Knotted pile carpet
Design: Field: Dark pink ground; the mirrored pairs of large decorated blossoms and smaller flowers lie on pairs of stems that meet vertically and then open into an elongated hexagon before reassembling. The paired stems are in white, dark blue and dark green (blue at bottom). Formal flowering plants fill the space, and upper centre is the vase, blue, outlined in white and sitting on the dark blue stems.
Main border: A curving and arching double meander in light blue (but v. light green along lower border and lower sides) intertwines with a pink stem, both bearing the same horned purple and yellow blossom on a dark blue ground.
Inner border: white ground, double meander - a green stem with yellow 5 petalled yellow/orange flowers and a dark blue stem outlined in red bearing blue buds.
Outer border: light blue ground, a red meander bearing yellow 5-petalled flowers and red leaves.Old label:
This 17th century Persian vase carpet contains all the elements of the larger one displayed on the wall to the right, but in a more stylised form. The large, imaginary blossoms have been placed on the lines of three superimposed lattices, a white one, a dark one and a light blue one; stiff sprays of flowers have been placed in the spaces between the lines. A vase, after which this type of carpet is named, is in the centre. []Carpet, wool knotted pile on cotton warp and silk and cotton weft, 'Vase Carpet' lattice design on red ground with later border, Kerman, Iran, 1650-1700