Harvard Art Museums > 1974.57: Medallion and Hunting Carpet Textile Arts Collections Search Exit Deep Zoom Mode Zoom Out Zoom In Reset Zoom Full Screen Add to Collection Order Image Copy Link Copy Citation Citation"Medallion and Hunting Carpet , 1974.57,” Harvard Art Museums collections online, Dec 04, 2024, https://hvrd.art/o/216329. Reuse via IIIF Toggle Deep Zoom Mode Download This object does not yet have a description. Identification and Creation Object Number 1974.57 Title Medallion and Hunting Carpet Classification Textile Arts Work Type rug Date 16th century Places Creation Place: Middle East, Iran Period Safavid period Culture Persian Persistent Link https://hvrd.art/o/216329 Physical Descriptions Medium Wool pile Technique Knotted Dimensions 235.59 x 160.02 cm (92 3/4 x 63 in.) Provenance Recorded Ownership History Sir Frederick Leighton, London, (by 1882-1896). Joseph V. McMullan, New York, (by 1965-1974), bequest; to the Fogg Museum, 1974. Acquisition and Rights Credit Line Harvard Art Museums/Arthur M. Sackler Museum, Bequest of Joseph V. McMullan Accession Year 1974 Object Number 1974.57 Division Asian and Mediterranean Art Contact am_asianmediterranean@harvard.edu Permissions The Harvard Art Museums encourage the use of images found on this website for personal, noncommercial use, including educational and scholarly purposes. To request a higher resolution file of this image, please submit an online request. Descriptions Description A central yellow medallion anchors this busy composition of animals, palmettes, and vegetation. Pairs of animals, ranging from goats to cheetahs, tigers, and deer, are scattered throughout its main field. This carpet once belonged to the British artist Frederic Leighton (d. 1896), who was fascinated with the decorative arts of the “Near East” and built his home with an “Arab Hall” featuring tilework and other furnishings either purchased from the Islamic world or inspired by its designs. This carpet certainly inspired the artist. Photographs show that it was kept in his studio, and he faithfully rendered it as a backdrop for one of his paintings, Day Dreams (1882). 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) Kristin A. Mortimer and William G. Klingelhofer, Harvard University Art Museums: A Guide to the Collections, Harvard University Art Museums and Abbeville Press (Cambridge and New York, 1986), p. 86, fig. 92 Exhibition History Diverse are their Hues: Animals in Islamic Art, Harvard University Art Museums, Fogg Art Museum, Cambridge, 12/18/1984 - 02/09/1985 Geometry of the Spirit: Islamic Illumination and Calligraphy, Harvard University Art Museums, Cambridge, 04/30/1988 - 06/26/1988 Islamic Art: The Power of Pattern, Harvard University Art Museums, Arthur M. Sackler Museum, Cambridge, 09/23/1989 - 01/17/1990 Arabesque, Harvard University Art Museums, Cambridge, 12/01/1990 - 03/24/1991 Shadows of God On Earth: Arts of the Ottoman, Safavid, and Mughal Dynasties, Harvard University Art Museums, Cambridge, 06/21/1997 - 08/31/1997 32Q: 2550 Islamic, Harvard Art Museums, Cambridge, 04/19/2018 - 11/07/2018 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