Lahori Carpet Fragment with Anqa, other Mythical Creatures and Elephants

Technical Data Size 6'. 5" x 5'. 2" (approx:) Pile Fine lustrous wool, worn out entirely in a few places Knot Count 19-20H 18-20V Foundation Cotton Warp Very fine 9 ply Wefts 1st and 3rd taut 10-11 ply 2nd zig-zag 3 strands

Joints The Back Warp strings almost entirely exposed	The Palette Marker Warps colour differentiated, after every 50	Detail

17th C mogul miniature

Border detail

Mainfield detail

Taken as booty by Nader Shah of Iran, upon the fall of Lahore in 1738 , the carpet is said to have been gifted by him to a family of local Khans (rulers) who had aided him against the Moguls. They, being four brothers, carved it up into four equal pieces. This fragment was acquired from their descendants, by the present owner, about two decades ago. We are in the middle of verifying the history of this carpet and preparing a preliminary-to-restoration report on it. Hope to add more details to this page later if anything new turns up. If you have any information about the missing fragments of this carpet or of other carpets and paintings with this motif I would love to hear it. Your comments, insights and suggestions will also be most welcome. Tariq Mirza, Mannam Carpets U- 171/2 Defence, Lahore, Pakistan. Ph: 92 42 5728194 info@mannamcarpets.com Home Custom Made Carpets * Bespoke Carpet Prices Darbari Carpets * Technical Data Recipe for Dyeing Yellow with Safflower Red with Madder * Brown with Walnut * Rust with Henna Useful Links Copyright © 2005 T H Mirza