Emperor’s Carpets
Quick Summary
The "Emperor's Carpets" refer to a pair of magnificent handwoven floor coverings thought to have been created in Herat, Afghanistan, during the 15th century. These carpets are renowned for their rich color palette, featuring a wine-red field contrasted with an emerald green border accented with golden yellow.1
Their intricate designs include coiling vines with palmette forms, animal chases, and dynamic cloud bands. While many classic Herat carpets survive only as fragments, these two exceptional pieces, formerly owned by the Habsburgs, are now located in Vienna and New York City. The craftsmanship involved extremely fine wool and tight knotting, with some examples exhibiting over 2,000 knots per square inch. The tradition of Herat carpet weaving influenced later floral carpets in India, known as Indo-Eșfahāns.12
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