Niche Carpet

The design of this carpet draws from an earlier model of carpets known as “millefleur” (thousand flowers) because of their profusion of floral motifs. Like these earlier carpets, including one at the Harvard Art Museums (1974.58), a number of floral motifs are scattered through an arched opening or niche with an anchoring vase at its base. This niche could indicate use as a prayer rug or allude to an arched gateway and signal the carpet’s function as a hanging. The all-silk pile of this carpet is sumptuous but wear over time has resulted in an inconsistently effaced surface.