Description
74351 Late 19th Century Antique Indian Agra Rug, 11'04 x 14'00.
In the golden hush of India’s twilight under British rule, this majestic hand-knotted Agra rug was born—a woven echo of Mughal grandeur softened by the gentle touch of time. Crafted in the famed weaving ateliers of Agra during the late 19th century, it draws inspiration from Persian court carpets yet hums with an Indian soul, delicate and dignified. The all-over palmette and vinery pattern, blooming like ghostly flora across a field of sun-faded gold, evokes a garden dreamt in a half-remembered poem—its petals etched in memory, not in ink.
Washed in an antique finish, the Agra rug's once-bold dyes have surrendered to time’s alchemy, revealing a subdued symphony of beige, sand, aubergine, plum and the whispers of mauve and taupe. The faded pigments are not signs of loss, but of transformation—giving the piece a serene patina that speaks to the quiet endurance of beauty through decades of footfall and sunbeam. The softened contrast between field and border—where diamond-shaped cartouches and scrolling leaves now melt into one another—feels like the blur of an old photograph, still vivid in soul.
Woven from hand-spun wool with a densely packed symmetrical knot, its construction bears the mark of Agra's master artisans, whose craft flourished under the patronage of British officers and Indian nobility alike. The reverse of the rug reveals its story in tight knots and meticulous structure—a tale of patience and precision rendered in warp and weft. Its distressed texture adds dimension, allowing the light to catch on its surface like wind stirring reeds across a quiet lake.
This antique Agra carpet is more than a textile—it is a relic of regal gardens and colonial halls, of silk saris brushing marble floors, of a world both vanished and enduring. It brings with it not only decorative majesty, but the romance of impermanence, the allure of age, and the soul of a heritage steeped in story. Draped in history, mellowed by the decades, and gloriously worn, it invites the present to sit in reverence beside the past.
- Distressed. Desirable Age Wear.
- Abrash. Antique Wash. Weathered. Worn-In Look.
- Hand-knotted wool.
- Made in India.
- Measures: 11'04 x 14'00.
- Date: 1880's. Late 19th Century.