16th - 17th century

Vase Carpet Fragment

“Vase” carpets take their name from the flower-filled ceramic vases that are often depicted in their elaborate central fields. This relatively small fragment—a complex and colorful network of blossoms and vines—offers a beguiling hint at the original rug’s overall design, which is now lost to us. Due to the use of a corrosive dye, much of the wine-red pile that comprised the ground has disintegrated with time, exposing the carpet’s underlying structure, especially the cotton warp (lengthwise yarns).