Lahore 1634Gift of Robert Bell to the Girdlers' Company in 1634
Lahore, Mughal India, 1630 - 1632, The Worshipful Company of Girdlers, London, UKWarp: Cotton, ivory Z9S, Z7S alternate warps moderately depressed, High Ply Count Cotton Warps Weft: Cotton, beige, (pinkish in some places) Z3, 3 shoots. Pile: Wool, mostly Z2, with Z3, Z4, asymmetrical knot open to the left. Density 14 Horizontal, 17 vertical (238 per square inch) Sides: 2 cables of 2 warps Z plied, held by weft return around outer, red wool overcastting. Ends: Top: plain weave band, narrow dark brown stripe, then wider stripe using regular wefts, Bottom: plain weave band, wefts only. Here we have confirmation of my theory on the existence of a Lahore group with High Ply Count Cotton Warps. A clear evidentiary trail exists for this rug from the time it was woven in Lahore India to delivery to Robert Bell and then the trail covers the last 305 years. This proves the existence of the group and completely rules out the chance of a latter copy or outright fraud as some have suggested unless of course The Worshipful Company of Girdlers and the Curator of the Metropolitan Museum of Art Daniel Walker are a party to the fraud. Even the thought of such a thing is ridiculous so we must put aside all doubt and accept the existence of a Lahore group with High Ply Count Cotton Warps. Now the question becomes what carpets belong to this group rather than does such a group exist. Author's Note: The picture is of a painting of the carpet as the carpet itself is not available to photograph. 1. Walker, Daniel. Flowers Underfoot. (New York, Metropolitan Museum of Art, 1997) p. 166-167 Carpets With High Ply Count Cotton Warps, The Widener Mughal Animal Carpet, |
For Further Reading: Thanks and best wishes, J. Barry O'Connell Jr. |
