Carpet
1600-1650 (made)
| Place of origin |
Warp: white cotton; Z5S; 32 threads per inch (120 per dm); depressed.
Weft: (1) light orange silk; Z3S (2) light yellow cotton; Z-spun, unplied, 2 parallel threads per shoot; 3 shoots after each row of knots - one of silk followed by 2 of cotton; 12 knots per inch (50 per dm).
The cotton weft goes through the open shed and therefore does not need to be plied for strength, so several starbds are used in parallel. The silk goes through the closed shed and is plied.
Pile: silk: 13 colours (some fading and it is not clear exactly how many colours): red, dark yellow, yellow, dark green, green, light green, dark blue, blue, light blue, (possibly) pink, light brown, black, white; asymmetrical knot, open to the left and tied around 2 threads; 192 knots per sq. inch (3000 per sq. dm),
Side finish: one cord overcast with red (faded) silk
End finish: Lower: twisted warp loops form a fringe 15 cms. long; Upper: as lower, 8 cms.
Design: Field: faded red ground with blossoms on two sets of spiralling stems - thick light blue spirals and thin dark green stems both with blossoms and leaves; symmetrically spaced along a central vertical and horizontal exis.
Main border: green ground with large palmette blossoms encircled by stem-like arabesques and blue split leaves.
Inner border: simple reciprocal-like yellow hear-shaped motifs and blue crosses.
Outer border: floral meander with half flowers in blue, pink and green.
Weft: (1) light orange silk; Z3S (2) light yellow cotton; Z-spun, unplied, 2 parallel threads per shoot; 3 shoots after each row of knots - one of silk followed by 2 of cotton; 12 knots per inch (50 per dm).
The cotton weft goes through the open shed and therefore does not need to be plied for strength, so several starbds are used in parallel. The silk goes through the closed shed and is plied.
Pile: silk: 13 colours (some fading and it is not clear exactly how many colours): red, dark yellow, yellow, dark green, green, light green, dark blue, blue, light blue, (possibly) pink, light brown, black, white; asymmetrical knot, open to the left and tied around 2 threads; 192 knots per sq. inch (3000 per sq. dm),
Side finish: one cord overcast with red (faded) silk
End finish: Lower: twisted warp loops form a fringe 15 cms. long; Upper: as lower, 8 cms.
Design: Field: faded red ground with blossoms on two sets of spiralling stems - thick light blue spirals and thin dark green stems both with blossoms and leaves; symmetrically spaced along a central vertical and horizontal exis.
Main border: green ground with large palmette blossoms encircled by stem-like arabesques and blue split leaves.
Inner border: simple reciprocal-like yellow hear-shaped motifs and blue crosses.
Outer border: floral meander with half flowers in blue, pink and green.
Object details
| Category | |
| Object type | |
| Materials and techniques | weaving, cotton and silk |
| Brief description | Middle East, Textile, Carpet; Carpet, silk knotted pile on cotton warp and silk and cotton weft, 'Polonaise' or 'Shah `Abbas' design, probably Isfahan or Kashan, Iran, 1600-1650 |
| Physical description | Warp: white cotton; Z5S; 32 threads per inch (120 per dm); depressed. Weft: (1) light orange silk; Z3S (2) light yellow cotton; Z-spun, unplied, 2 parallel threads per shoot; 3 shoots after each row of knots - one of silk followed by 2 of cotton; 12 knots per inch (50 per dm). The cotton weft goes through the open shed and therefore does not need to be plied for strength, so several starbds are used in parallel. The silk goes through the closed shed and is plied. Pile: silk: 13 colours (some fading and it is not clear exactly how many colours): red, dark yellow, yellow, dark green, green, light green, dark blue, blue, light blue, (possibly) pink, light brown, black, white; asymmetrical knot, open to the left and tied around 2 threads; 192 knots per sq. inch (3000 per sq. dm), Side finish: one cord overcast with red (faded) silk End finish: Lower: twisted warp loops form a fringe 15 cms. long; Upper: as lower, 8 cms. Design: Field: faded red ground with blossoms on two sets of spiralling stems - thick light blue spirals and thin dark green stems both with blossoms and leaves; symmetrically spaced along a central vertical and horizontal exis. Main border: green ground with large palmette blossoms encircled by stem-like arabesques and blue split leaves. Inner border: simple reciprocal-like yellow hear-shaped motifs and blue crosses. Outer border: floral meander with half flowers in blue, pink and green. |
| Dimensions |
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| Style | |
| Object history | Purchased from Durlacher Bros, 142 New Bond Street, London. "We are sending you tomorrow on approbation, by instructions received from Sir Samuel Montagu a Perso-Polonese Rug, which Mr Purdon Clarke saw at Sir Samuel's house. The rug cost us 60 guineas at Christie's, and we send it to you at 10% profit." The Museum's Director Caspar Purdon Clarke added: "This type of design is not represented in our collection, and as these carpets are rarely met with I consider it desirable to acquire one for the Museum." (7-11 March 1899, V&A Archives). Durlacher Bros had purchased this carpet from the estate of Alfred Morrison, and in the Christie's sale catalogue, it may be identified as lot 133: "A Silk Carpet, with crimson centre, pale blue border, with interlaced arabesque folirage in the centre in brilliant colours - from Herat, 16th century". |
| Production | Polonaise design - but no metal thread |
| Bibliographic reference | Christie, Manson and Woods, The Collection of a Portion of the Celebrated Collection of Indian, Persian, Turkish and Other Oriental Embroideries, Brocades, Prayer-Carpets and Rugs, and other Oriental Fabrics, of the late Alfred Morrison, Esq. (1 December 1898): lot 133. |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | 227-1899 |
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| Record created | August 25, 2005 |
| Record URL |
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