Textile ArtsPersian16th-17th century

Fragment of a Herat Carpet

17th century

Description

The large scale of this fragment’s motifs suggests that it once formed part of a sizable carpet. Such rugs, sometimes reaching over 6 meters in length, often feature large palmettes and curved serrated leaves like those found in the main red field and partial border of this fragment. The carpet was woven with warps and wefts spun from cotton (the threads that form the rug’s basic structure), a relatively inexpensive material compared to wool and silk. These cost-saving measures resulted in larger carpets with repeating designs that could meet increasing global demands for Persian carpets in the 17th century.

Classification

Textile Arts

Medium

Wool pile on a foundation of cotton warps and wefts

Culture

Persian

Century

16th-17th century

Division

Asian and Mediterranean Art

Department

Department of Islamic & Later Indian Art

Dimensions

226.06 x 172.72 cm (89 x 68 in.)

Related Artworks

Textile Arts

Prayer Carpet

Unknown Artist, 19th century

Warps: 2 S plied Z spun undyed ivory wool; alternate warps slightly depressed; pronounced lazy lines. Weft: 1 Z spun strand in light red and brown; 2 yarns per shoot, with alternating green and brown yarns, some single yarn shots. Pile: 2 S plied Z spun wool; cotton. Pile colors (wool): light green, light blue, white wool, purply-red, maroon red, brick red, pink, medium blue, dark blue, olive green, pale ecru (possibly faded from?) yellow. White pile is cotton. Knots per vertical decimeter: 49. Knots per horizontal decimeter: 37/38. Woven upside down.

19th centuryTurkish