Lot Essay
This rug is a feat of great technical skill. With the exception of the thin silver strips running through it, it is entirely fashioned from ivory. The ivory has been planed in strips which are sufficiently thin to be flexible. To produce such strips in sufficient length to be usable is remarkable in itself. They have then been woven together in a simple plainweave, together with the silver strands of similar thickness, which thus creates the rug. At least two other rugs exist of this family, both of which were created for Indian princely families. One is solid ivory, save for the outer border, while the other is solid silver, made from much thicker strips of metal than are encountered here.