Mughal Rugs: Lancets - Blossom and Grape

Detail - Widener Animal Carpet

Stylistically I place this blossom lancet earlier than the Vojtech Blau lancet because it has more clearly defined blossoms.

Detail - Vojtech Blau Mughal Animal Carpet

Please note the similarities in the blossom lancet.

Detail from a Painting "A Philosopher in his studio" by Abraham van der Hecken 1.

I date this carpet a little later, in part because we see that the blossom lancets have now evolved into grapes. I believe the Grape Lancets to be a latter development. Starting somewhere around the year 1616 and progressing onward.

Detail from Later Mughal Type Carpet Border 2.

Lahore 1650. Kanko-Boko Gion Festival Rug

This rugs uses both the blossum type as well as the grape type. The use of color in this piece is magnificent. The wide variety of color variation would come from a highly defined dying technique. In Mughal type carpets the darkest red is most likely Lac. Then yellow is added to lighten the red which gives the variety of corals and pinks. The black is most likely a triple dying of yellow, lac and indigo since that is the only non-corrosive black commonly used it Mughal pieces. The blue on blue seems related to both the Getty Mughal Animal Carpet and the The Berlin Spiral Tendril Carpet.