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a red and blue rug with a medallion design on it
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287 - Agra carpet (cotton warp and weft, wool pile), North-East In…
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Estimate €700 - €1,000
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Description
Agra carpet (cotton warp and weft, wool pile), North-East India. Circa 1880–1930. (Good condition.) Length: 219 cm; Width: 139 cm. The carpet is adorned with a double blue and yellow multi-lobed medallion featuring a polychrome stylised floral design, extended by two pendants on an ivory ground with a polychrome stylised floral design. The entire composition is decorated with floral scrolls on a burgundy red ground. A narrow border of floral garlands is framed by two blue counter-borders. Agra is an imperial city in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh, famous for its white marble mausoleum, the Taj Mahal, and renowned for its carpets. As early as 1549, artists came to India (from Tabriz and Herat) to join Emperor Humayun’s (1508–1556) Academy of Arts. But it was his successor, Akbar the Great (1556–1605), a keen art lover, who oversaw the establishment of weaving workshops in India with the help of Persian weavers, who gave a particular boost to local production. Mughal artists therefore drew heavily on the Persian Islamic repertoire. Indeed, the aesthetic of Indian fabrics and carpets is at times so similar to that of their Safavid prototypes that only a trained eye can tell them apart. The Safavids thus succeeded in transforming the artisanal and nomadic production of carpets into an organised, factory-based industry. However, at that time, the carpet was a luxury item reserved for the royal palaces. The period of greatest prosperity was in the 17th century, with productions from Lahore and Agra. However, the bulk of Indian production in the 19th and 20th centuries is attributed to the workshops in Agra, which are still active today. Agra even gave its name to Mughal carpet-making and, more specifically, to the very large carpets intended for the palaces of the local aristocracy and often exported to the United States and Europe. Thus, although influenced by Persia, the Indian carpet retains its own distinct identity through the realism and detail of its designs: medallions and floral motifs are ubiquitous, but the symmetry is less rigorous. Birds, animals and trees are depicted alongside flowers and foliage. The refined colour palette is particularly appealing. Persian motifs are also found here: the ‘mustofi’ (floral buds and palm leaves), the ‘ci’ or ‘tchi’ (ribbon-shaped cloud) and the ‘botech’ (stylised pear). Bibliographical reference: - SABAHI, T – Splendeurs des tapis d’Orient – Atlas, Paris – 1987 – pp. 412–413 and 439. Expert: Alexandre CHEVALIER
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About the sale Paintings, sculptures, furniture & works of art
Auction location
Auction time 10/14/2026 at 1:30 PM
Pictures credits: Contact the Auction House
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