From July to October, irrespective of external weather conditions, visitors will have the opportunity to immerse themselves in the essence of spring, embodied by a magnificent Persian garden carpet on loan from the Burrell Collection in Glasgow, Scotland. Known as the “Wagner Garden Carpet” in honor of a previous owner, this carpet will make its debut in an American museum. Remarkably, it is the third-oldest Persian garden carpet known to exist, dating back to the seventeenth century, whereas the three subsequent examples in The Met collection were crafted in the eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries. The weaving technique of the carpet suggests origins in Kirman, southeastern Iran, while the later examples are attributed to Kurdistan in western Iran.
What sets the Wagner Garden Carpet apart? Like its two seventeenth-century counterparts, this carpet boasts a mesmerizing array of birds, animals, insects, fish, and even snails amidst lush flowers and foliage, creating a vibrant tapestry teeming with life. Within a formal setting inspired by the classic chahar bagh layout of Persian gardens, whimsical or perilous encounters between creatures unfold. However, unlike the typical plan featuring a central vertical water channel intersected by a large horizontal channel, forming four rectangular plots adorned with flora, the Wagner carpet deviates from the norm. Instead, it features two lengthwise channels connected by a horizontal channel that does not extend to the rug’s lateral edges. At the intersection lies a stepped rectangle, serving as a repaired area that might have originally housed a pavilion.
Although all gardens change over time, the walled garden with water channels maintained its popularity in Iran well into the twentieth century. As in the lower half of the Wagner carpet (above), channels were lined with cypress and chinar, or plane trees, a variety of the sycamore. These trees provided shade and color contrast. In the hot, arid Iranian climate, water is scarce, transported to towns and cities by underground canals that capture snowmelt from the mountains and move it great distances. Landowners would purchase a portion of this water to irrigate crops and their pleasure gardens. While poetry, music, and conversation with friends and family all took place in garden settings, they also provided a protected environment in which to grow fruit and nut trees, vegetables, and flowers such as roses, iris, and lilies. Most of the trees and plants in the Wagner carpet are rendered in a botanically imprecise way, yet the profusion of foliage and blossoms reinforces the impression of a delightful, perfumed bower.
In an enclosed space akin to an authentic Persian garden, the juxtaposition of fierce and gentle animals on the Wagner carpet is remarkably devoid of violence. Save for the lions menacing goats at the upper ends of the carpet, there is little suggestion of danger lurking. Even the cheetahs near the central watercourse seem inclined to frolic with the goats. Ducks gracefully fly among the trees and glide in the channels, while peacocks leisurely strut beneath the verdant foliage. Various species of fish navigate the waterways, while rabbits, foxes, and wolves romp amidst the lush greenery. Picture yourself seated upon such a carpet within a cozy interior during winter or within a grand tent amidst the desert expanse. The enchanting and lively scene might transport one away from the extremes of cold or heat. Coupled with the recitation of a myriad of Persian verses comparing beauty to a cypress tree or likening a wine cup to a rose, the carpet evokes the romantic sensibilities prevalent in Persian poetry.
In contrast to the more stylized garden carpets of the eighteenth century, the detailed depiction of animal species and flora in this carpet suggests symbolic meanings that extend beyond mere representations of paradise. For instance, the renowned poet Hafiz (1315–1390) employs imagery of the cypress tree and the tears of a lover, symbolized by the canal:
While such verses allude to earthly love, they also convey the mystical adoration of the divine. Similarly, Jalal al-Din Rumi (1207–1273) employs the rose as a metaphor for Divine beauty:
Animal symbolism likely played a significant role in the Wagner carpet. Birds, often depicted as possessing speech, hold a special place in Persian literature, notably in Farid al-Din ‘Attar’s poem “Mantiq al-Tair” (The Language of the Birds). In this poem, the hoopoe endeavors to unite twenty-nine other birds on a quest to find the mythical Simurgh, a phoenix-like creature residing at the world’s end. While the hoopoe itself is not depicted on the carpet, the birds portrayed may include the nightingale, renowned in Persian poetry for its affinity for the rose and its mournful song when separated from its beloved flower. Peacocks, which feature prominently in the carpet, symbolize beauty, both in the beloved and in the garden of springtime. Conversely, gray doves, often associated with the cypress tree, emit coos resembling the Persian word for “where,” symbolizing the yearning for a distant beloved.
While the birds depicted in the carpet draw inspiration from Persian poetry, the imagery of the four-footed animals may be more closely linked to the pictorial vocabulary of animal combats seen in sixteenth-century carpets and the motifs of animals in natural settings found in textiles from the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. Carpets featuring animal combats were crafted using various techniques during this period in Iran, and by the eighteenth century, poets were making references to the “lion in the carpet,” highlighting the enduring presence of the king of beasts in certain types of Persian rugs.
Although the Wagner carpet may have originally been larger and featured different borders, its present dimensions (209 x 170 in.) still convey a powerful impression of a glorious natural setting within a garden. The harmonious coexistence of flora and fauna evokes imagery reminiscent of the court of the first Iranian king in the national epic, the Shahnama, where animals and humans lived together in peace. The profusion of blossoms conjures visions of fragrant breezes and romantic poetry, creating the ideal backdrop for springtime, encapsulated within the confines of a walled garden for eternity.
