CENTRAL INDIA, 18TH CENTURY

IN 1986 A GROUP OF RUGS WAS STUDIED IN THE TRADE ASSOCIATIONS IN KYOTO, JAPAN, WHICH APPEARED TO SHOW A HITHERTO UNKNOWN TYPE OF INDIAN WEAVING. SUBSEQUENT TO THIS A FEW MORE WERE DISCOVERED, BUT WITH TWO POSSIBLE EXCEPTIONS, ALL WERE STILL IN JAPAN (WALKER, DANIEL: FLOWERS UNDERFOOT, NEW YORK, 1997, PP.136-146). THE PRESENT RUG COMES FROM THE SAME GROUP, DEFINED BY THE COLOURING, TECHNIQUE AND DESIGN. LIKE MANY OF THE OTHERS, ITS DESIGN DERIVES FROM 17TH CENTURY MUGHAL CARPETS, BUT IT IS CONSIDERABLY COARSER WOVEN. THE COTTON FOUNDATION WITH 9-PLIED STRANDS AND BLUE WEFTS ARE ALSO COMPARABLE TO SOME OF THE OTHER RUGS OF THE GROUP. THE INNER BORDER IS CONSIDERABLY LARGER THAN THE OUTER ZIGZAG STRIPE, AND THE MAIN FIELD DESIGN IS RELATED TO THOSE PARTICULARLY OF BOTH FIGS 136 AND 137. SINCE THOSE TWO RUGS ENTERED THE TRADE ASSOCIATIONS WHERE THEY REMAIN IN 1752 AND 1814, A DATE DURING THE SECOND HALF OF THE 18TH CENTURY SEEMS ALMOST CERTAIN.