AN AGRA CARPET, NORTH INDIA, SECOND HALF 19TH CENTURY

A splendid Agra carpet, with a design derived from the 'spiral-vine' carpets of early 17th century Safavid Persia, and including generously scaled sickle leaves and palmettes, elegantly contrasted with the pale blue ground of the border, here decorated with elaborate split arabesques and bold palmettes. Early Agra carpets frequently took their inspiration from Safavid carpets, including those in the holdings of the Maharaja of Jaipur.