ORNAMENTATION OF CARPETS COLE. 139 



the minute serrations to the pointed oval and circular cusped shapes 

 inclosing birds or fishes, the cone shape, and the minute floral forms 

 throughout, all these seem to tell of a Chinese Mohammedan 

 designer. 



This carpet is less strong in Chinese influence, but even so we do 

 not lose it. As compared with what we have seen, the design of the 

 field is remarkable for cypresses, almond trees in blossom, rose trees, 

 birds perched amongst their branches, hares by their trunks, at the 

 center ducks apparently, and at each corner a flying phcenix — ^the 

 mystical Chinese bird with elaborate tail. All these are brought 

 into ornamental effect by symmetrical arrangement chiefly. The 

 border, like that of the immediately previous carpet, is of counter- 

 changing, semilotus-shaped compartments, within which is delicate 

 conventional flower ornament. 



Here, again, is part of a carpet of somewhat similar design, with 

 trees and animals — ^the dragon is by the trunks of the cypresses, a 

 flight of cranes amidst Tatar cloud devices fills the cusped center 

 panel. It is a pity that the upper part of this carpet, which came 

 from a synagogue in Genoa, has been so cut as to destroy practically 

 a corner ]3anel, in which there was the figure of a man apparently 

 in Chinese dress, and by him some unusual ornament of Chinese 

 style — quite different from the arabesques of the border. The flight 

 of cranes recalls the class of subject for which the Chinese painter, 

 Hsieh Chi, of the seventh century, was renowned. The carpet was 

 probably designed and woven in north Persia about 1450. 



With the Persian carpet designs fresh in our eyes, I may now show 

 a slide from one of the several so-called Polish carpets. Its design 

 is of a purely Persianesque type, but somewhat angularized and stiff- 

 ened in appearance. The materials are silk pile or velvet inter- 

 mixed with gold and silver threads. The question of its Polish 

 origin is one of many raised for discussion which does not lead any- 

 one far on the road toward understanding material and artistic 

 excellences. As far as I can find out, there were certainly some 

 Persian or Turkish weavers in Poland in the eighteenth centuiy 

 who made golden brocades for a short time. The specimen before 

 us is apparently of earlier manufacture, and may perhaps be. Dr. 

 Bode, of Berlin, has suggested, of Turkish manufacture — one of the 

 rich Damascus carpets in which the Venetians traded in the sixteenth 

 century. 



Rather poor in character of design is this cut-pile carpet, which 

 may be of Moorish manufacture, to conform to the taste of some 

 orthodox Mohammedan customer. The cruciform panel is poorly 

 shaped when compared with Persian panels. The ground is covered 

 with inscriptions of the ninety-nine names of Allah. The stars in 



