AN EXCEPTIONALLY FINE KASHMIRI RUG C. H. HADOW & CO., SRINIGAR, KASHMIR, LATE 19TH/EARLY 20TH
Details
AN EXCEPTIONALLY FINE KASHMIRI RUG
C. H. HADOW & CO., SRINIGAR, KASHMIR, LATE 19TH/EARLY 20TH CENTURY
Of Safavid Isfahan design, woven on a silk foundation, overall very good condition
4ft.2in. x 1ft.7in. (128cm. x 55cm.)
Provenance:
With House of Perez gallery, London by 1946 Acquired by Stanley Reed (General Manager of the House of Perez), London, thence by descent
Literature:
Stanley Reed, Oriental Rugs & Carpets, London, 1967, p.89, fig.105 Stanley Reed, All Colour Book of Oriental Carpets and Rugs, London, 1972, p.70, fig.100
Exhibited:
Messrs. Perez London, European and Oriental Carpets, Royal Water Colour Society Gallery, London, 1946
Lot Essay:
The knot count measures approx. 19V x 20H per cm. sq. The turn of the century saw a concerted effort to develop India's carpet weaving industry, after the Great Exhibition of 1851 stimulated Western demand for Indian handicrafts. Carpets were manufactured in new factories, often with the labour of India's incarcerated population. One such company was C.H. Hadow and Co founded in Srinagar in 1888. Letters provided by the family of Stanley Reed, between Reed and the granddaughter of Hadow, provide valuable information regarding the company who produced this exceptionally fine weaving. C. M. Hadow was an Austrian/British merchant who arrived in Kashmir in the late 1880s, during the reign of Maharaja Ranbir Singh, and was known as a compassionate and God fearing philanthropist. Hadow's firm played a pivotal role in establishing carpet production and supposedly became so successful that it rivalled the success of the Dutch East India Company. The designs used were frequently inspired by classical designs which had only recently begun to be published in watercolour plates.
Reed's correspondence reveals that he was contacted in 1975 by Hadow's grandaughter on the recommendation of Dr. May Beattie who met her whilst visiting the Museum of Southern Decorative Arts in North Carolina, where Hadow was a guide. Upon discovering Hadow's connection with the Srinigar carpet factor, Beattie encouraged Hadow to continue her reserach on the subject whereupon she discovered that she had the likely pair to our rug, illustrated in Reed's, Oriental Rugs and Carpets.
This exquisitely fine rug continues in the tradition established in earlier imperial workshops. Woven on a silk structure with an exceptionally finely spun wool which is either merino but quite possibly pashmina. Though the expansion of the industry inevitably brought with it a loss in quality, this rug, and its pair, were likely used as showpieces, demonstrating the skill and dexterity of their weavers.
It was and remains absolutely exceptional for the fineness of its weaving, the execution of its design, and the clarity of its drawing.
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Details
AN EXCEPTIONALLY FINE KASHMIRI RUG
C. H. HADOW & CO., SRINIGAR, KASHMIR, LATE 19TH/EARLY 20TH CENTURY
Of Safavid Isfahan design, woven on a silk foundation, overall very good condition
4ft.2in. x 1ft.7in. (128cm. x 55cm.)
Provenance:
With House of Perez gallery, London by 1946 Acquired by Stanley Reed (General Manager of the House of Perez), London, thence by descent
Literature:
Stanley Reed, Oriental Rugs & Carpets, London, 1967, p.89, fig.105 Stanley Reed, All Colour Book of Oriental Carpets and Rugs, London, 1972, p.70, fig.100
Exhibited:
Messrs. Perez London, European and Oriental Carpets, Royal Water Colour Society Gallery, London, 1946
Lot Essay:
The knot count measures approx. 19V x 20H per cm. sq. The turn of the century saw a concerted effort to develop India's carpet weaving industry, after the Great Exhibition of 1851 stimulated Western demand for Indian handicrafts. Carpets were manufactured in new factories, often with the labour of India's incarcerated population. One such company was C.H. Hadow and Co founded in Srinagar in 1888. Letters provided by the family of Stanley Reed, between Reed and the granddaughter of Hadow, provide valuable information regarding the company who produced this exceptionally fine weaving. C. M. Hadow was an Austrian/British merchant who arrived in Kashmir in the late 1880s, during the reign of Maharaja Ranbir Singh, and was known as a compassionate and God fearing philanthropist. Hadow's firm played a pivotal role in establishing carpet production and supposedly became so successful that it rivalled the success of the Dutch East India Company. The designs used were frequently inspired by classical designs which had only recently begun to be published in watercolour plates.
Reed's correspondence reveals that he was contacted in 1975 by Hadow's grandaughter on the recommendation of Dr. May Beattie who met her whilst visiting the Museum of Southern Decorative Arts in North Carolina, where Hadow was a guide. Upon discovering Hadow's connection with the Srinigar carpet factor, Beattie encouraged Hadow to continue her reserach on the subject whereupon she discovered that she had the likely pair to our rug, illustrated in Reed's, Oriental Rugs and Carpets.
This exquisitely fine rug continues in the tradition established in earlier imperial workshops. Woven on a silk structure with an exceptionally finely spun wool which is either merino but quite possibly pashmina. Though the expansion of the industry inevitably brought with it a loss in quality, this rug, and its pair, were likely used as showpieces, demonstrating the skill and dexterity of their weavers.
It was and remains absolutely exceptional for the fineness of its weaving, the execution of its design, and the clarity of its drawing.
Read more
