Medallion and Hunting Carpet

A central yellow medallion anchors this busy composition of animals, palmettes, and vegetation. Pairs of animals, ranging from goats to cheetahs, tigers, and deer, are scattered throughout its main field. This carpet once belonged to the British artist Frederic Leighton (d. 1896), who was fascinated with the decorative arts of the “Near East” and built his home with an “Arab Hall” featuring tilework and other furnishings either purchased from the Islamic world or inspired by its designs. This carpet certainly inspired the artist. Photographs show that it was kept in his studio, and he faithfully rendered it as a backdrop for one of his paintings, Day Dreams (1882).