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Carpet

19th century (made)
Artist/Maker
Place of origin

Woollen carpet with field covered with repeating pattern of stars in a lattice on a dark blue ground. There are five small border stripes with rosettes and cone meander in red, pink, yellow, white, pale blue, brown and purple.

Warp: White cotton; Z8S; 14 threads per inch (46-52 per dm)

Weft: white cotton; Z6S; some brown wool mainly in the centre, Z-spun, unplied; 1 shoot after each row of knots; 9 knots per inch (36 per dm).

Pile: wool; 11 colours: red, light red, yellow, green, light green, dark blue, blue, purple, brown, black, white; symmetrical knot tied around 2 threads; 63 knots per sq. inch (828-936 per sq. dm).

Side finish: one cord oversewn with black or brown wool.

End finish: missing.

Design: Field: dark blue ground with 3 rows and a partial row to each side of 8-pointed stars outlined in light red. Each star is surrounded by 4 segments of a broken octagon. These form a cross of dark blue around each star. The segments have a central outward facing point and these form a diamond shaped motif in the spaces between the bands of stars. Small flowerheads and light red or green single knots fill spaces between motifs. The positioning of the stars and segmented octagons creates a grid pattern of vertical and horizontal lines decorated with small diamonds out of the field.

Borders from the centre:
(1) dark red ground with red rosettes separated by a line of 3 florets.
(2) black ground with a narrow green meander with (sides only) paired leaves and alternately inward and outward facing botehs; (end only) a boteh usually alternating with a blossom.
(3) white ground with multi-coloured octagons outlined in black.
(4) as (2)
(5) yellow ground with angular black meander with alternately blue and light red blossoms.


Object details

Categories
Object type
Materials and techniques
Woollen knotted pile
Brief description
Woollen carpet, Iran, 19th century
Physical description
Woollen carpet with field covered with repeating pattern of stars in a lattice on a dark blue ground. There are five small border stripes with rosettes and cone meander in red, pink, yellow, white, pale blue, brown and purple.

Warp: White cotton; Z8S; 14 threads per inch (46-52 per dm)

Weft: white cotton; Z6S; some brown wool mainly in the centre, Z-spun, unplied; 1 shoot after each row of knots; 9 knots per inch (36 per dm).

Pile: wool; 11 colours: red, light red, yellow, green, light green, dark blue, blue, purple, brown, black, white; symmetrical knot tied around 2 threads; 63 knots per sq. inch (828-936 per sq. dm).

Side finish: one cord oversewn with black or brown wool.

End finish: missing.

Design: Field: dark blue ground with 3 rows and a partial row to each side of 8-pointed stars outlined in light red. Each star is surrounded by 4 segments of a broken octagon. These form a cross of dark blue around each star. The segments have a central outward facing point and these form a diamond shaped motif in the spaces between the bands of stars. Small flowerheads and light red or green single knots fill spaces between motifs. The positioning of the stars and segmented octagons creates a grid pattern of vertical and horizontal lines decorated with small diamonds out of the field.

Borders from the centre:
(1) dark red ground with red rosettes separated by a line of 3 florets.
(2) black ground with a narrow green meander with (sides only) paired leaves and alternately inward and outward facing botehs; (end only) a boteh usually alternating with a blossom.
(3) white ground with multi-coloured octagons outlined in black.
(4) as (2)
(5) yellow ground with angular black meander with alternately blue and light red blossoms.
Dimensions
  • Weight: 16kg
  • Top edge width: 1165mm
  • Bottom edge width: 1200mm
  • Proper right edge length: 2000mm
  • Proper left edge length: 1960mm
Weight including roller
Credit line
Bequeathed by Dame Ada MacNaghten
Collection
Accession number
T.39-1970

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Record createdOctober 13, 2005
Record URL
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