Carpet Cellar

Keywords :

Shawls, Carpets, Rugs

More than any other craft or art form, the handmade rug has survived the onslaught of industrialisation and is now in greater demand than ever, and at The Carpet Cellar one can witness a range of handwoven & handknotted masterpieces, carefully selected and acquired for their uniqueness and brilliant draughtmanship for over 3 decades by a single person. What began as a nomadic craft ages ago, still continues among some tribes as well as in mechanised factories the world over. However, the importance & beauty of the antique oriented carpets above all have been understood. Mr. Sheel Chandra's private collection at The Carpet Cellar reveals the range of styles and designs that the words oriental carpet stand for. Representing the culture of a vast area stretching from the Black Sea eastward to China including Mongolia, the erstwhile Soviet Union, Tibet, Turkey, Mesopotamia, Persia, Afghanistan, Baluchistan, Egypt & Morocco and India as well, the Carpet cellar is the place where you can see the effects of socio-economic developments affecting the weaving tradition of a region. Experience the floral motifs and finer weaves of the workshop carpets that reflected the taste of the courts versus the geometric patterns of the nomadic tribals depicting unknown heraldic symbols & distinguished by the different motifs, colour combinations, styles of knotting, warp, weft etc., Each carpets represents the weaving tradition of a particular tribe or centre & all of them are handknotted and vegetable dyed. The style of knotting whether Persian or Turkish and the superior quality of raw materials used, ensures that the rugs get better with usage. The use of natural dyes by secret techniques using berries, plants, fruit, bark, fungi and in some rare pieces - crushed insects allows for colours that not only stay fast but give a pleasing harmonious effect unequalled by chemical dyes. Often borrowed by leading museums from around the world for exhibitions, these carpets are unique pieces - each in its own frame, with its own subtlety & complexity. Some carpets represent gardens to remind the user of the pleasures of paradise, or of spring, while they kept the floor warm in winter, others depict hunting scenes, floral & animal motifs and geometrical & lattice patterns. There are still others with verses found in borders, culled from works of leading poets or composed by unknown writers for a particular carpet. Whatever the dreams & vision of the craftmen or the reasons for which these rugs were woven which range from trade, dowry, prayer, commissioning by aristocrats or a simple need to cover a tent floor, each piece is most handsomely designed and conceived. From the finest classic carpets of the Safavid period in Persia, to the wonderful varieties and charming textures of the Moghul Indian carpets to further still the kilims, saddlebags and ornamentation of camels & horses during ceremonial occasions, The Carpet Cellar is a rare represendtation of the art of oriental weaving at its best. We import the finest merino wool from Australia and New Zealand, which are actually used to manufacture suiting and thus possess a silk like sheen. We have engaged the finest weavers from Kashmir and U.P whose families have been engaged in this form of art for generations, to recreate these exquisite pieces. We are thus trying to revive the original Indian patterns to their long lost glory.. To partake a piece of this unique tradition or merely browse through an overwhelming collection - perhaps the largest personal one of its kind in India - The Carpet Cellar is now open to all.