This fragment of lattice carpet relates closely to two Mughal lattice carpets. The first is the James. D. Burns Mughal carpet, 17^th century, (380 by 208cm), in the Textile Museum, Washington D.C. (TM:  1994.12.1), illustrated in Hali (September 1996), p.105, and noted that the principles of symmetry are not limited to geometric designs. The other is a large 17th century carpet, North India, Kashmir or Lahore, (907 by 503cm) in the Victoria and Albert Museum, London (Inventory reference IS.244-1964), which is of the same format and fineness of quality, which unusually has a change in orientation of the plants in one half, and incorporation of four blossoms arranged in a cross shape rather than flowering plants, see Wearden (2003), see pl. 58 (detail), pp.29 & 70. It has a complementary and beautifully proportioned wide border, delicately filled with palmettes and flowers between two narrow scroll borders with arabesques against a yellow ground.

For a very similar Mughal carpet, circa 1601-1699, reduced in length, with complementary cerise border with stylised flowerheads, narrow ivory and yellow inner and outer guards (360 by 200cm), see Sotheby’s, London, 5 April 2006, lot 56; provenance: Hagop Kevorkian. For an example which is a pair with the Burns carpet, matching along a line of bisected shrubs along one side of the field, and therefore a mirror image in design, from the second half 17^th century, reduced in length and with narrow ivory and yellow inner and outer guards (lacking main border), 362 by 190cm), see Christie’s, London, 8 October 2013, lot 100, provenance: George Bemberg, Paris.

For comprehensive discussion of the group see Walker (1997), pp.3-14, 86-117, 105-107, and pp.107-117.

For another floral lattice carpet, Deccan, Hyderabad, see lot 46 in this sale. 

Wearden (2003): Wearden, Jennifer, Oriental Carpets and their Structure, Highlights from the V&A Collection, London, 2003, see pl. 58 (detail), pp.29 & 70

Walker (1997): Walker, Daniel, Flowers Underfoot: Indian Carpets of the Mughal Era, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, 1997, Chp. 1., India during the Mughal Era, pp.3-14, and Chp. 4, The Carpets, The Flower Style, pp.86-117, ‘Lattice and Flower Pattern’, pp.105-107, and ‘Lattice and Blossom Pattern’, pp.107-117