Article:

Osman Hamdi Beys TÜRKISCHE STRASSENSZENE. Der Teppich als Verhandlungsort kultureller Identitäten im ausgehenden 19. Jahrhundert

The article deals with the so-called ›oriental rug‹ as a topic in art history and as motif in painting during the 19th century. On the one hand, the carpet seems to be a basis for the construction of national identities. On the other hand, it could be understood as a hinge, connecting different paradigms of represen-tation. First, I will analyze Osman Hamdi’s painting called TURKISH STREET SCENE. The next step will be the introduction of the carpet as a collector’s item and as a topic in German art history. Finally, I will compare the rug as a motif in French and Ottoman painting. The article aims to establish the ›oriental rug‹ as a re-flexive figure: its representation generates reflections about line and color, sur-face and space, perspective and ornament. After all, the borders between the own and the other are dissolved.