Carpet
1800-1880 (made)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
WARP: brown wool; Z3S; 15 threads to the inch (56 per dm).
WEFT: brown, light brown and white wool plied together; Z2S; 2 shoots after each row of knots; 9-10 knots to the inch (36-42 per dm).
PILE: wool; 10 colours: red (about 8 knots only,) dark yellow, yellow, dark blue, blue, light blue, pink, dark brown, light brown (lower borders only), white; symmetrical knot tied around 2 threads; average of 71 knots per sq. inch (average of 1090 per sq. dm).
SIDE FINISH: one cord overcast with white wool.
END FINISH: Lower: cut but with evidence of plainweave with white wool. Upper: cut.
DESIGN: Field: blue ground with two rows of motifs, each row has two palmettes alternating with three lozenges which contain a rosette. Radiating from each lozenge are four stylized lilies in pink, brown or white. Stars, animals, birds and other motifs are scattered across the field. Along the sides of the field are crossed stems in yellow bearing a bud and a leaf. Along the upper and lower edges the stems are single.
Main border: Elaborate reciprocal trefoil in dark yellow and yellow outlined in light blue.
Inner and outer borders are each in three parts: the centre has a brown ground with a trail of carnations in white and blue on yellow stems. On either side of this is a white ground with stylised S- and Z-motifs, each crossed with a diagonal bar, all in shades of brown and yellow.
WEFT: brown, light brown and white wool plied together; Z2S; 2 shoots after each row of knots; 9-10 knots to the inch (36-42 per dm).
PILE: wool; 10 colours: red (about 8 knots only,) dark yellow, yellow, dark blue, blue, light blue, pink, dark brown, light brown (lower borders only), white; symmetrical knot tied around 2 threads; average of 71 knots per sq. inch (average of 1090 per sq. dm).
SIDE FINISH: one cord overcast with white wool.
END FINISH: Lower: cut but with evidence of plainweave with white wool. Upper: cut.
DESIGN: Field: blue ground with two rows of motifs, each row has two palmettes alternating with three lozenges which contain a rosette. Radiating from each lozenge are four stylized lilies in pink, brown or white. Stars, animals, birds and other motifs are scattered across the field. Along the sides of the field are crossed stems in yellow bearing a bud and a leaf. Along the upper and lower edges the stems are single.
Main border: Elaborate reciprocal trefoil in dark yellow and yellow outlined in light blue.
Inner and outer borders are each in three parts: the centre has a brown ground with a trail of carnations in white and blue on yellow stems. On either side of this is a white ground with stylised S- and Z-motifs, each crossed with a diagonal bar, all in shades of brown and yellow.
Object details
| Category | |
| Object type | |
| Materials and techniques | Knotted pile. |
| Brief description | Carpet, wool pile on wool foundation, 'Harshang' pattern on blue ground, possibly Karagashli, Shirvan province, Azerbaijan, 1800-1880 |
| Physical description | WARP: brown wool; Z3S; 15 threads to the inch (56 per dm). WEFT: brown, light brown and white wool plied together; Z2S; 2 shoots after each row of knots; 9-10 knots to the inch (36-42 per dm). PILE: wool; 10 colours: red (about 8 knots only,) dark yellow, yellow, dark blue, blue, light blue, pink, dark brown, light brown (lower borders only), white; symmetrical knot tied around 2 threads; average of 71 knots per sq. inch (average of 1090 per sq. dm). SIDE FINISH: one cord overcast with white wool. END FINISH: Lower: cut but with evidence of plainweave with white wool. Upper: cut. DESIGN: Field: blue ground with two rows of motifs, each row has two palmettes alternating with three lozenges which contain a rosette. Radiating from each lozenge are four stylized lilies in pink, brown or white. Stars, animals, birds and other motifs are scattered across the field. Along the sides of the field are crossed stems in yellow bearing a bud and a leaf. Along the upper and lower edges the stems are single. Main border: Elaborate reciprocal trefoil in dark yellow and yellow outlined in light blue. Inner and outer borders are each in three parts: the centre has a brown ground with a trail of carnations in white and blue on yellow stems. On either side of this is a white ground with stylised S- and Z-motifs, each crossed with a diagonal bar, all in shades of brown and yellow. |
| Dimensions |
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| Object history | Purchased in Istanbul in 1897 from Mrs Alice Whitaker, daughter and heir of William Henry Wrench (1836-96). Wrench was British consul in the city when he died, and he had formed a significant collection of Ottoman and Iranian objects while in the consular service. This carpet may be seen draped over a low couch in Wrench's home in Istanbul, in a photograph captioned "Constantinople. The Wrench Collection at Pera. View of room showing Persian art objects" (V&A: PH.334-1892). |
| Production | This carpet has also been attributed to Baku (Franses and Pinner 1980) and Kuba (Bennett 1981: fig.317). |
| Associated object | |
| Bibliographic reference | Michael Franses and Robert Pinner, "The Caucasian Collection", in "Caucasian Rugs in the Victoria and Albert Museum", Hali 3/2 (1980) pp.95-115: fig.20. |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | 361-1897 |
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| Record created | October 27, 2005 |
| Record URL |
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