A George III pile carpet, Axminster, England

second half 18th century

Bertram, Jacobs, Axminster Carpets (hand made) 1755-1957, Leigh-on-Sea, 1970, Illus. plate 30, detail of the Rockbeare Manor Axminster carpet (courtesy of Bristol Museum).
Sherrill, Sarah B, Carpets and Rugs of Europe and America, Abbeville Press, 1996, Chapter 5, Great Britain, pp. 131-235, pg.204, and footnote 226, reference to a comparable Rockbeare Manor carpet.

The carpet has been adjusted in size: in width along the right hand side, as there are joins in the top right and bottom right corner and in the length with the left hand border pieced and re-joined approximately half way down with a section inserted from original main field, approximately 50cm in depth, just visible in photograph. Small repairs in the corners of the main field in the corners. There are two small darts in the top border and a small rectangular patch in the top right corner along the end and into the border. There is a recent straight split half way along the top edge, between the passion fruit flower and two leaves to the right of it, vertical line down 25.5cm. from the top edge, running through the outer border between two motifs and extending into the main border passing through a small leaf, and a smaller split through the parallel leaf to the right. They are repairable. There are a few small splits that have opened up in the area below the top border, towards the centre, each approx. between 5 – 8cm long. A few others similar in the top right quadrant on the far right side border within the narrow inner border design. All repairable. (Additional photographs are available from the department care of Gina.Tammaro@sothebys.com) Generally even pile overall, approximately 5-6mm. Some very minor oxidisation to the dark brown highlights. Some areas of wear to knot heads within the light caramel coloured ground. Minor surface marks in areas. Backed with apricot coloured cotton, with narrow herringbone tape attached along the top and bottom edges for reinforcement. The carpet would benefit from a clean to freshen it up. Lovely example of it's type.
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

ENGLISH CARPETS AND THE AXMINSTER CARPET MANUFACTORY

This carpet was originally woven in Axminster, Devon, in the late 18th century, under the aegis of Thomas Whitty, founder of the eponymous manufactory and the most successful of the commercial producers of English hand-knotted carpets in the second half of the 18^thcentury, the heyday of the industry.

Prior to the establishment of the carpet weaving workshops of Peter Parisot in 1750 (first near Paddington and then Fulham, finally moving to Exeter in 1755), Thomas Moore at Moorfields in East London in 1752 and Thomas Whitty at Axminster in 1755, English made pile carpets are very rare, with just 13 known examples from the 16^th and 17^th centuries. Needlework carpets of the period survive in slightly larger numbers. The designs of these early English carpets were often in imitation of oriental carpets, which were highly sought after and difficult to obtain.

Thomas Whitty was born in May 1713, the only son of Thomas Whitty, a Mercer of Lyme Regis in Dorset.  In 1754 on a visit to London, at the warehouse of a friend, he saw several bales of 'Turkey' carpets, including one 36 by 24 feet. Whitty realised that if he could produce similar large seamless carpets, at a reasonable price, then there would certainly be a market for them as the 'Turkey' carpets (the term 'Turkey' was used indiscriminately in England to describe carpets from not only Turkey but also Persia and India), were both costly and difficult to get hold of.  Returning to Axminster, Whitty experimented with creating a sample of knotted carpeting on one of the horizontal cloth looms at his factory.  In 1757, he entered one of his carpets into a competition established by the Society for promoting Arts and Sciences, designed to encourage the making of "Carpets in England on the principle of Turkey Carpets", winning joint first prize with Thomas Moore.  The ensuing publicity, and the winning of similar subsequent competitions, ensured the reputation of Whitty's carpets and a steady stream of orders through the life of the manufactory. It was typical of Axminster to produce more than one carpet from the same design if it found favour with patrons.

The present carpet may well have been woven as a suite for Rockbeare Manor, Devon, or cut from a larger carpet. The cartoon is identical to that of an existing carpet in the Bristol Museum (Ref: N7013, conserved and displayed in the Georgian House Museum) with the provenance of Rockbeare Manor, and dated to 1760-1780. This example has a woven demi-lune end, the border with large individual flowers and the main field with a profusion of flowers and leaves on a beige-gold ground. In contrast to the presently offered carpet, only the inner border of the heart shaped leaf design is present (approx. 511cm. by 501cm; 16ft. 9in., 16ft. 5in.). Axminster carpets were made for many of the great houses of England, and their fame spread far and wide with commissions made for the Empress of Russia, the Sultan of Turkey, the King of Naples, and for the Prince Regent for Carlton House and Brighton Pavilion. Notwithstanding this, production was always for a limited number of wealthy patrons and extant examples of 18th century Axminster carpets are rare.

Thomas Whitty was a keen botanist and was often to be seen in the fields looking for new plants to experiment with for dyeing. His love of English flora and fauna can be seen in several of the 18^th century Axminster carpets extant today, with their riotous profusion of typically English flowers, and his skills in dyeing have ensured that the colours remain as fresh and crisp as they were originally intended. For other examples of carpets which resemble fields of flowers see Sotheby’s, London, 18^th October 1995, lot 236 (555cm. by 343cm; 18ft. 3in., 11ft. 3in. with a hazelnut coloured ground, and similar outer heart leaf shaped design), and Sotheby’s, London, 8^th April 1960, lot 111 (approx. 640cm. by 465cm; 21ft. by 15ft. 3in., black and white illustration, with a dark ground and stylised leaf on stem border design).  The present example captures the quintessential spirit of the 18th century century English carpets woven by Whitty at Axminster.