1890-1910
The design of this carpet draws from an earlier model of carpets known as “millefleur” (thousand flowers) because of their profusion of floral motifs. Like these earlier carpets, including one at the Harvard Art Museums (1974.58), a number of floral motifs are scattered through an arched opening or niche with an anchoring vase at its base. This niche could indicate use as a prayer rug or allude to an arched gateway and signal the carpet’s function as a hanging. The all-silk pile of this carpet is sumptuous but wear over time has resulted in an inconsistently effaced surface.
163.5 × 118 cm (64 3/8 × 46 7/16 in.)
Book of swatches mounted on paper (56 sheets)
19th-20th centuryJapaneseSilk
JapaneseInk on silk
20th centuryAustrianBook of swatches mounted on paper (56 sheets)
19th-20th centuryJapaneseWool and linen, tapestry woven
ByzantineFiber
JapaneseSilk, cotton, and metal-wrapped silk
16th-17th centuryOttomanVelvet
19th-20th centuryEuropean?Wool and linen
4th-5th century CEByzantinePlain woven linen with silk embroidery
19th centuryMexicanBanana fiber with vegetable dyes, weft ikat and warp stripes
18th-19th centuryJapanese