The best known and most successful carpet weaving workshops in England were the looms established at Axminster in Devon by Thomas Whitty in 1755. Whitty (1713-1792), an energetic weaver of cloth, recognized the growing demand for carpets among the aristocracy and wealthy merchant classes during the second half of the 18th century. Inspired by popular “Turkey Carpets” (a generic term for hand-knotted pile carpets, both from the East and West), self-taught Whitty set out to make hand-knotted seamless carpets on a large upright loom. Whitty was the first Englishman to successfully exploit the techniques of pile carpet weaving by creating extremely high-quality carpets at an economically feasible price. Axminster carpets were quickly recognized as the best English produced carpets available, with Whitty winning the prize offered for carpet weaving by the Society of Arts in 1757 (shared with Thomas Moore of Moorfields), 1758 (shared with Peter Parisot of Exeter) and 1759 which he won outright. The fame of Axminster carpets was well appreciated as evidenced by a royal visit from George III in 1783, the commissioning of carpets by the Prince of Wales, as well as commissions from the leading architectural designers of the day such as James Wyatt and Robert Adam.
Whitty was an avid botanist and his love of flowers is evident in carpets woven during the later years of his life. This elegant carpet belongs to a group of particularly refined examples produced during the reign of George III that display abundant bouquets of identifiable blossoms, verdant floral swags and acanthus scrolls. The present lot relates very closely to the large Axminster in the White Drawing Room at Buckingham Palace and also to the Herriard Park carpet now in the collection of the Victoria and Albert Museum (Bertram Jacobs,Axminster Carpets 1755-1957, Leigh-on-Sea, 1970, pl. 7 and 51). All three share a three-part medallion encircled by floral garlands in a variety of vibrant colors, however, this carpet displays a distinctive dark brown field with architectural borders outlining the central medallion.
The use of ton-sur-ton patterns on Axminster carpets was common during this period, particularly on carpets with a dark brown ground, providing a sense of depth and brightening a solid dark ground. An identical ton-sur-ton floral trellis pattern with alternating small and large light brown rosettes on a dark brown field is found on a carpet sold at Christie’s, London, 21 May 2015, lot 99. These two carpets also share a similar treatment of a leafy vinery that is a feature in the end panels of this carpet.
Whitty was not at all averse to cribbing all or part of a design from a specific commission and including it in a new carpet. The prominent encircled rosette border on this carpet can also be found on a circa 1780 Axminster commissioned by Sir Thomas Rumbold for his Drawing Room at Woodhall Park (Christie’s, London, 6 July 2000, lot 164). The Woodhall Park carpet in turn has elements very similar to those found on a carpet Robert Adam designed for Saltram House that was woven at Axminster around 1770.
Achamore House, located on the Isle of Gigha in the Scottish Western Isles, was built in 1884 for Lt. Col. William James Scarlett and remained in his family until 1944 when Sir James Horlick, 4th Baronet (1886-1972) purchased the island and home. With his fortune from Horlicks Malted Milk, Horlick laid extensive gardens including its renowned Rhododendron specimens and assembled a notable collection of eighteenth century English furniture and decorative arts, with a particular interest in the Chinoiserie. His home was featured in a 1958 Connoisseur article devoted to the collection entitled 'Chinoiserie in the Western Isles, the Collection of Sir James and Lady Horlick'.
The carpet offered here retains incredible vivid color, a unique design of a multitude of floral specimens and mastery of execution, both in drawing and weave, which has made Axminster carpets so highly sought after since their creation in the 18th century.