Oriental Rugs Dictionary
Indian
Piled carpet weaving was introduced to India by the Mogul Dynasty during the 16 Century. The Moguls, who originally came from Central Asia, established s powerful empire at that time. Despite of their Central Asia homeland, the Mogul rulers looked to Persia for cultural and artistic inspiration.
Many Indian carpets of the 19 Century were also based on Persian models, which were either adapted or copied directly. These, though totally derivative in design, were many times successful and trend has continued up to present day.
There are no Indian tribal weavings and all weavings were made in workshops, seldom using jail labor.
Indian carpets of the Mogul period had a high reputation for their colors and dyes. The most characteristic color was a bluish red, derived from Lac dye.
Since the structure of most Indian carpets is the fairly uniform, it is rarely possible to identify specific carpets of certain cities, as done with Persian and Caucasian weavings. The only Distinguished designs are of Agra and Amritsar.
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