Spanish Armorial carpet

Armorial carpet
from Spain
early 20th century
Size: 864 x 416 cm

Spanish carpets, first manufactured during the 10th century, were strongly influenced by Islamic patterns due to the Moorish rule from the 8th through the 12th centuries. Muslim motifs could be found in combination with Christian symbols; however, by the 15th century, Spanish weavers were influenced by the Turks and, ultimately by styles derived from the French workshops of Savonnerie and Aubusson in the 18th and 19th centuries.
This monumental palatial carpet bears an armorial coat of arms featuring a lion rampant at the centre of a spectacular yellow ground field.