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Fragments of a pashmina carpet with pattern of lattice and blossoms
Northern India, Kashmir or Lahore, ca. 1650
Pashmina wool on silk foundation. 4' 9'' x 13' 6 1/8'' (as assembled)
Bequest of Benjamin Altman, 1913 (14.40.712); and smallest fragment, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York; The Friedsam Collection, Bequest of Michael Friedsam, 1931 (32.100.457).
The floral style of this carpet dates it from the period of Shah Jahan. The field is patterned with large blossoms centered within diamond-shaped compartments, and the border and guard bands contain wavy floral scrolls. The pile is knotted at 364 knots per square inch, and the materials are luxurious. From these fragments it is possible to estimate the size of the original carpet as 13 feet wide and 30 feet long.