Lot Essay
The design of this carpet is wholly seventeenth century in feel. The composition of the spandrels for example is very similar to that of the medallions of an Indian carpet of the late seventeenth century sold in these Rooms 11 November 1993, lot 106. And even the outer guard stripe is identical to the of the carpet of Indian seventeenth century manufacture offered as lot 307 in this sale. The diagonal symmetry of the colouring of the saz leaves immediately flanking the central axis is also a feature one would not expect from a later carpet. Yet the construction and wool used are those normally found in Agra carpets attributed to the second half of the nineteenth century.
It is probable that this carpet is one of the earliest of the carpets woven at Agra. It demonstrates clearly that there was a continuous development of design from the seventeenth century to the better known products of the late nineteenth. If the design precisely copied a seventeenth century carpet, it could be argued that it was a specific commission. But this example does not copy anything, it is a natural progression of design from its antecedents. It is shows that the 'jail' Agra carpets were a way of meeting demand for designs which had already been in production India for many decades.
It is probable that this carpet is one of the earliest of the carpets woven at Agra. It demonstrates clearly that there was a continuous development of design from the seventeenth century to the better known products of the late nineteenth. If the design precisely copied a seventeenth century carpet, it could be argued that it was a specific commission. But this example does not copy anything, it is a natural progression of design from its antecedents. It is shows that the 'jail' Agra carpets were a way of meeting demand for designs which had already been in production India for many decades.