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Carpet with pictorial design, late 16th–early 17th century; Mughal
Pakistan (Lahore)
Wool pile on cotton foundation; L. 27 ft. 4 in. (833 cm), W. 9 ft. 6 in. (289.5 cm)
Gift of J. Pierpont Morgan, 1917 (17.190.858)

With the exception of the palm trees, the landscape elements, animals, and birds in this grand carpet are taken from contemporaneous Persian art. The repeating full-width pattern unit of the field, reversed every time it appears, is reminiscent of woven textile design. The border, decorated in the "silhouette style," in which floral motifs of one color appear against a field without outlines, is closely related to book illumination and to architectural decorations in manuscript paintings that were also done by illuminators. The carpet may be attributed to Lahore, well-known for its carpet production and also for its royal book atelier, where such designs were concocted.


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  • Carpet with pictorial design, late 16th–early 17th century; Mughal
    Pakistan (Lahore)
    Wool pile on cotton foundation; L. 27 ft. 4 in. (833 cm), W. 9 ft. 6 in. (289.5 cm)
    Gift of J. Pierpont Morgan, 1917 (17.190.858)