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Medallion Carpet, Victoria and Albert Museum

Place of origin: Azerbaijan, Caucasus (made)

Date: 18th century (made)

Museum number: T.50-1923

Gallery location: In store

Physical description

3 fragments a) upper left, b) upper right, c) lower left

NB : lined throughout

WARP: white wool; Z2S; 18 threads to the inch (74 per dm).

WEFT: red wool, Z spun, unplied; 2 shoots after each row of knots; 11 knots per inch (43 per dm).

PILE: wool; 11 colours: dark red, red, dark yellow, yellow, dark green, dark blue, blue, light blue, purple, dark brown, white; symmetrical knot tied around 2 warp threads; 99 knots per sq. inch (1591 per sq. dm).

SIDE FINISH: both missing

END FINISH: Lower: missing

Upper: a) missing, b) missing, losse warp threads, c) missing

DESIGN: Field: dark red ground with large, stylised multi-coloured blossoms, palmettes and leaves, some on straight green stems, with large and small rosettes, 2 bird-like figures and flowerheads. In lower right hand corner is a small part of a yellow-edged, dark blue medallion.

Main border: dark brown ground with large white rosettes, each separated by a pair of dark yellow and blue complementary segments each with a floral filling.

a) Inner border: white ground with stylised meander in yellow, green and purple.

Outer border: incomplete. Reciprocal stepped triangles in dark red and yellow.

b) Field: a mirror image of a) plus one third of a complete medallion in lower left.

Main border: in lower right a red rosette - also in upper border.

c) Field: a mirror image of a) but a horned stylised animal in place of the bird.

Main border: a red rosette in lower border.

Catalogue date: 06.05.97

Museum number: T.50-1923

URL: http://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O153382/carpet/