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Early Azerbaijan "Garden" rug, NW Iran, late 18th /early 19th century. The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York Garden Carpet Object Name: Carpet Date: ca. 1800 Geography: Northwestern Iran or Kurdistan Culture: Islamic Medium: Cotton (warp and weft), wool (pile); symmetrically knotted pile Dimensions: Rug: H. 223 1/2 in. (567.7 cm) W. 95 in. (241.3 cm) Classification: Textiles-Rugs Credit Line: Gift of William R. Pickering, 1967 Accession Number: 67.156 The earliest Persian garden carpets date from the seventeenth century. This example from Kurdistan or northwestern Iran dates from about 1800. The composition comprises two repeats of the classic Islamic garden plan, known as "Four Gardens" (Chahar Bagh). It shows a wide central stream of water intersected by narrower courses, all of them enlivened by fish. The units separated by the streams represent ornamental pools or flowerbeds, and the composition as a whole abounds with flowering plants, shrubs, and trees. Provenance [ Karekin Beshir, New York, in 1961; sold to Pickering]; William R. Pickering, New York (until 1967; gifted to MMA) |
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