Middle East, Carpet. Carpet, wool knotted pile on silk warps and cotton wefts, 'Shah `Abbas' design of spiralling lotus stems and cloudbands on red ground, Isfahan, Safavid Iran, 1575-1625

Carpet, hand knotted woollen pile on silk warp and cotton weft, Persian, 17th century.
Warp: white silk; Z2S; 30 threads per in/120 per dm; depressed
Weft: white cotton; unable to ascertain spin, ply and twist; 3 shoots after each row of knots; 12 knots per inch/48 per dm
Pile: wool; 14 colours: dark red, red, light red, orange, dark yellow, yellow, dark green, green. light green, dark blue, blue, light blue, dark brown, white; asymmetrical knot tied around two threads and open to the left; 180 knots per sq.in/2880 per sq.dm
Side Finish: one cord oversewn with dark red wool
End Finish: 1cm of weft-twining forming a chevron patten
Design: Field: dark red ground with emphatic white stems edged in brown under which lies a system of broken green stems, both bearing flowers and leaves. The white stems, however, bear the larger palmettes and cloud bands in various colours. Although the design is essentially one quarter which is reflected across the vertical and horizontal axes, the palemettes do vary in size.
Main Border: dark yellow ground with shade variations. A complex double meander, one in dark blue with a green stem bearing blossoms and one in dark red with a red stem. Alternating framed palmettes in light blue or red.
Inner Border: green ground with a double meander in dark red bearing light red buds and in dark brown bearing white flowers alternating with light red fruit.
Outer Border: dark red ground with a double meander, one in green bearing leaves, the other in light red bearing white flowers and yellow buds.
Date catalogued: 26/01/2000

Bequeathed by D. M. Currie

Bequeathed by David M. Currie. The carpet had been on long term loan to the Museum from 4 April 1887 to 8 January 1908, and again from 1919.

The carpet designer can simplify the creative process for himself, but still create something dramatic, by using a system of overlapping 'S's on which he can draw leaves and flowers. This type of structure forms the basis of lively and exuberant designs which repeat regularly but lack the rigidity and formality of designs based on lattices. Scrolling white stems form the basis of this carpet design but the greater the skill of the designer, the more difficult it will be for you to analyse the design into its basic components.

T.140-1921