Vase Carpet Fragment

Currently not on view

Vase Carpet Fragment

16th - 17th century

Artist/maker unknown, Persian

“Vase” carpets take their name from the flower-filled ceramic vases that are often depicted in their elaborate central fields. This relatively small fragment—a complex and colorful network of blossoms and vines—offers a beguiling hint at the original rug’s overall design, which is now lost to us. Due to the use of a corrosive dye, much of the wine-red pile that comprised the ground has disintegrated with time, exposing the carpet’s underlying structure, especially the cotton warp (lengthwise yarns).

Currently not on view

Object Details

Title:

Vase Carpet Fragment

Date:

16th - 17th century

Artist:

Artist/maker unknown, Persian

Medium:

Cotton, silk, and wool

Dimensions:

55 3/4 x 24 1/2 in. (141.6 x 62.2 cm)

Classification:

Textiles

Credit Line:

The Joseph Lees Williams Memorial Collection, 1955

Accession Number:

1955-65-40

Geography:

Made in Kerman, Iran, Asia

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Currently not on view