Carpet
1870-1875 (made)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
Botehs of all size cover this carpet - they appear in all except the outermost border and they repeat, rather monotonously, across the field. Short floral stems link them and add a bit of movement, but the overall effect is rather unexciting. This and other carpets given to the Museum by the Shah, were chosen by his ministers to represent the very best being produced in Iran in 1876.
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Materials and techniques | Wool knotted pile, on cotton warp and wool and cotton weft; symmetrical knot, open to the left, with some jufti knots; 350 knots per sq. in (5,120 per sq. dm)
WARP: white cotton; Z4S; 34-36 threads per inch (124-132 per dm); depressed.
WEFT: white wool and white cotton; wool = Z-spun, unplied, 2 parallel threads per shoot; cotton = Z2S(?); 1 shoot of cotton after each row of knots and 2 shoots of wool after every 5th row; 20 knots to the inch (80 per dm).
PILE: wool; 9 colours: red, orange, yellow, green, dark blue, blue, purple, light purple (faded), white; asymmetrical knot open to the left and predominantly tied around 2 warp threads although there are jufti knots tied around four warp threads; 350 knots per sq. inch (5120 per sq. dm).
NOTE: the variable number of warp threads around which knots are tied is determined by the design: for example, in the main border, the outermost lines of the botehs - in order to achieve the steeper angle or finer line, the knotting is variable.
SIDE FINISH: one cord oversewn with red wool.
END FINISH: Lower: missing. Upper: missing but with loose warp threads 2" (5 cm) long. |
| Brief description | Carpet, wool knotted pile on cotton warp and wool and cotton weft, design of offset botehs on white ground, possibly Mashhad, Iran, 1870-1875 |
| Physical description | Carpet Design: Field: white ground with 19 bands of botehs (7 or 9 per band). The ground is covered with vertical, curling stems. Main Border: white ground, The design is symmetrical around a central axis and consists of small botehs paired back-to-back. Inner and Outer Borders: dark blue ground with small flowers. Outermost Border: floral meander on a green ground. Catalogue Date: 21.07.1999 |
| Dimensions |
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| Style | |
| Credit line | Given by His Majesty Nasir al-Din Shah |
| Object history | In 1877, Nasruddin Shah, the Qajar ruler of Iran, approved a donation of contemporary textiles and carpets to the South Kensington Museum. Organised via Robert Murdoch Smith and Qajar minister Emin al-Mulk, the donation consisted of 14 carpets and 60 other examples of textiles, and was directly intended to advertise Iran's textile industry to British consumers. The accompanying letter to the Museum's Lords of Committee outlined the strategy "We have no doubt whatever that the English Nation has always viewed our manufactures in a kind and friendly manner; and although the Persian Arts have not attained a high rank, nevertheless they have been viewed with a friendly eye and examined in a partial spirit. Such being the case, H.I.M. the Shah resolved that a small quantity of the produce of this country - manufactures by Persian workmen of the present day - should be presented to the said Museum." |
| Subject depicted | |
| Summary | Botehs of all size cover this carpet - they appear in all except the outermost border and they repeat, rather monotonously, across the field. Short floral stems link them and add a bit of movement, but the overall effect is rather unexciting. This and other carpets given to the Museum by the Shah, were chosen by his ministers to represent the very best being produced in Iran in 1876. |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | 837-1877 |
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| Record created | August 13, 2002 |
| Record URL |
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