The representation of oriental objects in Renaissance paintings is described by for example Spallanzani (2007), Ionescu (2005) and Carrier (2008). Currently, art historian Lauren Arnold works on an important attribution to this topic, partly through a database of paintings with oriental carpets. Domenico Ghirlandaio (1448) is one of the many Italian artists incorporating oriental carpets in his artworks. This was not inventive, since he was preceded by other artists, for example Iacopo di Cione (c. 1325 – na 1390), Cenni di Francesco (1369-1415), Gentile da Fabriano (1370 – ca. 1420) and Fra Angelico (1395-1455). Ghirlandaio’s oeuvre has at least six paintings with oriental carpets. In this paper, I try to find an origin for the motives of these carpets. The motives are analysed and their iconographical and technical functionare discussed. The paintings of Ghirlandaio are compared to other paintings from the Quattrocento, with a focus on painters in his direct surroundings. The painted carpets will be related to trade and availability of oriental carpets in Florence.