Everything you need to know about the soon-to-be-auctioned Mughal Pashmina carpet from India

For all the art collectors and antique enthusiasts, here's all you need to know about this 17th century Mughal Pashmina Carpet from Northern India that will be up for auction at Christie's Islamic and Indian Art in October.

The vine coloured carpet circa 1650, of dimensions 9ft x 8ft 11in, is made of pure pashmina wool in white, green and red silk rues. It is known to be engendered at the Mughal court in either Kashmir or Lahore.

The intricate work, of the scintillating colour, speaks luxury and authenticity. Made of extremely fine material, with some 672 knots per square inch, the pattern showcases diamond lattice framework of leaves and flowers. It is woven with expensive materials like pashmina goat hair and fine silk. The detailing with the fine pashmina threads speak volumes about the artwork.

The square carpet piece is known to be a part of a larger piece of cloth of about 4.4 metres.

You must be aware of the fact that Mughal emperors Akbar, his son and grandson, Jahangir and Shah Jahan, were all patrons of art and fine connoisseurs. And it was during their reign that Indian art and architecture reached new heights.

This particular carpet is an embodiment of the 'flower style' of Mughal India, which gained popularity in architectural designs under Shah Jahan. The lattice consists single flowers like yellow sunflowers, white lilies, varied colours of cockscomb, and more.

The exemplary product showcases the praise-worthy prowess of Indian weavers of the 17th century, who mastered in the techniques of shading (used to provide a three-dimensional effect) and colour-mixing (herein, knots of different colours are weaved). The rarity of the carpet lies in the fact that very few complete carpets from India of the 1600s exist today.

This rare artefact is expected to go up for live auction on October 27 at Christie’s London, at the Art of the Islamic and Indian Worlds, including Oriental Rugs and Carpets. It is estimated at approx ₹30 crores.