Accession Number

2016.009.001

Description

One woven cut pile rug with white fringe at top and bottom. Three floral motif bands of borders around a central field. Central field features a tree of life motif. The top of the field design curves into the shape of a mihrab (prayer niche). Two labels are applied to verso - "Waring & Gillow, Ltd., Carpet Specialists London. W. England By Appointment to His Majesty the King."

Narrative

This late 19th century dozar-sized (6'10" X 4'6") Persian Kerman prayer rug is made of silk, cotton, and wool, and is in the Tree of Life pattern, with vegetal and geometric motifs. Sewn on the reverse is a commercial label for: “Waring & Gillow, Ltd., Carpet Specialists London. W. England By Appointment to His Majesty the King.”

The carpet also bears an after-market fabric label describing its sale at the 1939 Hatley Park auction and its placement in front of the “main lounge” inside Hatley Castle. The auction catalogue for the 1939 sale describes three rugs basically matching this particular rug in type and size: Lot “171 Persian Kermanshah Rug, 4 ft. 6 in. X 7 ft.”; Lot “237 Persian Kermanshah Rug, 6 ft. 10 in. X 4 ft. 4 in.” ; Lot “258 Persian Kermanshah Rug, 6 ft. 10 in. X 4 ft. 4 in.” All three of these rugs were in the drawing room of Hatley Castle during the auction preview, and one of them was this one. It is not visible in the few surviving historic photographs of the Dunsmuir's drawing room at Hatley Park.

This rug was made circa 1880-1910 and is ideally suited for display in Craigdarroch’s Dunsmuir-era interiors. Its Dunsmuir provenance further enhances its value to the Primary Collection.

History of Use

This rug was sold by Laura Miller Dunsmuir’s Executor at the Hatley Park Auction in 1939. The buyer was native Victorian Bruce Brown (1914-2002), or his parents. In the early 1980’s, Mr. Brown told Craigdarroch curator Bruce Davies that he owned this rug, that it had been previously owned by the Dunsmuirs at Hatley Park, and that he was considering a gift of it to Craigdarroch. He and his wife Dorothy subsequently gave the rug to Royal Roads Military College (RRMC) in 1987 when it was using Hatley Park. When RRMC closed, the rug was transferred (donated) by the Department of National Defence to the University of Victoria’s Maltwood Museum & Gallery (today the Legacy Galleries), which has transferred (donated) the rug to The Castle Society.

Date

circa 1880 – 1910

Dimensions

208.5 x 137 cm

Material

Fabric, wool; Fabric, silk; Fabric, cotton

Technique

Knotted

School/Style

Kerman

Country of Origin

Persia; Iran