NORTH INDIA, LATE 19TH CENTURY

The design of the present carpet comes from a widely debated group of carpets know as the 'Salting' Carpets, named after the example in the V which was formerly owned by George Salting who purchased his in London between 1880 and 1883. The present lot is a direct copy of the 16th century Lobanov-Rostowsky ‘Salting’ rug first published in the 'Vienna Book', Orientalische Teppiche, Vienna, 1892-96, plate 15, and now housed in the Hermitage Museum, St Petersburg. Like the rest of the group, the intricate floral design of our carpet is arranged with numerous animals and is set within a broad border puntuated with decorative cartouche panels filled with sweeping calligraphic Persian poetry, quoting the great Iranian poet Hafiz (d.1389). Those seated upon the carpet were to be transported to a garden of Paradise upon reading the verses describing a blissful world of verdant gardens filled with roses, wine and bird song.
Two Indian carpets of the same design but with longer proportions, sold in these Rooms; 29 April 2004, lot 263 and 25 October 2007, lot 197.