Prayer (niche) rug - Pashmina Niche Rug

The new carpet style in the time of Mughal ruler Shah Jahan (1628-1658) was the flower style, featuring the naturalistic depiction of flowering plants. The refined elegance of the decorations, the use of expensive silk and pashmina and the high knot count are characteristic of the luxury carpets of this period. The silk warp was frequently dyed in bands. The flower style lived on in the works of the post-Shah Jahan workshops.

In the field, the ivory-coloured mihrab (prayer niche) with lobed arch is adorned on both sides by a crimson half cypress growing from a finely delineated column base. From the apex of the mihrab hangs a trapezoidal lamp; in the centre below, a three-branched floral bush grows from the bottom of the mihrab. Faint glimmers of the colourful bands (ivory, yellow, crimson, blue and green) can be seen in the plain ivory surface. The crimson spandrel is adorned on both sides with symmetrical floral patterns – vines, leaves and poppy blossoms. As is typical of flower style rugs, the major border of the rug contains lotus flowers against a dark blue ground and is enclosed in ivory field minor borders.

See also: Museum With No Frontiers