/internal/media/dispatcher/582939/resize%25253Aformat%25253DthumbnailDragon carpet (fragmentary)about 1700251.0 x 198 cm (98 13/16 x 77 15/16 in.)Wool warp, wool weft, wool pileBequest of Mrs. Edward Jackson Holmes64.21010Dragon carpets are named for the S-shaped creatures contained in a latticework of sawtooth leaves. In the bottom third of this fragmentary carpet, two yellow dragons face away from a shield-like palmette.
Because dragon carpets resemble nineteenth-century Caucasian rugs, they have often been attributed to the Caucasus (the area between the Black and Caspian Seas). In actuality, they may have been made farther south, in and around the city of Tabriz--an area better situated for their manufacture and export.
Main field ground: blue. Design: large palmettes, lattice of serrated leaves containing conventionalized dragons and other fauna; colors: red, yellow, blue, green, cream-white, and dark blue. Border ground: neutral yellow. Design: conventionalized leaves and flowers. Condition: shortened, with restoration, including most of top and bottom borders.Textiles251.000000000011666401