This carpet, of undoubted late 19th century Indian provenance, has a remarkably strong design. It is obviously one of the 'vase' technique sickle-leaf rugs. However, it does not appear to be taken from one of the published examples. The closest is that in the Gulbenkian Foundation, Lisbon (Beattie, May H.: Carpets of Central Persia, Mappin Art Gallery, Sheffield City Museum and Art Gallery, Birmingham, 1976, pl.70) but the present design is stronger and includes animals not found in the Gulbenkian carpet. The Lahore carpets usually followed a known carpet very precisely, raising the intriguing possibility that this is a copy of an unknown magnificent Safavid carpet.