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Room 9

Woven with precious threads of silk and pashmina wool, these two carpets were made in the royal manufactories of northern India in the seventeenth century. At the time, India was ruled by the Muslim Mughal emperor, Shah Jahan, celebrated for having built the Taj Mahal, a mausoleum for his favorite wife. These rugs may have once decorated one of Shah Jahan’s palaces or may have been used as diplomatic gifts.

Each carpet is composed of fragments of much larger and longer rugs. Over the centuries, the carpets were damaged by wear and tear; and in the late nineteenth century, some of the best-preserved areas were reassembled in order to create objects to be sold on the market in the west. Fragments from the same carpets survive in other public and private collections.

Mughal carpets are known for their graceful depictions of trees and flowers set against bright red backgrounds. Some of the plants and flowers can be identified, while others are creations of the artists who designed the carpets.

Henry Clay Frick placed these carpets on the floor of two rooms in his mansion on East 70th Street. But this does not mean he was unaware of their importance. In fact, he actually paid more for them than he did for some of the Impressionist paintings in his collection. For conservation reasons, the carpets are now displayed in cases, shown upright, unfortunately distorting the original effect they would have had as imaginary gardens underfoot.
 

L 75TH STREET MADISON AVENUE Entrance Ticketing Membership Shop Elevators Stairs Stairs Exit Coat Check

2 75TH STREET MADISON AVENUE 1 Barbet Angel 2 Holbein and Early Netherlandish 3 Dutch 4 Rembrandt 5 Van Dyck 6 Vermeer Elevators Stairs Restroom Restroom

3 75TH STREET MADISON AVENUE 7 Italian Sculpture 8 Early Italian 9 Indian Carpets 10 Porcelain 11 Italian 12 Venetian 13 Bellini 14 Bronzes 15 Spanish 16 Enamels and Clocks Elevators Stairs

4 75TH STREET MADISON AVENUE 17 French Sculpture 18 French 18th-Century 19 French Decorative Arts 20 British Landscape 21 British Portraiture 22 Whistler 23 French 19th-Century 24 Fragonard 25 Fragonard 26 Impressionism Elevators Stairs Reading Room By Appointment Only


LG 75TH STREET MADISON AVENUE Café Restroom Restroom Elevators Stairs Stairs

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945 Madison Avenue at 75th Street
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