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Carpet with Palm Trees, Ibexes, and Birds

late 16th–early 17th century
On view at The Met Fifth Avenue in Gallery 462
This carpet, with its pictorial depiction of trees, birds, and animals, is conceived like a textile with a repeat design in which each unit reverses the direction of the preceding one. The ibexes, Chinese mythological beasts called qilins, and animals in combat, are derived from Safavid Persian art, as is the border design of cartouches and star-shaped medallions with cloud bands. The palm tree, however, is a very Indian feature, as is the generally naturalistic drawing of the flora and fauna and the bright red color of the field. The relationship to Persian carpet design dates this example to the early Mughal period, soon after the first carpet workshops were established by the emperor Akbar in Lahore, Agra, and Fatehpur Sikri.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: Carpet with Palm Trees, Ibexes, and Birds
  • Date: late 16th–early 17th century
  • Geography: Probably made in present-day Pakistan, Lahore
  • Medium: Cotton (warp and weft), wool (pile); asymmetrically knotted pile
  • Dimensions: Rug: L. 328 in. (833.1 cm)
    W. 108 in. (274.3 cm)
    Wt. 132 lbs. (59.9 kg)
    Storage Tube: L. 132 in. (335.3 cm)
    Diam. 9 in. (22.9 cm)
  • Classification: Textiles-Rugs
  • Credit Line: Gift of J. Pierpont Morgan, 1917
  • Object Number: 17.190.858
  • Curatorial Department: Islamic Art

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