Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-09-10
CURIOUS AND COSTLY CARPETS.
Some of Those Owned by Royalty OF
Historical Interest.
From Tit Rits.

From Tit Bits.
magnificent Persian carpet has Just
been brought to England present from
the shah to the king. Ii is entirely hand
made. and it's manufacture despite the
number of workers employed, took upward
Of three years to complete. 1t Is of most
artistic and intricate design, into which the
kings name, Edward VII. is woven
The palatial hall of the Goldsmiths Com.
many, in Foster lane, contains three costly
carpets made at the factory at Wilton, near
Salisbury. The largest. which Is IN the
court drawing room, and measures 10 feet
. inches by &c feet inches, is OF rich
crimson. surrounding a center, 10 feet by
feet consisting of the companys arms IN
their heraldic coloring of blue. green. red
and purple upon a white ground, and IN
closed in a border of festooned roses with
medallions at each corner. In settlhs inc
pile of this carpet, which weighs apout
200 pounds, over o,JoooOo KNOTS were, IL -
said, used. 1,,,,
Another company, that of the GirdIers'
possesses a carpet which in historic inter-
est is probably unique. 1t was manufac-
tured in the reign of Charles l at the fac
tory of Akbar the Great at Lahore, TO the
order of Robert Bell, who in 1854 was the
master of the company. The carpet, Whlcn
is "A feet by inches, is worked with the
company's crest and arms and two bales or
merchandise. on either side of which are
the donors arms, and two bales OF mer-
chandise on which are his initials and trade
mark
At the time of the great fire this carpet
was saved from destruction, only TO fall
upon a Gothic age that regarded II Is q
mere floor covering, and year by year IL
became more dirty and dilapidated. From
this scandalouS neglect II was rescued
few years since by some members OF the
court more discriminating than the major
ity, and after thorough renovation was
MIA N a finely carved oak frame anu
hung above the high table.
The prayer carpet on view at South hen-
sington is a splendid specimen. Measuring
some :43 feet by 20 feet, it was purchased
AT a cost of G2,5O0, chiefly through the In
strumentality of the late William Morris,
the poet who, with other gentlemen, gave
a handsome subscription for that purpose.
1t came originally from the mosque at Ar
debil for which it was made In the yer
946 of the Hegira CA. d. 5f0) by Maksoud
of Kashan. a fact which, together with
pious maxim, is recorded in words Whlcn
are woven into the texture of the carpet
itself.
Two other magnificent carpets were four
years ago sold at the Municipal Cha5nperr
at Lisbon to pay for repairs at the Roya!
Convent of st. Antonio. TO which they had
been given by the 1nfanta Donna Sanche
in 1900. For these carpets whlch are OF
Persian manufacture, Is feet Square ana
embroidered with gold. the bidding was
very brisk. Starting at EsSS, II rapidly rose
to eI70s at which price the prize, at
e
a Frenchman. Public opinion. however,
was so greatly against the sale that two,
other equally valuable carpets. the property
of the Estrella Convent were Withdrawn.
curious carpet has lately been manu-.
featured at Caesarea. 1t is representa-
ton of the battle of Trafalgar, depicting
that moment in the engagement when Nell
son received his fatal wound The carpet,
which is entirely Of silk, is feet by 6 feet,
and 1t took two girls fourteen months to
weave it. 1t was sold for e400. Another
historical event the capture Of Buda from
the Turks, In 1886. was the subject OF
carpet manufact ured at the Beauvais fac.
tory, established in 1904 for Nine. de Main
tenon wife of Louis XIV.
Some of the carpets in the possession Of
eastern potentates are of similar magnify
cence and value. In the great exhibition or
1851 an elaborate cashmere carpet was
shown by the Maharajah Goolab Singh. II
was composed entirely of silk. and every
.quare foot contained no fewer than 10000
Snotc.