Carpet

Object Type
Carpets were usually used as coverings for tables, not on the floor. This protected the valuable hand-knotted textiles from excessive wear. In the great houses of England the fashion probably began in the early 16th century and continued until the 1630s.

Materials & Making
Most of the reds in this carpets were dyed with madder, which had probably been imported from Holland. However, the crimson shade was produced by combining madder with cochineal, a dye obtained from an insect living on the Opuntia cactus that grew in the Spanish territories in Central America. The use of this expensive dye suggests that this was a very costly carpet.

The wool used for the pile came from breeds of longwool sheep. At the beginning of the 17th century these were found mainly in Hampshire, Kent or Norfolk. Norfolk seems the most likely place of manufacture because it is known from inventories that carpet weaving had been established in that county during the second half of the 16th century.

In this carpet there are 1,800 knots per square decimetre.

Design & Designing
A marked colour change can be seen along the right hand edge. This is the edge at which weaving began. After repeating the pattern, someone - perhaps the designer, the weavers or possibly the client, Sir Edward Apsley - decided that an additional colour should be included to enliven the design.