India
Carpets were first produced in Mughal India in the 1520s and Court workshops were set up in the Imperial cities of Agra and Lahore. At first carpets were produced in the Safavid model with classical designs of floral, hunting and garden designs with cartouches, palmettes, arabesques and animals in combat. The Mughal versions display a uniquely Indian palette with an unusual purplish red and distinctive color combinations of hot pink and reds. The greatest Indian carpets were woven using the softest pashmina wool. Under British rule from the 1850s the art of the Indian carpet was revived and prisoners in the jails of Lahore and Agra were trained as weavers. Many exceptional carpets from Agra and Amritsar were exported via the powerful Anglo-Indian trading companies to the great houses of Europe. The unique coloration, subtle patterning and flamboyant scale of the Indian carpet ensures that it remains a byword for luxury today.
Agra Carpet
Price on application
India, 19th Century
21ft 11in length x 13ft 3in width
6.68m x 4.04m
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Amritsar Carpet
Price on application
India, 19th Century
21ft 6in length x 15ft 3in width
6.55m x 4.65m -
Lahore Gallery Carpet
Price on application
Lahore, India, circa 1850
11ft 8in length x 6ft 0in width
3.56m x 1.83m
