Prayer Rug

Prayer Rug

mid 1800s
Culture
Baluch
Locale
Persia
Country
Iran
Object
rug, prayer
Medium
woven and knotted wool
Accession Number
2013.2
Credit Line
Neusteter Textile Collection: Department acquisition funds by exchange
Prayer Rug. mid 1800s. woven and knotted wool. Neusteter Textile Collection: Department acquisition funds by exchange. 2013.2.
Dimensions
height: 49 in, 124.4600 cm; width: 35 in, 88.9000 cm
Department
Avenir Institute of Textile Arts and Fashion
Collection
Textile Arts and Fashion-Asian
The crowned figure with wings is the angel Gabriel, seen astride a camel composed of multiple creatures and beings—including a fish for its tail and an elephant’s trunk for its rump. This camel recalls earlier Persian drawings of composite creatures. The Balouch tribal woman who wove this rug, working from bottom upward, had to make several adjustments to the left border in order to accommodate the figure of the camel.
Known Provenance
Purchased early 1980s from Y & B Balour [London, UK] by Shaver-Ramsey [Denver, CO]; purchased 2013 from Shaver-Ramsey by the Denver Art Museum
Exhibition History
  • "Cover Story," May 17, 2013 - April 27, 2014 (DAM)
  • “Stampede: Animals in Art” — Denver Art Museum, 9/10/2017