The coat of arms on this carpet (in the center and at each end) was mistakenly understood to belong to the Polish Czartoryski family; consequently, the term "Polonaise" was applied to this carpet and others like it. The field is filled with flowers, leaves, and scrolling vines, all typical of Persian carpet design of this period. Polonaise carpets are noted for their extensive use of silk and metal-wrapped silk thread. The somewhat muted colors are due to the silk pile; though valued for its strength and softness, silk does not hold dye as well as wool and its color quickly fades. Polonaise carpets were created both for the local Iranian market and for presentation and sale to Europeans.
This image cannot be enlarged, viewed at full screen, or downloaded.
Open Access
As part of the Met's Open Access policy, you can freely copy, modify and distribute this image, even for commercial purposes.
API
Public domain data for this object can also be accessed using the Met's Open Access API.
This artwork is meant to be viewed from right to left. Scroll left to view more.
Recto
row1a
row1b
row2a
row2b
row3a
row3b
row4a
row4b
row5a
row5b
row6a
row6b
Row 1b
Row 1c
Row 3a
Row 4b
Row 5b
Row 5c
Row 6a
Row 6b
Row 2a
Row 2b
Row 2c
Row 3b
Row 3c
Row 4a
Row 4c
Row 5a
Row 1a
Row 6c
Artwork Details
Use your arrow keys to navigate the tabs below, and your tab key to choose an item
Title:The Czartoryski Carpet
Date:17th century
Geography:Made in Iran, probably Isfahan
Medium:Cotton (warp), silk (weft and pile), metal wrapped thread; asymmetrically knotted pile, brocaded
Dimensions:Rug: H. 191 1/2 in. (486.4 cm) W. 85 5/8 in. (217.5 cm)
Classification:Textiles-Rugs
Credit Line:Gift of John D. Rockefeller Jr., and Harris Brisbane Dick Fund, by exchange, 1945
Object Number:45.106
The Czartoryski Carpet
About the turn of the seventeenth century or just before, during the time of the Safavid Shah ‘Abbas I (r. 1587–1629), a new aesthetic appeared in a carpet type that has come to be known as Polonaise.[1] Most rugs in the class have strictly floral design elements such as palmettes, curving leaves, and vines organized in about a dozen different field patterns. The new designs largely replaced the figural motifs and centralized medallion patterns favored in the sixteenth century, reflecting the decline of the royal book atelier’s influence.
The palette of most of these rugs is now rather sweet and muted owing to the use of pastel tones and to substantial fading, especially of red. Visible materials are luxurious, even ostentatious, and include silk pile and abundant metal-wrapped brocading, but economies were also made by including the widespread use of cotton in the foundation instead of the silk that was used in earlier deluxe weavings (see nos. 43.121.1, 14.40.721 and 14.40.715), the attachment of silk fringes to conceal the use of cotton warps, and a relatively coarse weave (typically 125 to 225 knots per square inch) for rugs with silk pile. Polonaise rugs must have been produced in large quantity, for over two hundred examples survive. They were made for local consumption and also for presentation and sale to Europeans. Unlike the small silk Kashan rugs, which have many similarities to each other but never match completely, at least twenty-five pairs of Polonaise exist, including two pairs in the Metropolitan Museum.[2]
The Czartoryski Carpet belongs to this group. It occupies a special historical niche because it was mistakenly identified as Polish, hence "Polonaise," when displayed at the Paris Exposition of 1878 along with other carpets belonging to Prince Władyslaw Czartoryski, scion of a noble Polish family, some of whose carpets were allegedly taken as booty in the siege of Vienna in 1683.[3] The coat of arms, repeated five times, was thought to be the prince’s own, but it is probably a pastiche and not Polish at all.[4] The term Polonaise, a misnomer, continues to be used for convenience.
Daniel Walker in [Ekhtiar, Soucek, Canby, and Haidar 2011]
Footnotes:
1. Spuhler, Friedrich, Preben Mellbye-Hansen, and Majken Thorvildsen. Denmark’s Coronation Carpets. The Royal Collections, Rosenborg Palace. Copenhagen, 1987, pp. 30–35.
2. For these carpets (nos. 50.190.1–.4), see Dimand and Mailey 1973, nos. 19–20.
3. See Livret-guide du visiteur à l’exposition historique du Trocadéro, 1878. Exhibition, Salle Polonaise, Palais de Trocadéro, Exposition Universelle de 1878, Paris. Catalogue by Philibert Breban. Paris, 1878, pp. 63–64. Other Polonaise carpets belonging to Prince Czartoryski were donated to the Muzeum Narodowe, Cracow; see Biedrońska-Słota, Beata. "Classical Carpets in Poland." Hali, no. 163 (Spring 2010), pp. 81–82, figs. 10, 11, 13.
4. Correspondence noted in Dimand and Mailey 1973, p. 103, no. 17.
Prince Wladyslaw Czartoryski, Krakow, Poland(in 1878); [ Mr. Larcade, Paris, until 1927; sold to Rockefeller]; John D. Rockefeller Jr. (American), New York (1927–45; gifted to MMA)
Paris. Palais du Trocadéro. "Grande Exposition Universelle," May 1, 1878–November 10, 1878.
New York. The Metropolitan Museum of Art. "Persian Rugs of the So-called Polish Type," June 10–September 21, 1930, no. 6.
Dimand, Maurice S. "New York June 10–September 21, 1930." In Loan Exhibition of Persian Rugs of the So-Called Polish Type. New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 1930. no. 6, p. 5.
Dimand, Maurice S. "The Seventeenth Century Isfahan School of Rug Weaving." Islamic Art in The Metropolitan Museum of Art (1972). p. 258, ill. fig. 4 (b/w).
Dimand, Maurice S., and Jean Mailey. Oriental Rugs in the Metropolitan Museum of Art. New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 1973. no. 17, pp. 61, 103, ill. fig. 84 (b/w).
Berinstain, Valerie. Great Carpets of the World. New York: Vendome Press, 1996. p. 148, ill. pl. 119 (b/w).
Ekhtiar, Maryam, Priscilla P. Soucek, Sheila R. Canby, and Navina Haidar, ed. Masterpieces from the Department of Islamic Art in The Metropolitan Museum of Art. 1st ed. New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2011. no. 186, pp. 173, 267, ill. p. 267 (color).
Denny, Walter B. How to Read Islamic Carpets. New Haven and London: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2014. pp. 88–89, ill. figs. 75–76.
Painting by Mu'in Musavvir (Iranian, active 1630s–90s)
1660s
Resources for Research
The Met's Libraries and Research Centers provide unparalleled resources for research and welcome an international community of students and scholars.
The Met Collection API is where all makers, creators, researchers, and dreamers can connect to the most up-to-date data and public domain images for The Met collection. Open Access data and public domain images are available for unrestricted commercial and noncommercial use without permission or fee.
Feedback
We continue to research and examine historical and cultural context for objects in The Met collection. If you have comments or questions about this object record, please complete and submit this form. The Museum looks forward to receiving your comments.
The Met's collection of Islamic art is one of the most comprehensive in the world and ranges in date from the seventh to the twenty-first century. Its more than 15,000 objects reflect the great diversity and range of the cultural traditions from Spain to Indonesia.