Lot Essay
The naturalistic depiction of various flowers within a latticework seen here is a common feature of classic Mughal rugs of the 17th century, however, the narrow runner format is unusual. There are a host of extant Mughal rugs of various polygonal shapes which one would surmise were intended to fit perfectly in precise architectural spaces. Although the present shape is a fairly rudimentary one in present day terms, it is not unlikely that it may have been specially ordered to accomodate a particular space in a building or courtyard. The lattice design enclosing various flowering plants is a design more frequently found in a larger rectangular carpet. An example of this is in The Textile Museum, Washington DC, James D. Burns Gift, Inventory no. TM 1994.12.1 (HALI, 88, September, 1996, p.105). There is an affinty when comparing the two pieces especially in the treatment of the ivory lattice framework and the realistic representations carnations, lilies and chrysanthemums. However, the Textile Museum's carpet is approximaely 12 feet 6 inches x 6 feet 10 inches while the Mikaeloff piece is nearly as long as this is wide. This leads one further to believe that these Mughal shrub carpets were made in one workshop using cartoons but each was intended for a specific location.