Carpet Fragment
Unknown Artist
last quarter 16th century
Medium
Wool (warp, weft, and pile); asymmetrically knotted pile
Dimensions
H. 77 1/2 in. (196.9 cm) W. 55 1/2 in. (141 cm)
Classification
Textiles-Rugs
Department
Islamic Art
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Gift of Joseph V. McMullan, 1971
Accession Number
1971.263.1
Art Historical Context
This exquisite carpet fragment, dating to the last quarter of the16th century, hails from the Islamic world and exemplifies the pinnacle of textile artistry during the Safavid era in Persia. Measuring an impressive 77½ by 55½ inches, it once formed part of a larger floor covering, likely used in grand homes, mosques, or palaces to add warmth, luxury, and symbolic beauty to interiors. Though the artist remains unknown, such fragments reveal the anonymous mastery of weavers whose works influenced global design for centuries. Crafted entirely from wool—for warp, weft, and pile—the carpet employs...