Carpet
18th century (made)
| Place of origin |
Turkish, made at Koomeshah (Kurdish?) 2nd half of the 19th century. Prayer carpet, woven from the point upwards.
WARP: white cotton; Z6S; 21 threads per inch (90 per dm).
WEFT: white cotton; Z3S; 2 shoots after each row of knots; 12 knots per inch (45 per dm).
PILE: wool; 14 colours: red, light red, yellow, dark green, light green, dark blue, blue, light blue, purple, pink, dark brown, brown, black, white; symmetrical knot tied around 2 threads; 126 knots per sq. inch (540 per sq. dm).
SIDE FINISH: incomplete but evidence in lower left hand corner of a web of 6 cords overcast with blue wool.
END FINISH: Lower: incomplete but evidence of plain weave with blue(wool?) weft-wrapping and then white cotton weft. 2.5 cms. plain weave with white weft and 3 bands with blue (wool?) weft-wrapping and then warp-twining to produce a firm end.
DESIGN: Field: red ground with a 4 sided niche and with a partial small niche to either side above a field edging of dark blue flowers. Between the niches are 2 pairs of narrow blue pillars and between the pillars are flowering stems in various colours. A floral plant with stylised blossoms rises to the point of the niche and across it are 3 white horned motifs. The niches are superimposed on a dark blue panel with light green and red tracery. The panel extends into 5 small horned niches below a narrow dark brown panel with a double floral meander. The topmost panel has a dark green ground with large and small blossoms. Below the field is a narrow panel with double floral meander on dark brown and below is a dark green panel with 4 floral clusters.
Borders from the centre:
(1) red ground with a floral meander on a white stem;
(2) dark blue ground with coloured S-motifs alternately large and small - the smaller having split tails and within a diagonal bar and an horizontal white arrow; the larger have a horizontal cartouche with 3 small flowers;
(3) red ground with a small meander
(4) white ground with large flowering shrubs with a central red carnation and floral motifs to either side;
(5) as (3), very narrow across the top;
(6) dark blue ground with stylised flowerheads in various colours;
(7) as (3)
There is a black and blue band across the top and the bottom.
WARP: white cotton; Z6S; 21 threads per inch (90 per dm).
WEFT: white cotton; Z3S; 2 shoots after each row of knots; 12 knots per inch (45 per dm).
PILE: wool; 14 colours: red, light red, yellow, dark green, light green, dark blue, blue, light blue, purple, pink, dark brown, brown, black, white; symmetrical knot tied around 2 threads; 126 knots per sq. inch (540 per sq. dm).
SIDE FINISH: incomplete but evidence in lower left hand corner of a web of 6 cords overcast with blue wool.
END FINISH: Lower: incomplete but evidence of plain weave with blue(wool?) weft-wrapping and then white cotton weft. 2.5 cms. plain weave with white weft and 3 bands with blue (wool?) weft-wrapping and then warp-twining to produce a firm end.
DESIGN: Field: red ground with a 4 sided niche and with a partial small niche to either side above a field edging of dark blue flowers. Between the niches are 2 pairs of narrow blue pillars and between the pillars are flowering stems in various colours. A floral plant with stylised blossoms rises to the point of the niche and across it are 3 white horned motifs. The niches are superimposed on a dark blue panel with light green and red tracery. The panel extends into 5 small horned niches below a narrow dark brown panel with a double floral meander. The topmost panel has a dark green ground with large and small blossoms. Below the field is a narrow panel with double floral meander on dark brown and below is a dark green panel with 4 floral clusters.
Borders from the centre:
(1) red ground with a floral meander on a white stem;
(2) dark blue ground with coloured S-motifs alternately large and small - the smaller having split tails and within a diagonal bar and an horizontal white arrow; the larger have a horizontal cartouche with 3 small flowers;
(3) red ground with a small meander
(4) white ground with large flowering shrubs with a central red carnation and floral motifs to either side;
(5) as (3), very narrow across the top;
(6) dark blue ground with stylised flowerheads in various colours;
(7) as (3)
There is a black and blue band across the top and the bottom.
Object details
| Category | |
| Object type | |
| Materials and techniques | |
| Brief description | Middle East, Carpet; Turkey |
| Physical description | Turkish, made at Koomeshah (Kurdish?) 2nd half of the 19th century. Prayer carpet, woven from the point upwards. WARP: white cotton; Z6S; 21 threads per inch (90 per dm). WEFT: white cotton; Z3S; 2 shoots after each row of knots; 12 knots per inch (45 per dm). PILE: wool; 14 colours: red, light red, yellow, dark green, light green, dark blue, blue, light blue, purple, pink, dark brown, brown, black, white; symmetrical knot tied around 2 threads; 126 knots per sq. inch (540 per sq. dm). SIDE FINISH: incomplete but evidence in lower left hand corner of a web of 6 cords overcast with blue wool. END FINISH: Lower: incomplete but evidence of plain weave with blue(wool?) weft-wrapping and then white cotton weft. 2.5 cms. plain weave with white weft and 3 bands with blue (wool?) weft-wrapping and then warp-twining to produce a firm end. DESIGN: Field: red ground with a 4 sided niche and with a partial small niche to either side above a field edging of dark blue flowers. Between the niches are 2 pairs of narrow blue pillars and between the pillars are flowering stems in various colours. A floral plant with stylised blossoms rises to the point of the niche and across it are 3 white horned motifs. The niches are superimposed on a dark blue panel with light green and red tracery. The panel extends into 5 small horned niches below a narrow dark brown panel with a double floral meander. The topmost panel has a dark green ground with large and small blossoms. Below the field is a narrow panel with double floral meander on dark brown and below is a dark green panel with 4 floral clusters. Borders from the centre: (1) red ground with a floral meander on a white stem; (2) dark blue ground with coloured S-motifs alternately large and small - the smaller having split tails and within a diagonal bar and an horizontal white arrow; the larger have a horizontal cartouche with 3 small flowers; (3) red ground with a small meander (4) white ground with large flowering shrubs with a central red carnation and floral motifs to either side; (5) as (3), very narrow across the top; (6) dark blue ground with stylised flowerheads in various colours; (7) as (3) There is a black and blue band across the top and the bottom. |
| Dimensions |
|
| Production | carpet fragment, 18th century, Smyrna (Turkey) RP Lt. Col. R. Murdock Smith, Teheran, paid in advance. List of carpets not found: total billed: £38.14.4d. 985-1177 - '83 registered 19/12/83 Letter to Murdock Smith 12/04/83 signed (Wingfield Digby?) "... it is wished that good examples of Carpets of the very earliest manufacture should be procured whenever it may be possible" cf: None with similar structure, i.e cotton warp and weft and low knot count. see working notes. |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | 1049-1883 |
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| Record created | March 16, 2006 |
| Record URL |
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