The Pearl Carpet of Baroda
Origin of Name
The most extravagant carpet ever made in the history of mankind, described by Sir George Birdwood, a connoisseur of Indian jewelry, in 1879 as "the most wonderful piece of embroidery ever known," the Pearl Carpet of Baroda, gets its name from the Maratha Princely State of Baroda, one of the four Princely States of the Maratha Confederacy, that was ruled by the Gaekwar dynasty since 1740.
The Maharajah Gaekwar of Baroda Khande Rao who ruled between 1856 and 1870, was one of the most notable connoisseurs and collectors of jewels and jewelry in the history of the entire dynasty, who would have gone to any extent, despite the expenditure involved, to acquire any jewel that captured his interest in any part of the world, or create any fabulous piece of jewelry that took shape in his fertile mind, using the most highly skilled and experienced jewelry craftsmen, who had been trained in .....
..... the Mughal tradition of jewelry crafting, who were at the disposal of his court. The Pearl Carpet of Baroda was one such creation commissioned by Geakwar Khande Rao, in 1860 and completed in 1865, that was meant to fulfill a vow he had made, to cover the tomb of the Holy Prophet of Islam, Prophet Muhammad, at Medinat-ul-Munawwara, the hallowed sanctuary, revered by Muslims all over the world. Gaekwar Khande Rao was a Hindu ruler, but was fascinated by Islam and its teachings, and ordered the carpets not only to fulfill a vow, but also to show his respect and admiration for Islam, a religion followed by a considerable number of his subjects. Covering the tombs of saints with expensive materials is a tradition prevalent among Indian Muslims to this day, and usually carried out in fulfillment of vows after their prayers have been answered. The carpet was referred to as a "Pearl Carpet," mainly because the dominant gems that were set in the carpet were seed pearls, over one million of them, even though there were other larger and more expensive gems incorporated such as diamonds, rubies, emeralds and sapphires
..... the Mughal tradition of jewelry crafting, who were at the disposal of his court. The Pearl Carpet of Baroda was one such creation commissioned by Geakwar Khande Rao, in 1860 and completed in 1865, that was meant to fulfill a vow he had made, to cover the tomb of the Holy Prophet of Islam, Prophet Muhammad, at Medinat-ul-Munawwara, the hallowed sanctuary, revered by Muslims all over the world. Gaekwar Khande Rao was a Hindu ruler, but was fascinated by Islam and its teachings, and ordered the carpets not only to fulfill a vow, but also to show his respect and admiration for Islam, a religion followed by a considerable number of his subjects. Covering the tombs of saints with expensive materials is a tradition prevalent among Indian Muslims to this day, and usually carried out in fulfillment of vows after their prayers have been answered. The carpet was referred to as a "Pearl Carpet," mainly because the dominant gems that were set in the carpet were seed pearls, over one million of them, even though there were other larger and more expensive gems incorporated such as diamonds, rubies, emeralds and sapphires
Characteristics of the Pearl Carpet
Dimensions and design of the carpet
The rectangular-shaped pearl carpet has a length of 2.64 meters (8 ft. 8 ins) and a width of 1.73 meters (5ft. 8 ins.), and is made of a combination of silk and deer hide. The carpet is densely embroidered, with its design picked out in colored glass beads, and the spaces filled entirely with an estimated 1.5 to 2.0 million natural seed pearls, known as "Basra Pearls" measuring approximately 1-3 mm and harvested in the southern Gulf region along the coasts of Qatar and Bahrain.
The design of the carpet seems to have been inspired by the carpet designs of the Safavid period of Iran and the Mughal period of India, with dense fields of swirling flowering vines. Across the center of the carpet there are three large round "rosettes", placed symmetrically. The center of the rosettes are filled with large table-cut and occasional rose-cut diamonds, and are surrounded by strings of natural "Basra Pearls" slightly larger in size (3-4 mm) than the seed pearls found predominantly in other regions of the carpet. The diamonds are set in silver-topped gold or possibly blackened gold. The motifs are further enhanced with foil-backed rubies, emeralds and sapphires set in gold. Smaller diamond rosettes, 32 in all and embellished with sapphires, rubies and emeralds set in gold, are placed right round the border of the carpet. In between the smaller diamond rosettes, are found still smaller rosettes centered around a ruby and surrounded by eight other rubies, all surrounded by strings of seed pearls.
The design of the carpet seems to have been inspired by the carpet designs of the Safavid period of Iran and the Mughal period of India, with dense fields of swirling flowering vines. Across the center of the carpet there are three large round "rosettes", placed symmetrically. The center of the rosettes are filled with large table-cut and occasional rose-cut diamonds, and are surrounded by strings of natural "Basra Pearls" slightly larger in size (3-4 mm) than the seed pearls found predominantly in other regions of the carpet. The diamonds are set in silver-topped gold or possibly blackened gold. The motifs are further enhanced with foil-backed rubies, emeralds and sapphires set in gold. Smaller diamond rosettes, 32 in all and embellished with sapphires, rubies and emeralds set in gold, are placed right round the border of the carpet. In between the smaller diamond rosettes, are found still smaller rosettes centered around a ruby and surrounded by eight other rubies, all surrounded by strings of seed pearls.
A mathematical estimation of the number of pearls in the carpet
An idea of the total number of pearls used in the carpet can be estimated by the following mathematical procedure. The total area of the carpet is 173 X 264 cm ² = 45,672 cm ². The average number of pearls and beads per dm (10 cm) in the length wise direction is 78, and in the breadth wise direction 64, which gives a density of 78 x 64 = 4992 pearls and beads per dm ²(100 cm ²). If we give an allowance of 500 cm ² for the area of the three larger rosettes and another 500 cm ² for the total area of the 32 smaller rosettes, the total area embroidered with pearls and beads become 45,672-1,000 = 44,672 or approximately 44,500 cm ². Given that 100 cm ² of the carpet carries approximately 5,000 pearls and beads, the estimated number of pearls and beads found in the carpet = 5,000/100 x 44,500 = 2,225,000. Assuming there are an equal number of pearls and beads in the carpet, the estimate of the number of pearls on the carpet becomes 1.1 million. Thus an estimation of 1.5-2.0 million may not be too far from the real figure. The total estimated weight of the pearls is 30,000 carats. The total number of table-cut diamonds in the rosettes is approximately 2,520, having a total weight of around 350 to 400 carats. The number of cabochon rubies in the carpet are over 1,000 and Colombian emeralds over 600.
The Pearl Carpet of Baroda testifies to the skilled workmanship and mathematical understanding of the designers
The Pearl Carpet of Baroda is indeed a diamond-and-pearl-encrusted masterpiece of 19th century India. The genius of the designers had been clearly demonstrated in turning out a rug of regular and symmetrical design, with mathematical precision, from a multitude of pearls, diamonds, rubies, sapphires and emeralds of varying gauges, that testifies to their skilled workmanship and complete mathematical understanding. The exquisite execution, and the highly unusual combination of form and material, make the Pearl Carpet of Baroda one of the most remarkable objects ever created, on par with the legendary Peacock-Throne of Shah Jahaan, the most splendorous throne ever created in the history of mankind.
The Pearl Carpet of Baroda testifies to the skilled workmanship and mathematical understanding of the designers
The Pearl Carpet of Baroda is indeed a diamond-and-pearl-encrusted masterpiece of 19th century India. The genius of the designers had been clearly demonstrated in turning out a rug of regular and symmetrical design, with mathematical precision, from a multitude of pearls, diamonds, rubies, sapphires and emeralds of varying gauges, that testifies to their skilled workmanship and complete mathematical understanding. The exquisite execution, and the highly unusual combination of form and material, make the Pearl Carpet of Baroda one of the most remarkable objects ever created, on par with the legendary Peacock-Throne of Shah Jahaan, the most splendorous throne ever created in the history of mankind.
The Pearl Carpet of Baroda is a living testimony to the flourishing pearl trade in the past between the Persian Gulf and India
The Pearl Carpet of Baroda which was mainly composed of an estimated 1.5 million Basra pearls, is a living testimony to the flourishing pearl trade that existed in the past between the Persian Gulf and the Indian subcontinent. The Persian Gulf, the Red Sea and the Gulf of Mannar were the hub of the international pearl trade since ancient times. The history of pearling in the Persian Gulf dates back to over four millennia, and the Persian Gulf was historically the oldest and most prolific pearl banks in the world, whose pearls entered the courts of the kings and emperors of ancient kingdoms, such as those of Egypt, Greece, Rome, Phoenicia etc. The island of Bahrain, known as Tylos by the Greeks and Romans, had a concentration of pearl bearing reefs, around which a pearl fishery existed since time immemorial. The Greek historian Isidorus of Charax, also refers to the pearl fisheries in the Island of Bahrain in the 3rd century BC.
The Pearl banks of the Persian Gulf are mainly found on the Arabian side of the Gulf, and extend from Kuwait and the island of Bahrain in the west to Oman on the tip of the Arabian peninsula. Besides Bahrain, other important pearling areas in the Gulf were situated off the coast of Kuwait, the island of Dalmah off Abu Dhabi, Abu Musa, Hormuz, and the Lavan-Kish island group on the Persian side. Unlike other pearl banks such as the Gulf of Mannar, and the pearl banks of the new world discovered by the Spanish in Venezuela, Panama etc. which were decimated by over fishing due to government sponsorship, the pearl banks of the Gulf were never over exploited, and sustained pearl fishing continued for many centuries without any interruption.
Pinctada radiata the pearl oyster species found in the Gulf mainly produced seed pearls
The main pearl oyster species around which the Persian Gulf pearling was based, was Pinctada radiata, which can attain a maximum size of 7 to 8 cm, and produces mainly seed pearls, and some individual pearls of medium size. Seed pearls are sometimes produced as clusters inside the oysters. A single cluster may sometimes contain over a hundred pearls. The seed pearls produced in the pearl banks of the Gulf are known as "Basra Pearls" because most of these pearls eventually ended up in the pearl markets of Basra, the closest commercial center, from where they found their way to other famous pearl markets in the world, such as Bombay and London. From the 16th to the beginning of the 20th century, Arab pearl dealers from the gulf preferred to send their pearls to the Bombay market, where their products fetched a much higher price than the London markets. The Mughal emperors of this period, and the other maharajahs were ready to pay much better prices for the Gulf pearls, and hence the higher prices realized at the Bombay markets. Much of the "Basra Pearls" set on the Baroda Pearl Carpet also reached Bombay in a similar manner, and were purchased by the agents of Khande Rao Gaekwar, who appears to have selected the best material available in the market for this purpose.
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