A Large Agra Carpet, North India, circa 1860

C. John, London;

Ann and Gordon Getty, acquired from the above in 1993;

The Collection of Ann & Gordon Getty: Wheatland, Christie’s, New York, 19 October 2023, lot 45;

Where acquired by the present collector.

'Auction Price Guide,' HALI, issue 218, 2024, p. 154.

Following a period of inactivity in the early 19^th century, the carpet industry in India gained impetus following the Great Exhibition of 1851 in London, where a number of Indian pile carpets were exhibited. In the second half of the century, the weaving of carpets within jails flourished, and saw the British Government offset the costs of the penal system by using the inmates to produce carpets. Some of these newly-woven carpets were exhibited in the Great Exhibition of 1862, and the industry continued to flourish in both private workshops and jails in Agra, Lahore, to which the highest quality carpets are generally attributed, alongside Montgomery and Yeraoda.

Historical designs of the Safavids and Mughals served as the source material, evident here in the Safavid-inspired ‘in-and-out palmette’ design. The cartoons were generally copied from these earlier prototypes drawn from the collections of the Maharaja of Jaipur and the historic Bijapur Kingdom collection located at Asar Mahal, in Bijapur. For a comprehensive discussion and illustration of 19^th century Indian carpet manufacture see Ian Bennett, Jail Birds, Exhibition of 19^th century Indian Carpets, Exhibition Catalogue, 1987.

The fine weave, lustrous wool quality and jewel-like colours of the present carpet are typical of an early group woven in the mid-19^th century. Its composition is closely related to a smaller Agra carpet sold at Bonhams, London, 24 April 2002, lot 218, said to have been purchased in India in 1825 by the consignor’s great-grandfather, General James Edward Alexander (HALI, issue 125, 2002, p. 130). The impressive size of the present carpet allows for an expanded design incorporating pairs of blue and green cloudbands which do not appear on the Bonhams example.