The Emperor's Carpet

Colors in this work

Artist: Unknown artist
Date: second half 16th century
Medium: Silk (warp and weft), wool (pile); asymmetrically knotted pile
Dimensions: Rug: L. 299 in. (759.5 cm) W. 133 1/2 in. (339.1 cm) Wt. on a 10" tube: 144 lbs. (65.3 kg)
Origin: Iran
Department: Islamic Art
Holding institution: The Metropolitan Museum of Art
Palette: Sooted Timber · Brown family · #5B261E · 24%

Oiled Oak · Brown family · #865D37 · 16%

Raw Sienna Bank · Brown family · #A07D4C · 12%

Roman Brick Earth · Brown family · #73432E · 8%

Olive Ground · Yellow family · #45442B · 8%

Slate Night · Black family · #1B2A25 · 6%

Etching Plate Gray · Gray family · #403229 · 5%

Iron Gall Black · Black family · #191E28 · 4%

Rosewood Wash · Red family · #731C1E · 4%

Olive Ground · Yellow family · #5C4724 · 4%

Sooted Timber · Brown family · #42100F · 4%

Press Black · Black family · #0E170E · 3%

Parchment Ochre · Yellow family · #C1A57C · 2%

Iron Rosette · Red family · #962A16 · <1%

Etching Plate Gray · Gray family · #494552 · <1%

Rosewood Wash · Red family · #591234 · <1%

Granite Face · Gray family · #73636C · <1%

Pine Needle · Green family · #22481D · <1%

Select a color to find related artworks.
Image provider: metropolitan-museum-of-art
License: CC0-1.0
Credit: Rogers Fund, 1943

12 tags

Animals Both · 98%

Birds and quadruped animals are distributed throughout the central field and borders; the catalog specifically lists Birds, Lions, and Tigers as subjects.
Flora Both · 99%

Flowers, leaves, curling stems, and vegetal ornament cover the field and borders, and Flowers is listed among the catalog subjects.
Hybrids and Imaginary Creatures Both · 96%

Fantastic dragon-like and other non-naturalistic creatures are visible among the ornament, consistent with the catalog's subjects Mythical Creatures and Dragons.

Dense Composition Visual · 99%

The central field, narrow framing bands, and broad outer border are densely populated with floral, vegetal, and animal motifs, leaving little unornamented ground.
Patterns Visual · 99%

Repeated floral, vegetal, animal, and border motifs establish continuous ornamental patterning across the carpet.
Highly Detailed Visual · 98%

The carpet contains numerous small-scale floral, vegetal, and figurative details arranged across nearly the entire surface.
Arabesque/Scroll Visual · 96%

The composition prominently uses curling, intertwining vegetal stems and tendrils as a recurring ornamental structure.

16th Century Art Metadata · 99%

The catalog dates the carpet to the second half of the sixteenth century, within the period 1550–1599.

Natural Fibers Metadata · 99%

The catalog specifies silk warp and weft and a wool pile, all natural fiber materials.

Islamic Art and Architecture Metadata · 90%

The object is held in the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Islamic Art department and is identified as originating in Iran.

Rug Both · 99%

The image clearly depicts a large pile carpet, and the catalog classifies the object as a Carpet and as Textiles-Rugs.

Unknown artist. The Emperor's Carpet. The Metropolitan Museum of Art.