NORTH INDIA, CIRCA 1845

The moon shawl (chandar) first appeared in Kashmir in 1680 and is characterised by its spacious, square field, central moon-like medallion, with further quarter medallions in each corner. This style developed from earlier sixteenth century Cairene carpets produced in Ottoman Egypt (Ryan Paveza. “Moon Shawl (Chand-Dar).” Art Institute of Chicago Museum Studies, vol. 34, no. 1, 2008, pp. 88–96, p.88) which share this arrangement of decoration (see, for example, two carpets sold in these Rooms, 29 April 2004, lot 101 and 7 October 2014, lot 24). Like their Ottoman inspiration, moon shawls were largely produced according to Western stylistic demands and became particularly favoured by British and French ladies in the last quarter of the eighteenth century (Ryan Paveza, “Moon Shawl (Chand-Dar).” Art Institute of Chicago Museum Studies, vol. 34, no. 1, 2008, pp. 88–96, p.88).
Post Lot Text
This lot has been imported from outside the EU for sale and placed under the Temporary Admission regime. Import VAT is payable (at 5%) on the hammer price. VAT at 20% will be added to the buyer’s premium but will not be shown separately on the invoice. Please see Conditions of Sale for further information.