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Lot Essay
THIS CARPET REPRESENTS A DEVELOPMENT OF THE MUGHAL RED GROUND LATTICE CARPETS OF THE SEVENTEENTH CENTURY (CF.GANZ-RUEDIN, E.: INDIAN CARPETS, FRIBOURG, 1984, PP.138-9). THE IDEA OF FLORAL SPRAYS WITHIN STAR-AND-CROSS LATTICES CAN BE SEEN IN ALL SPHERES OF MUGHAL ART, IN PARTICULAR IN THE BORDERS OF MANUSCRIPTS (SKELTON, R (ET AL.): THE INDIAN HERITAGE, COURT LIFE AND THE ARTS UNDER MUGHAL RULE, EXHIBITION CATALOGUE, LONDON, 1982, NO.57, P.43).
ONE FEATURE WHICH THE PRESENT CARPET SHARES WITH SAFAVID EXAMPLES SUCH AS THE VON HIRSCH LATTICE CARPET (IL TAPETTO ORIENTALE DAL XV AL XVIII SECOLO, EXHIBITION CATALOGUE, LONDON, 1981, NO.24, PP.43-44, ILL.P.86), AS WELL AS SOME OF THE INDIAN LATTICE CARPETS INCLUDING THAT ALREADY CITED, IS THE ORIENTATION OF THE PLANT MOTIFS. THESE ARE ARRANGED IN SUCH A WAY THAT THERE ARE SOME FLORAL SPRAYS WHICH ARE CORRECTLY ORIENTED WHICHEVER SIDE THE CARPET IS VIEWED FROM. THE LATENESS OF THIS CARPET WHEN COMPARED TO THE EARLIER EXAMPLES IS EVIDENCED BY BOTH THE SOFT WOOL AND ALSO THE RELATIVE STIFFNESS OF THE DRAUGHTSMANSHIP. THIS LATTER FEATURE IS NOTICEABLE IN ALL AREAS OF MUGHAL ART; THE WONDERFULLY NATURALISTIC DEPICTIONS OF FLOWERS IN THE EARLY SEVENTEENTH CENTURY BECOME MORE AND MORE STYLISED THROUGH THE EIGHTEENTH.
A FRAGMENTARY SIMILAR CARPET IS IN THE ISLAMIC MUSEUM, BERLIN (SPUHLER, F.: ORIENTAL CARPETS IN THE MUSEUM OF ISLAMIC ART, BERLIN, LONDON, 1987, NO.126, PP.109-110, ILL.P.266)
ONE FEATURE WHICH THE PRESENT CARPET SHARES WITH SAFAVID EXAMPLES SUCH AS THE VON HIRSCH LATTICE CARPET (IL TAPETTO ORIENTALE DAL XV AL XVIII SECOLO, EXHIBITION CATALOGUE, LONDON, 1981, NO.24, PP.43-44, ILL.P.86), AS WELL AS SOME OF THE INDIAN LATTICE CARPETS INCLUDING THAT ALREADY CITED, IS THE ORIENTATION OF THE PLANT MOTIFS. THESE ARE ARRANGED IN SUCH A WAY THAT THERE ARE SOME FLORAL SPRAYS WHICH ARE CORRECTLY ORIENTED WHICHEVER SIDE THE CARPET IS VIEWED FROM. THE LATENESS OF THIS CARPET WHEN COMPARED TO THE EARLIER EXAMPLES IS EVIDENCED BY BOTH THE SOFT WOOL AND ALSO THE RELATIVE STIFFNESS OF THE DRAUGHTSMANSHIP. THIS LATTER FEATURE IS NOTICEABLE IN ALL AREAS OF MUGHAL ART; THE WONDERFULLY NATURALISTIC DEPICTIONS OF FLOWERS IN THE EARLY SEVENTEENTH CENTURY BECOME MORE AND MORE STYLISED THROUGH THE EIGHTEENTH.
A FRAGMENTARY SIMILAR CARPET IS IN THE ISLAMIC MUSEUM, BERLIN (SPUHLER, F.: ORIENTAL CARPETS IN THE MUSEUM OF ISLAMIC ART, BERLIN, LONDON, 1987, NO.126, PP.109-110, ILL.P.266)