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Lot Essay
The 'Kyoto' group of carpets came to the attention of carpet scholars in 1986 thanks to the intervention of Daniel Walker and Nobuko Kajitani, who visited the holdings of the Gion Matsuri Preservation Society in Kyoto. An annual ceremony going back to the 9th century, the Gion Matsuri culminates in the procession of a number of floats decked in exotic textiles which included a number of Indian carpets, one of which had been acquired as far back as 1650. Though the association had in its possession several Persian carpets, the Indian pieces were remarkably homogenous: they shared a similar structure, an unusual palette including mustard-yellow and olive-green on a red ground (Daniel Walker, Flowers Underfoot, New York, 1997, p.138) Though most were woven with Mughal designs, the most likely place of origin was the Deccan.
Since then, further examples have come to light beyond Kyoto itself. Some have been in other Japanese collections, including in Nagoya and Tokyo. Carpets of this type also appear in Dutch paintings from the seventeenth century, such as Johannes Vermeer's, Young Lady with a Water Pitcher, painted in 1662, suggesting that they were also imported to Europe. Though this group will continue to be particularly associated with Kyoto, this group represents a type of carpet which was made in the Deccan for export in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, travelling both East and West in Dutch ships. Further examples have been offered for sale in recent years, including in these Rooms, 16 April 2007, lot 49; 24 November 2009, lot 340; 27 April 2023, lots 204 and 205; 25 April 2024, lot 216. Interestingly, many of those which have come directly from Japan have - like the present lot - retained wooden boxes with Japanese inscriptions. The inscriptions on the box suggest a date in which the carpets were made according to the rule of Chinese emperors, suggesting that it may have been thought that they were made in China.
As more examples have come to light, it has been possible to identify subgroups within the larger 'Kyoto' group. The present lot is similar in design to an example in the collection of the Duke of Buccleuch in Boughton House, Northamptonshire (acc.no.62-506, published Walker, 1997, p.144, fig.140), having two parallel columns of flowerheads within a lattice of sickle-shaped leaves. A similar design also appears on a rug in the Museum fur Angewandte Kunst, Vienna, which was originally published by Sarre and Trenkwald (Alt-orientalische Teppiche, Leipzig, 1926-9, pl.34) but now reattributed to this group. The Boughton and Vienna carpets are substantially larger than our rug, with a higher quality of drawing, possibly indicating an earlier date of manufacture. The border designs are also much more intricate: the border design of this example is closer in style to that on a rug still with the Gion Matsuri Preservation Association, which has doubled motifs in the corners like ours in order to help resolve the design.
Since then, further examples have come to light beyond Kyoto itself. Some have been in other Japanese collections, including in Nagoya and Tokyo. Carpets of this type also appear in Dutch paintings from the seventeenth century, such as Johannes Vermeer's, Young Lady with a Water Pitcher, painted in 1662, suggesting that they were also imported to Europe. Though this group will continue to be particularly associated with Kyoto, this group represents a type of carpet which was made in the Deccan for export in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, travelling both East and West in Dutch ships. Further examples have been offered for sale in recent years, including in these Rooms, 16 April 2007, lot 49; 24 November 2009, lot 340; 27 April 2023, lots 204 and 205; 25 April 2024, lot 216. Interestingly, many of those which have come directly from Japan have - like the present lot - retained wooden boxes with Japanese inscriptions. The inscriptions on the box suggest a date in which the carpets were made according to the rule of Chinese emperors, suggesting that it may have been thought that they were made in China.
As more examples have come to light, it has been possible to identify subgroups within the larger 'Kyoto' group. The present lot is similar in design to an example in the collection of the Duke of Buccleuch in Boughton House, Northamptonshire (acc.no.62-506, published Walker, 1997, p.144, fig.140), having two parallel columns of flowerheads within a lattice of sickle-shaped leaves. A similar design also appears on a rug in the Museum fur Angewandte Kunst, Vienna, which was originally published by Sarre and Trenkwald (Alt-orientalische Teppiche, Leipzig, 1926-9, pl.34) but now reattributed to this group. The Boughton and Vienna carpets are substantially larger than our rug, with a higher quality of drawing, possibly indicating an earlier date of manufacture. The border designs are also much more intricate: the border design of this example is closer in style to that on a rug still with the Gion Matsuri Preservation Association, which has doubled motifs in the corners like ours in order to help resolve the design.