EXEMPLARY ANTIQUE AND CUSTOM CARPETS
 

REGENCY AXMINSTER (ENGLAND), EARLY 19TH CENTURY

Provenance: Robert J. Dunham, Chicago, Illinois Collection of Henry Ford II The prosperity of the Axminster workshop is evidenced by the number of surviving examples left for us to enjoy today—more than two hundred extant pieces can be confidently attributed to Axminster versus the seven known Moorsfields carpets. While this prolific production is partly due to the longevity of the workshop, it also attests to the savvy business acumen of the Whitty family. Based on a study of Axminster’s production, the firm’s surviving trade cards and the workshop’s relationship with London carpet merchants, it is apparent that Axminster wove “ready-made” carpets for stock as well as those for specific commissions. From its beginnings, the workshop was also able to produce carpets at an economically feasible cost, albeit still expensive, for the receptive market of the English aristocracy and gentry. One way in which they achieved their economy was through using the same designs and/or design elements in several different carpets. This alleviated the laborious effort and expense of starting anew with each piece. However, this more commercial approach to weaving did not come at the expense of the artistic and technical merit of the carpets themselves. The Axminster looms are responsible for many of the most beautiful and historically important carpets woven in the Western hemisphere and enjoyed the patronage of the British Royal Family, leading architects—such as Robert Adam, James Wyatt and the Kent brothers—as well as wealthy Americans, the King of Naples and the Ottoman Sultan. The worldwide renown of Axminster prompted visits to the workshop by prominent figures of the day who were curious and intrigued with the accomplishments of the Whittys; these visitors included George III in 1783 and Abigail Adams in 1787. The present carpet represents another stylistic approach of Axminster weaving during the Regency period. Unlike the heavier formality of the Dundas/Zetland carpet (see Stock #2413 on this website), the design of this carpet approaches the neoclassical idiom with a more relaxed, less intimidating manner. This relative informality of the carpet suggests that it was made for a more intimate domestic interior, such as a private drawing room or library of a grand house, instead of the public rooms of a residence such as the setting for the Dundas/Zetland carpet. The less stately characteristic of this carpet may also indicate that it was woven from stock designs of the Axminster factory. If so, this piece underscores the superlative quality of design and technique that the workshop employed in both the carpets of their own conception and those created by noted designers. Several design motifs displayed in the present carpet can also be seen in at least four other Axminsters of the period, strengthening the assumption that this piece is of the workshops own design. The rounded floral bouquet of the medallion, as well as all elements of the border are shared with another carpet owned by Beauvais Carpets, a piece formerly in the collection of Marquess of Normanby at Mulgrave Hall, a carpet formerly in the Bishop’s Palace, Wells, Somerset and a carpet in Brockenhurst Park, Hampshire. The present carpet and the Mulgrave Hall carpet also share the same medallion surround of a scrolling acanthus frieze. This carpet, however, differs from all the other pieces through its unusual and creative boxed fleur-de-lys field design—the other cited examples all have acanthus scrolls decorating the field. With this Axminster we are again fortunate to see such a splendid example of the Whitty looms in uncommonly good condition. While many carpets gain added beauty through the patinating effects of time, the full pile of the present carpet enhances the lushness of the floral elements and emphasizes the luxuriousness of the whole, thus allowing us to experience the carpet today in the same manner as it was in Regency England.

Dimensions: 16' 0" x 20' 5"
Origin: England
Materials: wool pile, wool and hemp foundation
Predominant Color(s): ivory
Stock Number: 2825