Publication Date
Approximately 926-936 AH / 1520-1530 AD
Publication Place
-
Los Angeles County Museum of Art
Subject
Knotted pile of wool on a cotton base and the knots are asymmetrical
Type
Other
Language
Undetermined
Digital
Yes
Manuscript
No
Physical Dimensions
701 × 365.8 سم
Library
Museum With No Frontiers
Library Asset ID
49.8
Record ID
object;EPM;us;Mus21;26;ar
Library Location
Los Angeles County Museum of Art
Date
Approximately 926-936 AH / 1520-1530 AD
Notes
The Coronation Carpet at LACMA gets its name because it was used in 1902 for the coronation of King Edward VI of the United Kingdom, son of Queen Victoria. It was placed before the King's throne in Westminster Abbey and the carpet was also prominently displayed in Edwin Austen's Abbey on this occasion. The carpet was chosen for the coronation ceremony by the Dauphin brothers, art dealers, who were asked to provide carpets and rugs for the occasion that were borrowed from prominent collections. Shortly after the coronation, the carpet was owned by American collector and self-made millionaire Marsden J. Perry. It was later acquired by two wealthy businessmen: Clarence Mackay, followed by J. Paul Getty, who donated it to LACMA in 1949. As is typical of the design of such sixteenth-century Persian rugs, each quadrant is exactly repeated. The carpet is qualitatively classified as a medallion carpet with floral and animal designs, although its decoration specifically shows a paradisiacal garden rich in trees and animals. The flowing water is indicated by smaller blue medallions reminiscent of connected pools which clearly form this unearthly/unreal form of dragons, human-headed animals, mythical unicorns (creatures drawn from Chinese mythology) and especially the winged celestial beings or nymphs in each of the quarter medallions. Like the Ardabil Carpet, the Coronation Carpet was given to LACMA by the Getty. They also share other features with those of the more famous carpets, and although they are not dated, they were most likely made in the second quarter of the sixteenth century. They also have similar pieces, of which small fragments remain in the Museum of Islamic Art in Berlin.
Sample Text
“Coronation Carpet” within Discover the collections of Islamic art. Museum Without Borders, 2026. https://islamicart.museumwnf.org/database_item.php?id=object;EPM;us;Mus21;26;ar
