Carpet
1900-1930 (made)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
Alternating octagons and rosettes using only three colours could easily be boring, but by including small white diamonds the designer has formed a strong contrast. The diamonds in the first and last line are much smaller than the others, probably to ensure that a complete motif would fit in - otherwise only half could have been woven. Small white dots have been included in one diagonal line of octagons.
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Materials and techniques | Carpet, wool knotted pile on wool foundation, asymmetric knot.
WARP: white wool; Z2S; depressed; 24 threads per inch (94 per dm)
WEFT: brown wool; Z-spun, unplied, 2 parallel threads per shoot; 2 shoots after each row of knots; 12 knots per inch (44 per dm)
PILE: wool; 5 colours: red, dark blue, purple, black, white; asymmetrical knot open to the left and tied around 2 threads; 144 knots per sq. inch (2068 per sq. dm) Asymmetrical knot, open to the left; 144 knots per sq. in (2,068 per sq. dm).
SIDE FINISH: 4 cords overcast with brown wool
END FINISH: Lower: missing but 2" (2 cms) plain weave with some evidence of purple weft followed by white and then red. Upper: missing but evidence of plain weave with dark brown weft. |
| Brief description | Middle East, Textile, Carpet; Carpet, wool knotted pile on wool foundation, Baluch, S Iran or Afghanistan, 1900-1930 |
| Physical description | Carpet, Baluch, 1900-1930. Central field containing octagons and rosettes flanked by one broad and several narrow borders. The broad border contains a hooked diamond with a highly stylised plant between. This has a small square centre and leaves at each corner. A small area of plain web survives at each end. DESIGN: Field: dark blue ground with 16 bands each of 7 motifs, either 3 or 4 stylised rosettes and 3 or 4 purple octagons with red centres. The diagonals achieved by these major motifs are countered by the placing of a small white diamond with red or purple centre in every interstice, creating strong vertical and horizontal lines. Main border: red ground with dark blue/mottled black hooked lozenge and within it an 8-petalled red and purple flowerhead. A pair of narrow stems ending in 2 stylised leaves frames the lozenge and each unit is separated by a quartered square. Inner border: dark blue ground with the same 2-coloured flowerheads as the main border, bordered by a narrow purple-ground stripe with small red floret. Outer border: pseudo-reciprocal running dog pattern, purple on one side and the other is a narrow dark blue hook with red base. Outermost border: black ground with diagonal red blocks. Note: where black has been used, it is corroded. |
| Dimensions |
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| Styles | |
| Production | Analysed by Robert Pittenger in "Mind the Gap - Baluch Rugs in the V & A". Hali 1994, Issue 73, p. 81 |
| Subjects depicted | |
| Summary | Alternating octagons and rosettes using only three colours could easily be boring, but by including small white diamonds the designer has formed a strong contrast. The diamonds in the first and last line are much smaller than the others, probably to ensure that a complete motif would fit in - otherwise only half could have been woven. Small white dots have been included in one diagonal line of octagons. |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | T.335-1982 |
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| Record created | March 12, 2003 |
| Record URL |
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