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Identification and Creation

Object Number
1974.58
Title
Niche Carpet, Millefleur Type
Classification
Textile Arts
Work Type
rug
Date
18th century
Places
Creation Place: South Asia, India, Kashmir
Period
Mughal period
Culture
Indian
Persistent Link
https://hvrd.art/o/214628

Physical Descriptions

Medium
Wool (goathair) pile on a foundation of silk warps and cotton wefts
Technique
Woven with pile
Dimensions
174 x 111 cm (68 1/2 x 43 11/16 in.)

Acquisition and Rights

Credit Line
Harvard Art Museums/Arthur M. Sackler Museum, Bequest of Joseph V. McMullan
Accession Year
1974
Object Number
1974.58
Division
Asian and Mediterranean Art
Contact
am_asianmediterranean@harvard.edu
Permissions

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Descriptions

Description
Carpets of this type have been described as “millefleur” (thousand flowers) rugs because of their profusion of floral motifs. A plethora of flowers emerge from a central vase, contained within a niche. This niche could indicate use as a prayer rug or allude to an arched gateway and signal the carpet’s function as a hanging. The goathair or pashmina pile of this carpet is particularly luxurious. This material readily absorbs dye stuffs, creating a vibrantly colored carpet.

Publication History

  • Joseph V. McMullan, Islamic Carpets (New York, 1965)
  • David Sylvester, Islamic Carpets from the Collection of Joseph V. McMullan, exh. cat. (Arts Council of Great Britain, London, 1972), p. 41, cat. no. 31
  • Richard Ettinghausen, Prayer Rugs, exh. cat., The George Washington University Museum and The Textile Museum (Washington, D.C, 1974), pp. 88-89, fig. 27
  • Walter B. Denny, Oriental Rugs, Smithsonian Institution (Washington, D.C, 1979), pp. 110-111, colorplate 26
  • Sheila Blair, ed., Images of Paradise In Islamic Art, exh. cat., University of Tennessee Press (Austin, TX, 1991), p. 32/27a
  • Mr. Raoul Tschebull, "To Praise and Pray", HALI, ed. Daniel Shaffer (London, England, November 2002 - December 2002), vol.24, no.6, issue 125, pp.108-109, p. 108

Exhibition History

  • Enter Ye the Garden: Prayer Rugs of Islam, Harvard University Art Museums, Cambridge, 05/26/1989 - 08/20/1989
  • Islamic Art: The Power of Pattern, Harvard University Art Museums, Arthur M. Sackler Museum, Cambridge, 09/23/1989 - 01/17/1990
  • The Here and the Hereafter: Images of Paradise in Islamic Art, Hood Museum of Art, Hanover, 03/16/1991 - 05/26/1991; Asia Society Galleries, New York, 06/27/1991 - 09/06/1991; Museum of Fine Arts, Springfield, Springfield, 04/26/1992 - 06/21/1992
  • Earthly Paradise: Gardens in Islamic Art, Harvard University Art Museums, Cambridge, 05/08/1993 - 08/22/1993
  • Pattern and Purpose. Decorative Arts of Islam., Harvard University Art Museums, Cambridge, 02/19/1994 - 07/03/1994
  • The Best Workmanship, the Finest Materials: Prayer Carpets of the Islamic World, Harvard University Art Museums, Cambridge, 08/03/2002 - 12/15/2002
  • Prayer Carpet: Beauty and Purpose, The George Washington University Museum and The Textile Museum, 02/18/2023 - 07/02/2023

Verification Level

This record was created from historic documentation and may not have been reviewed by a curator; it may be inaccurate or incomplete. Our records are frequently revised and enhanced. For more information please contact the Division of Asian and Mediterranean Art at am_asianmediterranean@harvard.edu