NORTH INDIA, FIRST HALF 19TH CENTURY

This impressive carpet belongs to a unique group of Agra carpets that adhere to the traditions of 17th century Safavid Persian and Mughal Indian carpets of the "in-and-out" palmette and scrolling floral vine type. Even though they are based on 17th century prototypes, they are not straightforward copies of these earlier examples, but rather the result of a continuous development of this design conceit. This small group is distinct in that they were woven in the first half of the 19th century, and are completely different in quality, weave and execution to the myriad of similarly decorated so-called ‘Jail’ Agra weavings of the late 19th century. Some of the key defining features of this small group are the flawless quality of weave and the rich palette of patinated principle colours and softer secondary shades tending to aqua tonalities and pastel tones, unlike the often harsh palette of later production. A distinct feature of our carpet, which can only be seen on the reverse, is the striking change in cotton weft colour. While the upper and lower borders are woven with a natural cotton weft, a significant broad band of wefting in the lower half of the carpet is woven with an orange cotton. While natural and light blue wefting is common, the use of orange cotton is most unusual.

The design of our carpet comprises palmettes connected by free flowing cloud bands and a delicately drawn vine tracery, all of which is finely executed. The palmettes are enlarged and some are embellished with curled petals that somewhat resemble the plume of an ostrich feather. The flawless quality of weave, design and rich palette of this carpet parallels the exquisite carpets woven during the golden age of carpet weaving in the workshops of the Persian Emperor Shah Abbas I and the Mughal Indian Emperor Shah Jahan.

This impressive Agra carpet was formerly part of the estate of the late Mary Griggs Burke (1916-2012), who had inherited her parents' estate at 432 Summit Avenue, Minnesota, an elaborate example of mid 19th century 'Italianate' architecture. Mary had developed an appreciation for antiques at an early age growing up in a house filled with French and Italian period works of art and treasure. The wood panelled rooms and lavish textiles would have been a fitting setting for such a richly coloured, sumptuous carpet. It was however, Mary's fascination with Japanese art that led her to acquire the largest and one of the most important private collections of Japanese art outside of Japan, which had an indelible impact on the emergence of Asian art in the United States. After her death in 2012, Burke’s Japanese collection was divided between the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York and the Minneapolis Institute of Arts, while the Burbank-Livingston-Griggs house and its contents, in which the present rug was housed, was bequeathed to the Minnesota Historical Society in 1968, for use as a museum. The Society operated the museum until 1996, after which the collection was de-accessioned.

This Agra carpet is a superb example of post-Mughal weaving, with the understated refinement of the best Indian carpets. An almost identical carpet to the present lot apart from minor adjustments to the field design was with Beauvais Gallery in New York in 2001 (HALI, Issue 114, p.65). A smaller example from the estate of Dorothy Dillon Eweson, New Jersey, sold Sotheby's, New York, 1 June 2006, lot 131. The twin to that carpet sold Christie's New York, 18 April 2012, lot 208. One further example, for which we are unsure of the size and indeed colour, was published in black and white in, The Journal of Indian Art and Industry, Vol XI, January 1905, London, pl.12, and was ambitiously dated to the sixteenth century.