TRADITIONAL TURKISH CARPETS AND RUGS IN MUSEUMS

Abstract

Carpet art, which has an important position in Turkish art with its originality and locality, is included in the collections of almost all Turkish museums. Since the 15th century, carpets and rugs have attracted the attention of Europe, and especially after the 19th century, they started to be included in European and American museums. During the Ottoman period, priority was given to archaeological artefacts. Turkish carpets and rugs, which had ethnographic value, remained in the background. In the 1908 Regulation, carpets, rugs and prayer rugs were taken under protection with the acceptance of Islamic artefacts as works of art. After this process, carpets have found a place in the collections of many museums.

In museums in Turkey that have carpets and rugs in their collections, artefacts are displayed in different ways. The most favoured are in vitrines, directly on the floor, hanging systems, openable and sliding rails, shelving systems with drawers, walls, fixed or movable panels and display platforms. The variety of these display elements is determined by criteria such as the physical condition, weight, colour, dimensions or historical importance of the work. The aim of the article is to present the variety of display methods used in carpets and rugs. In addition, it is shown through examples which method is suitable for which object or not. Examples were determined based on the information obtained from previous publications on this subject and observations made in museums. Although the examples were mainly selected from Turkish Museums, some works were selected from abroad and presented comparatively. Finally, the article compares the display methods of the artifacts. Suggestions are made as to which systems can be the most accurate systems that can be used today.