KASHMIR, NORTH INDIA, 1780-1805

The elaborate decoration of this mat reflects the rapid rise in popularity of distinctive and vibrant floral designs in painting under the Mughal Emperor Jahangir (r.1605-1627) (Ames, 2007, pp. 193-209, p.198). By using the kani (twill-tapestry) technique, also used in shawl production, the floral designs in mats such as the present example took on an elegant “painterly quality” with much finer detail (Ames, 2007., p.201). A prayer mat with very similar floral designs to the present lot is in the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston (inv.no. 99.156). A further prayer mat with a comparable design was sold in these Rooms, An Important Collection of Kashmir Shawls, 11-18 June 2019, lot 17.