Carpet
1500-1600 (made)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
Medallion carpet, trimmed at top and bottom, wool knotted pile on wool foundation, reciprocal borders at sides only, Safavid Iran, 1500-1600. T.267-1959 is one of the corner pieces.
Design: Field: Red ground with a large segmented medallion in the centre, almost filling the width of the field. In the middle is an 8-pointed red star from which radiate four white alternating with four yellow curvilinear segments on a dark blue ground. All the segments -white, yellow and blue - are covered by scrolling stems and blossoms which change colour over the white and yellow segments. The medallions is edged with a wave-like pattern in light blue. At the top and bottom of the medallion is a light green (?) cartouche and a dark blue pendant, both edged with the same wave-like pattern in orange and both containing stems and blossoms. To the right as displayed along both sides there is part of a white ground compartment cut off by the borders, containing floral sprays. The ground is covered with three layers of stems which are difficult to analyse while the carpet is glazed and on display. However, the layers appear to be:
1. The lower one consists of an angular orange stem which forms diamonds, one of which contains a white blossom and another of which contains 2 white buds and orange interlacing. A large palmette in light blue and black is positioned at each corner of the diamond.
2. The middle one is a curling green stem which seems to be discontinuous; it bears palmettes and buds.
3. The uppermost one has yellow spiralling stems bearing green and light and dark blue split leaves.
In the upper right hand corner is a quarter medallion: it has a blue ground edged with dark yellow. It contains two large cloud bands - one orange and one yellow - with blossoms, palmettes and split leaves on dark yellow stems.
Borders: there are five decorative borders, from the middle these are:
(1) black ground with angular yellow meander outlined in orange bearing alternately light blue and yellow blossoms.
(2) White ground with a fine orange angular meander bearing orange and yellow blossoms.
(3) Dark green ground with a fine, angular meander in yellow with a variety of different blossoms and leaves.
(4) Dark yellow ground with strapwork. There are three discontinuous elements in orange, blue and dark blue each containing floral stems and linking one white and orange diamond and one white and dark yellow palmette.
(5) Reciprocal trefoils in blue and white outlined in orange, each containing a stylised plant motif.
Date catalogued: 6.12.00
Design: Field: Red ground with a large segmented medallion in the centre, almost filling the width of the field. In the middle is an 8-pointed red star from which radiate four white alternating with four yellow curvilinear segments on a dark blue ground. All the segments -white, yellow and blue - are covered by scrolling stems and blossoms which change colour over the white and yellow segments. The medallions is edged with a wave-like pattern in light blue. At the top and bottom of the medallion is a light green (?) cartouche and a dark blue pendant, both edged with the same wave-like pattern in orange and both containing stems and blossoms. To the right as displayed along both sides there is part of a white ground compartment cut off by the borders, containing floral sprays. The ground is covered with three layers of stems which are difficult to analyse while the carpet is glazed and on display. However, the layers appear to be:
1. The lower one consists of an angular orange stem which forms diamonds, one of which contains a white blossom and another of which contains 2 white buds and orange interlacing. A large palmette in light blue and black is positioned at each corner of the diamond.
2. The middle one is a curling green stem which seems to be discontinuous; it bears palmettes and buds.
3. The uppermost one has yellow spiralling stems bearing green and light and dark blue split leaves.
In the upper right hand corner is a quarter medallion: it has a blue ground edged with dark yellow. It contains two large cloud bands - one orange and one yellow - with blossoms, palmettes and split leaves on dark yellow stems.
Borders: there are five decorative borders, from the middle these are:
(1) black ground with angular yellow meander outlined in orange bearing alternately light blue and yellow blossoms.
(2) White ground with a fine orange angular meander bearing orange and yellow blossoms.
(3) Dark green ground with a fine, angular meander in yellow with a variety of different blossoms and leaves.
(4) Dark yellow ground with strapwork. There are three discontinuous elements in orange, blue and dark blue each containing floral stems and linking one white and orange diamond and one white and dark yellow palmette.
(5) Reciprocal trefoils in blue and white outlined in orange, each containing a stylised plant motif.
Date catalogued: 6.12.00
Object details
| Object type | |
| Materials and techniques | Hand knotted woollen pile, on woollen warp and weft; asymmetrical knot, open to the left; 175 knots per sq. in (2,800 per sq. dm).
Warp: white wool; Z2S; 25 threads per inch (100 per dm).
Weft: white wool; Z2S; 3 shoots after each row of knots; 14 knots per inch (56 per dm).
Pile: wool; 12 colours: red, orange, dark yellow, yellow, dark green, green, light green, dark blue, blue, light blue, black, white; asymmetrical knot tied around two threads and open to the left; 175 knots per sq. inch (2800 per sq. dm).
Side Finish: not original
End Finish: not original |
| Brief description | Carpet, large fragment showing the central medallion and accompanying double pendants, both ends missing (see T.267-1959 for a corner fragment of the same carpet), wool knotted pile on wool foundation, Iran, 1500-1600 |
| Physical description | Medallion carpet, trimmed at top and bottom, wool knotted pile on wool foundation, reciprocal borders at sides only, Safavid Iran, 1500-1600. T.267-1959 is one of the corner pieces. Design: Field: Red ground with a large segmented medallion in the centre, almost filling the width of the field. In the middle is an 8-pointed red star from which radiate four white alternating with four yellow curvilinear segments on a dark blue ground. All the segments -white, yellow and blue - are covered by scrolling stems and blossoms which change colour over the white and yellow segments. The medallions is edged with a wave-like pattern in light blue. At the top and bottom of the medallion is a light green (?) cartouche and a dark blue pendant, both edged with the same wave-like pattern in orange and both containing stems and blossoms. To the right as displayed along both sides there is part of a white ground compartment cut off by the borders, containing floral sprays. The ground is covered with three layers of stems which are difficult to analyse while the carpet is glazed and on display. However, the layers appear to be: 1. The lower one consists of an angular orange stem which forms diamonds, one of which contains a white blossom and another of which contains 2 white buds and orange interlacing. A large palmette in light blue and black is positioned at each corner of the diamond. 2. The middle one is a curling green stem which seems to be discontinuous; it bears palmettes and buds. 3. The uppermost one has yellow spiralling stems bearing green and light and dark blue split leaves. In the upper right hand corner is a quarter medallion: it has a blue ground edged with dark yellow. It contains two large cloud bands - one orange and one yellow - with blossoms, palmettes and split leaves on dark yellow stems. Borders: there are five decorative borders, from the middle these are: (1) black ground with angular yellow meander outlined in orange bearing alternately light blue and yellow blossoms. (2) White ground with a fine orange angular meander bearing orange and yellow blossoms. (3) Dark green ground with a fine, angular meander in yellow with a variety of different blossoms and leaves. (4) Dark yellow ground with strapwork. There are three discontinuous elements in orange, blue and dark blue each containing floral stems and linking one white and orange diamond and one white and dark yellow palmette. (5) Reciprocal trefoils in blue and white outlined in orange, each containing a stylised plant motif. Date catalogued: 6.12.00 |
| Dimensions |
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| Style | |
| Subjects depicted | |
| Associated object | T.267-1959 (Part) |
| Bibliographic reference | Friedrich Spuhler, Islamic Carpets and Textiles in the Keir Collection, London, 1978, p. 133.
A. F. Kendrick and C. E. C. Tatersall, Handwoven Carpets: Oriental & European (London: Benn Brothers 1922): 16, 104, and pl. 9. |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | 326-1894 |
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| Record created | September 3, 2002 |
| Record URL |
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