Carpet
second half 19th century (made)
Artist/Maker | |
Place of origin |
Prayer carpet made of wool and silk.
WARP: white wool; Z2S; 18 threads per inch (80 per dm).
WEFT: dark brown hair; Z2S; 2 shoots after each row of knots; 10 knots per inch (40 per dm).
PILE: wool and silk. 12 colours: dark red, red, light red, green (silk), dark blue, blue, purple (silk), pink (silk), brown, very light brown (wool and silk), black, white; asymmetrical knot, open to the left and tied around 2 threads; 90 knots per sq. inch (1600 per dm).
SIDE FINISH: web of 4 cords worked with brown hair.
END FINISH: Lower: maximum 14 cms and minimum 4 cms plain weave in bands;
(a) the lower part is with white wool weft, the upper with dark brown wool;
(b) two rows of weft twining in red and blue then a band of small white stepped diamonds with red centres in a weft-floating technique on a dark brown ground;
(c) a broad band of tapestry-woven chevrons in brown, blues and reds with most of the junctions are single dovetailing;
(d) is the same as (b) but with blue centres to the stepped diamonds. The fringe is a maximum of 10 cms long and is formed from warp loops with one thick shoot of weft at the lower end of the loops.
Upper: maximum of 12.5 cms. deep. As the lower end but the central band is narrower and the stepped diamonds have red centres. The fringe is made from groups of 7 warp threads secured by a single knot.
DESIGN: Field with a very light brown ground, in wool for the lowest 15 cms and the rest in silk. There is a thick floral sprig rising into a six-sided niche, with four pairs of stems each bearing a stylised carnation in dark blue, dark red, red and light red; there are four rows of stylised floral sprigs with two blue hooked crosses on the lower two corners; the ground is scattered with S-motifs and is edged by a line of inward-facing blue hooks. The two spandrels have a dark red ground filled with simple floral sprigs.
Borders (from the inside):
(1) very light brown ground with central black line across which are paired triangles outlined in black and filled in dark red, red, blue and brown.
(2) interlocking halves of stepped lozenges in the reds, blues and brown, all with contrasting centres.
(3) very light brown ground with a thick central line of alternating red and blue knots and supporting pairs of diagonal lines.
(4) light red ground with motif of 3 linked diamonds with a half diamond to either side of the middle one which has a blue crescent at each diagonal along the border and in the first motif on the sides; the remaining crescents include pairs in red and dark red. These motifs are separated by brown triangles, their points meeting in the centre and with angular indentations along the border edges.
On either side of the niche and between borders (3) and (4) there is a long rectangular panel with a very light brown ground on which a thick stem with closely packed pairs of leaves is predominantly dark red and black.
WARP: white wool; Z2S; 18 threads per inch (80 per dm).
WEFT: dark brown hair; Z2S; 2 shoots after each row of knots; 10 knots per inch (40 per dm).
PILE: wool and silk. 12 colours: dark red, red, light red, green (silk), dark blue, blue, purple (silk), pink (silk), brown, very light brown (wool and silk), black, white; asymmetrical knot, open to the left and tied around 2 threads; 90 knots per sq. inch (1600 per dm).
SIDE FINISH: web of 4 cords worked with brown hair.
END FINISH: Lower: maximum 14 cms and minimum 4 cms plain weave in bands;
(a) the lower part is with white wool weft, the upper with dark brown wool;
(b) two rows of weft twining in red and blue then a band of small white stepped diamonds with red centres in a weft-floating technique on a dark brown ground;
(c) a broad band of tapestry-woven chevrons in brown, blues and reds with most of the junctions are single dovetailing;
(d) is the same as (b) but with blue centres to the stepped diamonds. The fringe is a maximum of 10 cms long and is formed from warp loops with one thick shoot of weft at the lower end of the loops.
Upper: maximum of 12.5 cms. deep. As the lower end but the central band is narrower and the stepped diamonds have red centres. The fringe is made from groups of 7 warp threads secured by a single knot.
DESIGN: Field with a very light brown ground, in wool for the lowest 15 cms and the rest in silk. There is a thick floral sprig rising into a six-sided niche, with four pairs of stems each bearing a stylised carnation in dark blue, dark red, red and light red; there are four rows of stylised floral sprigs with two blue hooked crosses on the lower two corners; the ground is scattered with S-motifs and is edged by a line of inward-facing blue hooks. The two spandrels have a dark red ground filled with simple floral sprigs.
Borders (from the inside):
(1) very light brown ground with central black line across which are paired triangles outlined in black and filled in dark red, red, blue and brown.
(2) interlocking halves of stepped lozenges in the reds, blues and brown, all with contrasting centres.
(3) very light brown ground with a thick central line of alternating red and blue knots and supporting pairs of diagonal lines.
(4) light red ground with motif of 3 linked diamonds with a half diamond to either side of the middle one which has a blue crescent at each diagonal along the border and in the first motif on the sides; the remaining crescents include pairs in red and dark red. These motifs are separated by brown triangles, their points meeting in the centre and with angular indentations along the border edges.
On either side of the niche and between borders (3) and (4) there is a long rectangular panel with a very light brown ground on which a thick stem with closely packed pairs of leaves is predominantly dark red and black.
Object details
Categories | |
Object type | |
Materials and techniques | Woven wool and silk |
Brief description | Prayer carpet made of wool and silk, Central Asia, second half of 19th century |
Physical description | Prayer carpet made of wool and silk. WARP: white wool; Z2S; 18 threads per inch (80 per dm). WEFT: dark brown hair; Z2S; 2 shoots after each row of knots; 10 knots per inch (40 per dm). PILE: wool and silk. 12 colours: dark red, red, light red, green (silk), dark blue, blue, purple (silk), pink (silk), brown, very light brown (wool and silk), black, white; asymmetrical knot, open to the left and tied around 2 threads; 90 knots per sq. inch (1600 per dm). SIDE FINISH: web of 4 cords worked with brown hair. END FINISH: Lower: maximum 14 cms and minimum 4 cms plain weave in bands; (a) the lower part is with white wool weft, the upper with dark brown wool; (b) two rows of weft twining in red and blue then a band of small white stepped diamonds with red centres in a weft-floating technique on a dark brown ground; (c) a broad band of tapestry-woven chevrons in brown, blues and reds with most of the junctions are single dovetailing; (d) is the same as (b) but with blue centres to the stepped diamonds. The fringe is a maximum of 10 cms long and is formed from warp loops with one thick shoot of weft at the lower end of the loops. Upper: maximum of 12.5 cms. deep. As the lower end but the central band is narrower and the stepped diamonds have red centres. The fringe is made from groups of 7 warp threads secured by a single knot. DESIGN: Field with a very light brown ground, in wool for the lowest 15 cms and the rest in silk. There is a thick floral sprig rising into a six-sided niche, with four pairs of stems each bearing a stylised carnation in dark blue, dark red, red and light red; there are four rows of stylised floral sprigs with two blue hooked crosses on the lower two corners; the ground is scattered with S-motifs and is edged by a line of inward-facing blue hooks. The two spandrels have a dark red ground filled with simple floral sprigs. Borders (from the inside): (1) very light brown ground with central black line across which are paired triangles outlined in black and filled in dark red, red, blue and brown. (2) interlocking halves of stepped lozenges in the reds, blues and brown, all with contrasting centres. (3) very light brown ground with a thick central line of alternating red and blue knots and supporting pairs of diagonal lines. (4) light red ground with motif of 3 linked diamonds with a half diamond to either side of the middle one which has a blue crescent at each diagonal along the border and in the first motif on the sides; the remaining crescents include pairs in red and dark red. These motifs are separated by brown triangles, their points meeting in the centre and with angular indentations along the border edges. On either side of the niche and between borders (3) and (4) there is a long rectangular panel with a very light brown ground on which a thick stem with closely packed pairs of leaves is predominantly dark red and black. |
Dimensions |
|
Credit line | Bequeathed by Brigadier W. E. Clark |
Production | Prayer rug, Beluch Bequest from Brigadier W.E. Clarke cf: Mackie/TM (1974), ill. 41 "Beluch, 19th century" Parsons (1983, ill 93c, ".. Beluch prayer rug, probably from Badghis Province (Afghanistan).. this piece is dated 1261 AH (1882)". Also ill. 101 "Kawdani (Herat Province, Afghanistan). The selvedges are of goat hair". Tzareva (1984) ill. 150 "Baluch floor rug, 19th century" and ill. 155, "Baluch tent bag, 19th century". mentioned and illustrated "Mind the Gap - "Baluch Rugs in the V & A", by Robert Pittenger + analysis. Hali 1994, issue 73, p. 80,81. |
Collection | |
Accession number | T.75-1969 |
About this object record
Explore the Collections contains over a million catalogue records, and over half a million images. It is a working database that includes information compiled over the life of the museum. Some of our records may contain offensive and discriminatory language, or reflect outdated ideas, practice and analysis. We are committed to addressing these issues, and to review and update our records accordingly.
You can write to us to suggest improvements to the record.
Suggest feedback
You can write to us to suggest improvements to the record.
Suggest feedback
Record created | March 2, 2006 |
Record URL |
Download as: JSONIIIF Manifest