Antique Washed Indian Amritsar Handmade Wool Rug BB0905 12'1" × 18'4" $48,000

An early 20th century antique North Indian Amritsar carpet, the beige field with staggered floral motifs with four spandrels within a light brown floral vinery border.

The production of antique Indian rugs and carpets in any quantity dates back to the Mughal period of the late 1520’s. Beginning with the conquest of Northern India by Babur, weaving workshops developed around the imperial cities of Agra, Fathpur and Lahore. Akbar the Great (1556-1605) and his successors sponsored and encouraged the weaving of splendid Indian versions of classic Persian floral, garden and hunting antique rugs and carpets. As an eminent patron of the arts, Jahangir (reigning from 1605-1628), possessed a deep love for the beauty of nature, influencing the artists of his court. Unlike antique Agra carpets manufactured in the prisons of India, antique North Indian rugs were products of a cottage industry controlled by families of carpet weavers.