The Pearl Carpet of Baroda is a carpet that was commissioned by the
Maharaja of Baroda
Baroda State was a state in present-day Gujarat, ruled by the Gaekwad dynasty of the Maratha Confederacy from its formation in 1721 until its accession to the newly formed Dominion of India in 1949. With the city of Baroda (Vadodara) as its ...
.
History
The carpet was commissioned by
Khande Rao Gaekwad, the
Maharaja of Baroda
Baroda State was a state in present-day Gujarat, ruled by the Gaekwad dynasty of the Maratha Confederacy from its formation in 1721 until its accession to the newly formed Dominion of India in 1949. With the city of Baroda (Vadodara) as its ...
, in 1865. He intended to gift the carpet to adorn the
Prophet's Tomb in
Medina
Medina,, ', "the radiant city"; or , ', (), "the city" officially Al Madinah Al Munawwarah (, , Turkish: Medine-i Münevvere) and also commonly simplified as Madīnah or Madinah (, ), is the Holiest sites in Islam, second-holiest city in Islam, ...
.
However, the maharajah died in 1870 before the donation was made and the pearl carpet remained in his family.
It was first exhibited in public at the
Delhi Durbar
The Delhi Durbar ( lit. "Court of Delhi") was an Indian imperial-style mass assembly organized by the British at Coronation Park, Delhi, India, to mark the succession of an Emperor or Empress of India. Also known as the Imperial Durbar, it was ...
in 1903, when it was still owned by the Gaekwad dynasty. The last Gaekwad royal to own it was
Sita Devi who took it with her to Monaco in 1946.
The carpet made its second appearance in public when it was displayed in 1985 at the
Metropolitan Museum
The Metropolitan Museum of Art of New York City, colloquially "the Met", is the largest art museum in the Americas. Its permanent collection contains over two million works, divided among 17 curatorial departments. The main building at 1000 ...
in New York. At a
Sotheby's
Sotheby's () is a British-founded American multinational corporation with headquarters in New York City. It is one of the world's largest brokers of fine and decorative art, jewellery, and collectibles. It has 80 locations in 40 countries, and ...
auction in
Doha
Doha ( ar, الدوحة, ad-Dawḥa or ''ad-Dōḥa'') is the capital city and main financial hub of Qatar. Located on the Persian Gulf coast in the east of the country, north of Al Wakrah and south of Al Khor, it is home to most of the coun ...
in 2009, an anonymous buyer bought it for $5.5 million.
It is now a part of the permanent collection of the
National Museum of Qatar
The National Museum of Qatar is a national museum in Doha, Qatar. The current building opened to the public on 28 March 2019, replacing the previous building which opened in 1975. The building was designed by architect Jean Nouvel who was inspire ...
.
Design
The carpet is embellished with pearls, diamonds, rubies and emeralds.
See also
*
Baroda
Vadodara (), also known as Baroda, is the second largest city in the Indian state of Gujarat. It serves as the administrative headquarters of the Vadodara district and is situated on the banks of the Vishwamitri River, from the state capital ...
References
Notes
Citations
{{Reflist
External links
* http://www.sothebys.com/en/auctions/2009/the-pearl-carpet-of-baroda-d09005.html
The Pearl Carpet of Baroda - Google Arts & Culture
Individual rugs and carpets
Collections of the National Museum of Qatar