The later Indian carpets are mostly very inferior, largely on account of the difficulty of ob taining good wool. Many still have the designs of Persia and of other countries but purely Indian patterns are also common. From time to time better carpets have been made in the factories and during the 19th century the government established a fairly successful manufacture in the gaols, but it is rarely that in both design and quality they rival the better products of Persia.
The best come from Agra and Warangal, the latter producing some good silk rugs. Carpets from Masulipatam, Mirzapore andTan jore are very cheap and very substantial but the wool is so harsh and the colours so dull and grey that they are quite unattrac tive. Cotton rugs are made in Multan, and tapestry-woven ones, called daris, in many places. During the 20th century carpets of good quality, with any desired pattern, are being made in Kashmir.
Turkey.—The Turkish carpets of the 16th and 17th centuries are made entirely of wool and have the Ghiordes knot and two lines of weft, mostly red, after the knots. The texture is of medium fineness. Only about six to eight tints are used and these are mostly bright primary colours. The reds, which pre dominate, do not incline towards crimson. The patterns are never naturalistic but yet are based on floral forms, and very little purely geometrical ornament is introduced apart from that obviously derived from Saracenic art. One group—the Court Factory—differs from the above description in several particulars.
Holbein.—So called because they are often represented in the pictures of that painter. They have a pattern of Arabesque oc tagonal forms arranged regularly in rows and columns, with diamond-shaped figures between them (see fig. 14). The ground is mostly a chequer of two col ours which rather disguises the true nature of the pattern. This design is very interesting as being essentially the same as that of the Turcoman rugs of about three centuries later.
Lobed Panels.—These have a number of angular lobed panels on a field covered with a small floral diaper.
Yellow Arabesques—T h e s e have a repeating pattern of yellow arabesques on a red ground (see fig. 15), and usually a border with a debased Cufic inscription. Ushak.—A very important kind of large rugs having an almost circular medallion in the centre and the halves of circular lobed medallions against the sides. (See
Plate II.) The pattern seems closely connected with the Large Medallion Persian type. They are the direct ancestors of the well known red and blue "Turkey" carpet of the 19th century.
Prayer-Rugs.—The earliest known prayer-rugs have a plain red field with a very simple arch-form at one end and mostly a hanging lamp. The border often has a row of modified cloud-bands alternating with rosettes. Most of them have been preserved in Italian churches.
Bird.—Apparently akin to the last group, these have a diaper pattern of devices somewhat bird-like in shape, on a white ground (see fig. 16).
Court Factory.—This group, believed to have been made under direct Court patronage near Constantinople, differs in several respects from other Turkish rugs, and has much affinity with the Persian. The Sehna knot is used and the texture is fine. The warp is of fine yellow wool and the weft is often of red or green silk. The chief colours, always bright, are crimson, yellow, yellow-green, and light blue. The patterns closely resemble those of the so-called "Damascus" faience.
Geometric.—These are coarser, but have several points of resemblance to the last group, the colours being similar and some curious technical details identical. They have arabesque geometrical patterns of octagons, stars and interlacing lines (see fig. 17). Dr. Sarre claims that they were made in Egypt.
Later Turkish Carpets.—Apart from the Ushak rugs, which persist to the 2oth century, the above types almost disappear during the 17th century, and are succeeded by others which mostly have the form of prayer-rugs. During the 19th century the large Turkey carpet becomes merely an article of commerce and the smaller rugs deteriorate sadly in quality while keeping the design almost unchanged. Great numbers of kilims have been made. The larger ones, woven in two strips, have simple geo metrical patterns, while the smaller follow in a simplified form the patterns of the pile carpets.