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).
Examples with this elegant striped design are unusual, and were particularly highly prized within the Jaipur royal court in Rajasthan. A comparable moon shawl with a striped design is in the Art Institute of Chicago (see ibid., pp.88-89), along with an example in the TAPI Collection in India (inv.no. TAPI 98.1590, Ruth Barnes, Stephen Cohen, and Rosemary Crill, Trade, Temple and Court: Indian Textiles from the Tapi Collection, Mumbai, 2002, no. 54, pp. 138-39). For further comparable moon shawls in the present sale, see lots 23, 44 and 75.
Post Lot Text
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