Design presentation

The Carpet Cellar www.carpetcellar.com 1

About Us The Carpet Cellar is a specialist Gallery for the finest woven treasures. Conceived by India’s most respected curator of carpets, Sheel Chandra, The Carpet Cellar is considered a Mecca for certified antique carpets, perfectly executed recreations, modern designs, as well as kilims, durries, shawls and textiles. The collection at the Carpet Cellar reveals a variety of styles and designs that will appeal to a wide range of tastes. Our selection illuminates the culture of areas stretching from the Black Sea to China including Mon- golia, the former Soviet Union, Tibet, Turkey, Mesopotamia, Persia, Afghanistan, Baluchistan, India, Egypt and Morocco, as expressed through carpet design and artistry. 2

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JAIL CARPETS IN 16th CENTURY MUGHAL INDIA 4

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AGRA JAIL CARPET REF.NO-2288 SIZE: 11.6X8.8 FEET HAND-KNOTTED VEGETABLE / NATURAL DYES FINE WOOLEN PILE ON A COT- TON FOUNDATION CIRCA-1880 www.carpetcellar.com 7

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Emperor Akbar, who was illiterate himself was a great propagator of the artsand culture and it was during his reign that the arts flourished most inIndia. It was when it was brought to the notice of the emperor that theprisoners used to create a lot of ruckus in the jails that he decided toreform them. Between 1520-30’s he brought some of the finest weavers ofcarpets from the most well known carpet workshops of Safavid Persia to teach thejail birds, the art of weaving carpets. www.carpetcellar.com 9

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They used the finest wools, velvets, silks and sometimes even ‘Pashmina’(Cashmere) which is considered to be one of the most exotic fibres forweaving shawls for makingthese carpet. The dyes were all natural dyes/vegetable dyes extracted outof plants, rocks, minerals, insects etc. www.carpetcellar.com 11

AGRA JAIL CARPET REF.NO CC-1462 SIZE: 16.8X10.8 FTHAND- KNOTTEDVEGETABLE / NATURAL DYESFINE WOOLEN PILE ON A COTTON FOUNDATIONCIRCA-1870 12

These designs were rare and quite different from the traditional Persian , Turkish and Central Asian carpets and a lot of these designswere original Indian patterns prior to the Mughal influence. The mostfamous jails for carpets were Agra Jail, Lahore Jail, Amritsar Jail, Jaipurjail, Gwalior jail and Bikaner jail. www.carpetcellar.com 13

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Mughal Millefleurs “Star Lattice” carpet from northern India was once owned by Cornelius Vanderbilt II and displayed at the family’s West 57th Street residence in New York. The carpet subsequently graced the Breakers in Newport, Rhode Island, when Vanderbilt passed it along to his daughter. Estimated at $2.4 million to $3.2 million, the lot was sold by Christie’s London for $7.7 million on October 8, 2013. www.carpetcellar.com 15

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The Pearl Carpet of Baroda is a circa-1685 masterwork of silk and fine deer hide, embroidered with strings of natural Basra pearls and English coloured-glass beads. Estimated at $5 million, it sold for $5.548 million at Sotheby’s Doha on March 19, 2009. The carpet is set with approximately 2,500 table-cut and occasional rose-cut diamonds set in silver, as well as foil-backed rubies, emeralds, and sapphires, all set in gold. www.carpetcellar.com 17

AGRA JAIL TABREZ REF.NO- A-4234 SIZE: 11.4X8 FT HAND-KNOTTED VEGETABLE / NATURAL DYES FINE WOOLEN PILE ON A COTTON FOUNDATION CIRCA-1930 18

Once the Mughals left India in1858 the British and Portuguese colonized after that and brought in a new style and influenceThe colors which were predominantly in Jewel tones in the Mughal times were replaced by softer mellow palates like baby blue, baby pink, Ivory, Gold, Mint Green etc.These carpets were primarily made for collectors and patrons in Europe who had a very enrich sensibility and taste. www.carpetcellar.com 19

AGRA JAIL COTTON DURRY REF.NO- TCC-7384 SIZE: 6X3.6 FT HAND-WOVEN VEGETABLE / NATURAL DYES FINE COTTON WEAVE ON A COTTON FOUNDATION CIRCA-1920 20

The world renowned jail durries, possibly 21 the most expensive durries in world at present originated from the British colonization of India where they were trying to revive jail weavings in Indian prisons once the Mughals left India. These were predominently made using natural dyes and the gorgeous royal blue indigo colour is derived out of the ‘indigo’ plant. The indigo plant is believed to have originated in India and is amongst the oldest dyes to be used in carpet dyeing and also printing. This is a very expensive natural dye to make and was considered a luxury item imported into the Mediterranean by Arab Merchants from India. The rust -maroon colour is most probably derived from the madder plant which is a creeper. www.carpetcellar.com

AGRA JAIL COTTON DURRY REF.NO-TCC-6267 SIZE: 8.1X4FT HAND-WOVEN VEGETABLE / NATURAL DYES FINE COTTON WEAVE ON A COTTON FOUNDATION CIRCA-1910 22

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In late eighteenth century a British company by the name of Mitchell and Co. started carpet manufacturing in Kashmir to compete with the Persian market mainly to be exported to the west. These carpets were not generally sold in India . Some of Mitchells carpet were custom made carpets that were commissioned for the palaces or bought by the maharajas for gifts to visiting heads of state and people in power. www.carpetcellar.com 25

MAHARAJA KASHMIR CARPET REF.NO-3861 SIZE: 9.5X6 FT HAND-KNOTTED VEGETABLE / NATURAL DYES FINE WOOL-SILK PILE ON COTTON FOUNDATION CIRCA-1930 26

Mitchell carpets are among the best carpets and are as hard wearing as they are decorative. Choice examples are good investments, especially old and antique pieces which are hard to find. www.carpetcellar.com 27

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The overall colour effect of the Mitchells is pale, beige or light blue. However, sometimes as many as fifteen colours are used for contrast and outlines including several different red shades. www.carpetcellar.com 29

TRANSITIONAL AND SAFAVID COLLECTION ( MODERN TIMES ) The yearning of the Emperor for the cool climes gardens With the beautiful water bodies fruit abundant birds animals And mythical creatures This collection is trying to revive the high and low ‘Souf ’ technique which is the play of a combi- nation of silk and wool where the silk pile that is higher and shiny and the wool part being matted is an incredible revival of the renowned glory of the Safavid Empire. 30

SAFAVID COLLECTION WOOL-SILK REF.NO-A-7352 SIZE: 9.5X6.3 FEET HAND-KNOTTED FINE WOOL-SILK PILE ON A COTTON FOUNDATION

SAFAVID COLLECTION- TREE OF LIFE REF.NO-A-7407 SIZE: 9.2X6.1 FEET HAND-KNOTTED FINE WOOL-SILK PILE ON A COT- TON FOUNDATION 32

INDO DAMASQUE COLLECTION 33 REF.NO- A-7116 SIZE: 7.3X5 FT HAND-KNOTTED FINE WOOLEN PILE ON A COTTON FOUNDATION www.carpetcellar.com

SAFAVID COLLECTION REF.NO- A-6154 SIZE: 6.10X5.2 FEET HAND-KNOTTED FINE WOOL-SILK PILE ON A COTTON FOUNDATION 34

SAFAVID COLLECTION 35 WOOL-SILK REF.NO-A-4609 SIZE: 6.2X4 FT HAND-KNOTTED FINE WOOL-SILK PILE ON A COTTON FOUNDATION www.carpetcellar.com

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Lost in the Urabn age Our architecture series inspired by the liberation of Mumbai Gurgaon. And Indian cities from the limitations of 2-3 story zoning The Bauhaus Collections. The Bauhaus was a progressive German art and design school founded by the architect Walter Gropius that operated from 1919 to1933. The name Bauhaus is derived from the German verb bauen, “to build.” Under the school’s innovative curriculum, students were taught the fine arts, such as painting and sculpture, as well as practical skills like carpentry and metalworking. www.carpetcellar.com 37

BAUHAUS COLLECTION REF.NO-A-8375 SIZE: 8.3X5.7 FEET HAND-KNOTTED FINE SILK PILE ON A COTTON FOUNDATION 38

BAUHAUS COLLECTION REF.NO-A-8401 SIZE: 8.4X6.9 FEET HAND-KNOTTED FINE SILK PILE ON A COTTON FOUNDATION

ZEN COLLECTION REF.NO-A-7001 SIZE 6.2X4 FT HAND-KNOTTED FINE WOOL-SILK PILE ON A COTTON FOUNDATION 40

The Zen The Zen collection is inspired from the Ma- hayana Buddhism school that originated during the Tang dynasty in China. This collection emphasizes an ultra-modern simplistic design in subtle, muted colors to create a harmony between breath, mind, meditation and mindfulness. The idea is to create a serene and calm interior. Our creations are in a high and low technique, with a play of texture, in silk and wool. The silk shines and the wool part has a matted feel creating a gorgeous texture in muted pastel colours. www.carpetcellar.com 41

ARCHITECTURAL COLLECTION REF.NO-A-6659 SIZE:10.1X 8.1 FT HAND-KNOTTED FINE WOOL-SILK PILE ON A COTTON FOUNDATION 42

Architecture Collection. This collection epitomizes , the beauty and simplicity of Modern design and Architecture. It has been inspired by architectural greats like Tadao Ando, Le Corbusier, Frank Lloyd Wright and Louis Kahn. The designs are cutting edge , emphasizing nothingness and empty space to represent the beauty of simplicity.ww www.carpetcellar.com 43

ARCHITECTURAL COLLECTION REF.NO-A-6887 SIZE-10.2x8.FT JPG HAND-KNOTTED FINE WOOL-SILK PILE ON A COTTON FOUNDATION 44

Architectural Collection Reference No-A-7547 Size-7.7x5.3 Ft HAND-KNOTTED FINE WOOL-SILK PILE ON A COTTON FOUNDATION www.carpetcellar.com 45

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