Carpet, wool knotted pile on cotton warp and wool weft, 'Garden Carpet' design, Iran, 1700-1800

Carpet, Garden Carpet, hand knotted woollen pile on cotton warp and woollen weft, Persian, late 17th 18th century
WARP: white cotton; Z7S; 15 threads to the inch (57 per dm).
WEFT: light red wool; Z3S; 2 shoots; 8 knots to the inch (30 per dm).
PILE: wool; 12 colours: dark red, red, light red, yellow, green, dark blue, blue, light blue, very light blue, dark purple, dark brown, cream; symmetrical knot tied around 2 threads; 60 knots to the sq. inch (855 per sq. dm).
SIDE FINISH: tw ocrods overcastwith white wool - may not be original
END FINISH: missing
DESIGN: Field: central island in the form of an 8-pointed star with a dark blue ground edged in red, containing a white and red star-burst surrounded by red and light blue blossoms, framed by lobed yellow medallion which contains red blossoms and light blue leaves on green stems. Under this flow four water channels forming a cross with red and blue zigzagged lines and spotted fish. On either side of the channels is a narrow green border with a dark meander and red leaves and above abd below the channels are small sections of another 'island'medallion. In all four corners there are six plots of garden in three rows: one plot has a chenar tree, another has an 8-pointed star and they alternate. The four plots closest to the centre have white grounds, followed by a blue ground but the other two rows have red grounds.Four brown trees nearest to the centre 'grow' out of the island; other trees are green. Each plot is bordered along two sides by a dark blue band containing shrubs growing alongside the water channels.
Main Border: dark blue ground with inward facing cypress trees alternating with shrubs predominantly white or red.
Inner border: white ground with a dark meander with red leaves
Outer Border: incomplete along the upper edge. White ground with dark meander bearing red, light blue and brown blossoms and brown diagonal leaves.
Catalogue Date: 17.5.95

Purchased from The Public Trustees Office, Kingsway, London WC2 (formerly possession of Mrs. Crews, 49 Portland Square, London).

This design is a bird's eye view, or a map, of a classical Persian garden divided into four beds by two intersecting channels of water. The garden is actually depicted from two points of view at once: from above, giving the architectural plan and from the side, showing the trees and shrubs in profile.

T.10-1924