Fragments of a pashmina carpet with pattern of lattice and blossoms
Northern India, Kashmir or Lahore, ca. 1650
Pashmina wool on silk foundation. 13' 8 1/4" x 5' 3 3/4" (as assembled)
Bequest of Benjamin Altman, 1913 (14.40.723)

This carpet from the period of Shah Jahan contains 1,023 knots per square inch. The field is a lattice formed by serrated vines that scroll back and forth. At their intersections bloom giant, fantastic blossoms with concentric rings of petals. The border contains a distinctive landscape design of cypresses and flowering plants growing out of little hills with cloud motifs floating above. The original dimensions of the carpet were 23 feet 7 inches by 8 feet 2 inches.