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Lot Essay
This Polonaise rug dates from the classic period of their manufacture. Like lot 222, it divides panels of different colours with vegetal motifs, although here they are serrated leaves rather than the arabesques of the other rug. Unusually for one of these rugs, the scrolling leaves are all executed in metal-thread, while they divide panels of pastel shades of the field. It is much more frequent to encounter metal thread fields being divided by piled silk vegetal motifs.
One very unusual feature about this rug is the use of a very saturated red colour. This is a colour that is known in a number of "Polonaise" rugs, usually used in small quantites for enhanced dramatic effect as in the large "King Umberto Polonaise" sold in these Rooms 29 April 1993, lot 432. On a number of rugs this colour is abrashed with a pale buff colour; this is particularly noteceable when these two colours are also used for the wefts, as here. The particularly rare use of this colour seen on the present rug however is its use throughout the rug for the outlines of the motifs. Most rugs which have survived to the present day had outlines in black which has now corroded, sometimes being repiled, as in lot 222, but otherwise leaving the outlines of the various motifs far less clearly defined than was the case originally.
One very unusual feature about this rug is the use of a very saturated red colour. This is a colour that is known in a number of "Polonaise" rugs, usually used in small quantites for enhanced dramatic effect as in the large "King Umberto Polonaise" sold in these Rooms 29 April 1993, lot 432. On a number of rugs this colour is abrashed with a pale buff colour; this is particularly noteceable when these two colours are also used for the wefts, as here. The particularly rare use of this colour seen on the present rug however is its use throughout the rug for the outlines of the motifs. Most rugs which have survived to the present day had outlines in black which has now corroded, sometimes being repiled, as in lot 222, but otherwise leaving the outlines of the various motifs far less clearly defined than was the case originally.