Agra Rug

Agra Rug
General information
Name	Agra Rug
Alternative name(s)	Agra Carpet
Origin	India
Technical information
Common designs	Herati (fish), Lattice, Mihrab (prayer arch), Shah Abbasi
Common colors	Red
Pile material	Wool
Foundation material	Cotton
Knot type	Asymmetrical (Persian)

Agra Rug or Agra Carpet is one of the eastern rugs that woven in India.
Agra is an ancient city of north central India and former capital of the Mughal Empire. Carpet workshops were in production in Agra in 1619. After the partition of India in 1947, many Muslim weavers immigrated to Pakistan. The industry has recovered, and presently there is an active carpet-weaving industry in Agra. Some rugs are woven by prisoners of the Agra Central Jail.

History

Agra is a city located in north central India. It was once the capital of the Mughal Empire during the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. The majority of the population is Muslim, and the Taj Mahal is located there. Agra was an important city of art and culture during the Mughal era; notably, Emperor Akbar the Great (r. 1556-1605) established a training school for carpet weaving and miniature painting in this city. Akbar's interests and support of the arts continued with his successors, Jehangir (r. 1605-1627) and Shah Jahan (r. 1628-1658). Under these Mughal leaders, India's art and architecture greatly advanced.
The carpet weavers under the reign of Emperor Akbar were skilled Persian immigrants. Early Agra weavings are called Mughal Carpets in the trade. These carpets feature a red background with traditional Safavid designs and weaving technique. They were produced in established workshops throughout northern and central India but most notably in Agra.
Early Agra (Mughal) carpets were made for the royal court palaces, mosque interiors, and the nobility in India. Britain's East India Company got involved in the carpet weaving industry under the reign of Shah Jahan and began to trade carpets throughout Europe. With this introduction of Agra carpets to the West, Mughal designs and coloration achieved recognition and were competitive in the marketplace with carpets of established Oriental weaving empires such as Persia, Egypt, and the Ottomans. During this period, new carpet designs and motifs were developed, such as the Lattice, Mihrab (prayer arch), Shrub, and single tree, among others. In general, Agra carpets have a cotton foundation and a wool pile. The Persian (asymmetric) knot is used.
The finest carpets were produced in India, with some weavings having approximately two thousand knots per square inch. They were made with a silk foundation and either a pashmina or wool pile. Some carpets were woven with a silk weft and cotton warp.
Through the centuries, Agra continued to weave carpets in the traditional style. The famous allover Persian design Shah Abbas of palmette with leaves and vines as well as Cloudband motifs on a red background was continuously made throughout the British Raj era (1858-1947). Other popular motifs from Persia, such as the Herati (fish) and Minakhani (rosette-linked trellis), were woven during the nineteenth century by foreign manufacturers, which maintained high production in cities, villages, and even jails to meet Western market demand.
"Jail" Carpets were commonly made by prisoners in India, especially in Agra. These carpets either had a pile or were flatwoven with traditional Persian designs. They were marketed domestically and for export. Most pile jail carpets made during the nineteenth century in northern Indian cities are incorrectly referred to as Agra carpets in the trade.
Antique Agra carpets are beautiful in design execution and have a rich and pleasant coloration. Today they bring high prices in the antique market and are sought by museums, consumers, and collectors.

Bibliography

• Abraham Levi Moheban. 2015. The Encyclopedia of Antique Carpets: Twenty-Five Centuries of Weaving. NewYork: Princeton Architectural Press.
• Peter F. Stone. 2013. Oriental Rugs: An Illustrated Lexicon of Motifs, Materials, and Origins. North Clarendon: Tuttle