Lahori Pictorial Carpet in the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston.
(gift of Mrs. Frederick L. Ames)

One of the delights of doing custom made carpets is that it offers opportunities to study the great masterpieces and in the process learn how the aesthetic and technical issues were resolved by their creators.


 

 

 

Technical Data

Table and other carpets for the bedchamber of Mary de Guise, Queen of Scotland, in Stirling Castle Palace, Scotland

Bespoke Lotto
Classic Lotto
Lotto Rug

 

 

Ames Pictorial Animal Carpet


 

 

 

For larger images go to
Museum of Fine Arts
Barry O'Connell's Rugnotes

 

the
darbari
design portfolio

Prayer rug, sedjadeh, jamamaz
Janamaz

Lahore Herati carpet
Mahi

Mughal Peacock Rug
Bird Carpet

Medallion and Corner design, plain ground
Kafsadeh

Paisley, Boteh design rug
Paisley

Kitabi Book cover design
Kitabi


This carpet is particularly interesting because it seems to mark a radical departure from the carpets that were made till that time. Iranian animal/pictorial carpet designs consisted essentially of scattered, one might even say disassociated hunting and/or animal combat scenes which had little or no relation to each other so that the carpet design remains a "design". These mughal carpets on the other hand are more like miniature paintings or book illustrations that attempt to realize a unified pictorial/anecdotal theme or concept. This is perhaps one of the more important mughal innovations in the field of carpet design.

The border too has its intriguing features: chinese style birds and shah abbasi palmettes which have at their centre grotesque masks strongly reminiscent of Kathakali dancers of south India. There are excellent close-ups of these features at the Museum of Fine Arts web site.

The colours in the picture of the whole carpet, as shown on the Museum of Fine Arts web site, seem rather dull in comparison to those in the close-ups. Pictures published in various carpet books are even duller. As you can see it is not just a matter of resolution. It has even been suggested that perhaps the carpet was cleaned before the close-ups were taken.

The only other mughal carpet, that we know of, with the mythical gaja-simha in combat with several elephants is a fragment which we had occasion to restore some years back. More about that here.

In accordance with the clients wishes our reproduction will be woven in size 5' x 8' approx. with a knotting density of 17 x17 per sq inch. The main dye-stuffs used will be: Lac dye, Madder root, Gul-e-tesu, Isparak, Walnut rind and Indigo.


UPDATE

Ames pictorial carpet on the loom

On the loom.


Mannam Carpets
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info@mannamcarpets.com

Mannam Carpets -  Superior Custom-made Orientals.

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