Hand knotted woollen carpet, Iran, 1860-1920

Carpet, hand knotted woollen pile on woollen warp and weft.

Warp: brown and brown and white t hair; Z2S; depressed; 22 threads per inch (84 per dm).

Weft: dark red wool;Z2S; 2 shoots after each row of knots; 10 knots per inch (40 per dm).

Pile: wool; 11 colours: dark red, red, orange, yellow, dark green, light green, dark blue, blue, brown, black, white; symmetrical knot tied around 2 threads; 110 knots per sq. inch (1680 per sq. inch).

Side finish:one cord oversewn mainly in red wool but at irregular intervals with other colours.

End finish: incomplete but with evidence of a narrow band of knotted pile in diagonal blocks.

Design: Field: white ground with row of three stepped lozenges with red ground. Both field and lozenges have dense bands of stylised birds, botehs and geometric motifs. Step-outlined motifs at all four edges protrude into the field.
Main border: dark red ground; with stylised floral meander with botehs.
Inner and outer borders: blue ground with geometric floral sprigs.

Bequeathed by Dame Ada MacNaghten

Every inch of space in the field of this carpet has been filled with small birds and even smaller stylized motifs including a second type of bird, some animals, S-motifs and lots of small botehs. The same pattern covers the entire field but greater interest has been created by changing the colour of the ground within the three lozenges.

T.33-1970