Carpet, hand knotted woollen pile on silk warp and cotton weft, Persian, 17th century. Warp: white silk; Z2S; 30 threads per in/120 per dm; depressed Weft: white cotton; unable to ascertain spin, ply and twist; 3 shoots after each row of knots; 12 knots per inch/48 per dm Pile: wool; 14 colours: dark red, red, light red, orange, dark yellow, yellow, dark green, green. light green, dark blue, blue, light blue, dark brown, white; asymmetrical knot tied around two threads and open to the left; 180 knots per sq.in/2880 per sq.dm Side Finish: one cord oversewn with dark red wool End Finish: 1cm of weft-twining forming a chevron patten Design: Field: dark red ground with emphatic white stems edged in brown under which lies a system of broken green stems, both bearing flowers and leaves. The white stems, however, bear the larger palmettes and cloud bands in various colours. Although the design is essentially one quarter which is reflected across the vertical and horizontal axes, the palemettes do vary in size. Main Border: dark yellow ground with shade variations. A complex double meander, one in dark blue with a green stem bearing blossoms and one in dark red with a red stem. Alternating framed palmettes in light blue or red. Inner Border: green ground with a double meander in dark red bearing light red buds and in dark brown bearing white flowers alternating with light red fruit. Outer Border: dark red ground with a double meander, one in green bearing leaves, the other in light red bearing white flowers and yellow buds. Date catalogued: 26/01/2000