Agra carpet (cotton warp and weft, wool pile),... - Lot 138 - Giquello

Lot 138
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Estimation :
4000 - 6000 EUR
Result with fees
Result : 3 640EUR
Agra carpet (cotton warp and weft, wool pile),... - Lot 138 - Giquello
Agra carpet (cotton warp and weft, wool pile), north-eastern Persia, circa 1920 4.80 x 3.70 m Agra is an Indian imperial city in Utar 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 the art academy of the emperor Humayun (1508-1556) But it was his successor, Akbar the Great (1556-1605), a lover of art, who presided over the foundation of factories in India with the help of Persian weavers who particularly stimulated local production. Mughal artists therefore borrowed heavily from the Persian Islamic repertoire. Moreover, the aesthetics of Indian fabrics and carpets are sometimes so close to those of their Safavid prototypes that only an astute eye can differentiate them. The Safavids were thus able to develop the artisanal and nomadic production of carpets into an industry organized into factories. However, the carpet was then a luxury product reserved for the court palaces. The most flourishing period was in the 17th century with the productions of Lahore and Agra. However, most of the Indian production of the 19th and 20th centuries is attributed to the Agra factories, which are still active today. Agra even gave its name to Mughal production 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 identity through the reality and detail of its designs: medallions and floral decorations are omnipresent but the symmetry is less rigorous. Birds, animals and trees are represented with flowers and foliage. Refined, the color palette is particularly seductive. The Persian motifs can be found: the "mustofi" (flowers and palms), the "ci" or "tchi" (ribbon-like cloud) and the "botech" (stylized pear). This large carpet is decorated with large palmettes called "Shah Abbas" and lanceolate leaves, linked together by curved stems) on an ivory background. The main red border with a stylized polychrome flower garland is framed by twelve blue, red and ivory counter-borders. Wear and fraying See reproduction on page 41
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