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Special topics in art history
Course: Special topics in art history > Unit 2
Lesson 14: TextilesConserving the Emperors Carpet
The magnificent sixteenth-century Emperor's Carpet from Safavid Iran was acquired by the Metropolitan Museum in 1941, but its condition was so fragile that it was only displayed for public twice over the next sixty years. This video documents the ambitious three-year conservation program that was launched in 2006 to stabilize the condition of the carpet so its lustrous wools and dazzling colors can be displayed the Museum on a regular basis.
View this work on metmuseum.org.
Are you an educator? Here's a related lesson plan. For additional educator resources from The Metropolitan Museum of Art, visit Find an Educator Resource.
. Created by The Metropolitan Museum of Art.Want to join the conversation?
What's the advantage of using synthetic dyes instead of natural? Are there any side affects that may influence the quality of the carpet?(7 votes)
Synthetic dyes are generally less expensive and more easily reproduced, since they are made by a chemical process instead of gathered from plants or animals or rocks. I would expect fewer side effects, since synthetic dyes would not have the organic acids which may be found in natural dyes from plants or animals or rocks (which may have plant or animal substances on them).(7 votes)
How does damage like that done to this carpet occur? Is this just part of the aging process? Or is this due to the movement of the carpet from place to place and daily use such as people walking on top of it?(3 votes)
Damage according to the video is the result of a multitude of factors. Silk deteriorating at a faster rate than the wool fibers, weakness developed at fold lines, travel from one country to another perhaps through trade, daily use as exhibited at the worn corners all contributed to its disrepair. Previous conservation efforts surely stressed the fibers.(5 votes)
Who wrote the caption that appears below this video? Was it Khan Academy representatives or someone from the Metropolitan Museum of Art, because there are 2 separate glaring mistakes in diction. Very poor quality to an excellent video.(2 votes)- Although this is a magnificent carpet what factors are considered when choosing a candidate for conservation?(2 votes)
In the about section it says the Metropolitan Museum bought the carpet in 1941 and in the video she says it was bought in 1943, which is correct? Also, does anyone know who it was purchased from?(1 vote)
Video transcript
- We're standing in front
of The Emperor's Carpet, one of the greatest Persian
carpets in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum. The carpet was produced
in the 16th century, most likely during the reign
of the great Shah of Iran, Shah Tahmasp. It is a remarkable carpet, and
we can only imagine the impact it must have made on visitors
to the Imperial Court. Somehow the extraordinary carpet
made its way north to Russia, perhaps through trade,
or as a diplomatic gift. Then around 1700 the carpet
was given to the Hapsburgs in Vienna by Peter the Great. After various owners,
it was purchased by the Metropolitan Museum
of Art in 1943. As amazing as it was,
it was also very fragile, and the museum only displayed
the emperor's carpet to the public twice
in the next 60 years. By 2006, we realized that
we could only share the carpet with our public on a regular
basis if we were willing to embark on an ambitious
conservation program that would stabilize
its condition. (music playing) - The conservators are always
tempted to look pretty much in the details,
if possible under microscope, so you see the condition
of the fibers, you see the condition of the
dye, the structural condition. However, if you look, overall,
the condition of this piece, it's marvelous. Even so, we have problems,
supported by patches. However, the warp and weft,
the pile, the quality of the fiber,
the quality of the dye, so high, tells us that it was made
for a special owner. We had to start analyzing
previous conservation. And looking mostly at
the back of the carpet, you'll see the lining,
first red and rich silk fabric covering the whole carpet,
yet damaged. Remove that first level,
you find another lining. Now, removing the two layers
of fabric, you find other layers of conservation. Front and back
of this large carpet. Photography had been done
by the Photo Studio that gives us a clear record
of the conservation previous to our time. - This the first phase after
we remove the lining. It's covered with over 660
patches, which is the effort of the previous people
who tried to conserve and preserve
this precious carpet. And then we are removing it,
because some of them are really tightly sewn,
or textiles shrunk, and it's distorting
the original structure. - There's no documentation as to
when the patches were put on. And it's probably over
different periods, because there are several layers
of patches. And a lot of times we remove
a patch and then find a whole bunch of other
patches underneath. - And we collect everything
that we lose from the carpet, which we will use afterwards
to do dye analysis. And we also collect
the warp and the weft, which is actually made
out of silk. The pile is wool. That's actually one of
the reasons why the carpet is fairly fragile, is because
the silk deteriorates more than the wool. - And we end up by removing
over 700 patches from this carpet. After relaxing the carpet,
we need to stabilize it. - We'll back it
with wool fabric, which we're in the process
of dying. We're dying wool
in four colors to match the original colors
of the carpet-- the red, the green,
a yellow, and a beige. The dyes of the carpet
are natural dyes. And we're using synthetic dyes, so already that's
a very big difference. And we went through a process
of trying different colors to match as close as possible. And we write the recipes
for each color so that we can duplicate it. And we actually give it out to
professional dyers afterwards, because we need a lot of
yardage, and we don't really have the facility
to do that here. - The next challenge is to
assure the perfect bonding between our new material
and the carpet. The role of the fabric
is to support the carpet. We are preparing
for consolidating it. We have an example
in this corner of damaged area that has been
released from its previous treatment,
and that's what we're left with. There are not many areas
like this. Specific for corners. Also the center lines, where the
carpet must have been folded. The next part of the process
is to attach the fabric to the carpet. We have the fabric on the back
of the carpet, preparing for consolidating it. After this, carpet will move
to the loom, face up, and final stitches will be done
from the front. (music playing) - I'm trying to document
the structure of this partially
preserved selvedge. Under microscope, I'm looking
at the very small fragment of the selvedge. Selvedges are on the sides
of the carpet, and they have a very
important function, because they reinforce
the entire carpet. Weavers treated the selvedge
differently, so selvedge can tell us what
specific area or perhaps even manufacturer
the carpet was produced in. There are not too many
selvedges survived to our time, so that's why it's a great
source of technical information for us. - Finally, after a massive
three-year project, it is laid out
in full before us. The conservation work
has consolidated the carpet, and we clearly see what has
made it so dazzling. There are the beautiful,
rich colors with the central field and
a border in a contrasting color. The central field is
a forest of animals, as if you have come across
an amazing landscape of both real
and fantastic creatures. In the borders are several
layers of scrolling arabesques. And sometimes you find
animal heads hidden away in the foliage. The Persian calligraphy
reinforces the visual language we see in the carpet. Its verdant beauty is evoked
with verses like the one that says,
"Come, for the breeze of spring has renewed the promise
of the meadow." Other lines praise the king,
calling on him to enjoy eminence forever. A carpet of this complexity
and beauty is really only possible
by the 16th century in Iran, when technical innovations
such as the cultivation of silk and the knowledge about dyes
had developed alongside the extraordinary aesthetic
sophistication of the Safavid court. It is so exciting that now, as a result of this
conservation campaign, the public can experience
the carpet as never before. (music playing)