Antique Indian Rugs

India has been making rugs since the Mughal Dynasty. While the antique rugs that were made during the late 19th century recall past Mughal designs, for the most part, they reflect classical Indian and Persian designs. Agra and Amritsar are the two main centers of 19th century Indian rug making. While Amritsa rugs often display informal motifs in soft, earthy tones, Agra rugs display deeper colors, decorative floral displays and fine knotting. Antique Agra rugs use an intense pallet of red, yellow, pink, light blue, ivory and green. The designs are distinguished by their asymmetry and strong sense of design. The decoration shows a preference for naturalistic floral motifs and scenes often arranged in full fields, using rows or lattices. The general character that informs these rugs is thus very rich, aristocratic, and refined.