Rug & Kilim Abroad: Nina Gilden on the V&A Museum and the Ardabil Carpet

Published by Vi Sciandra on October 12, 2022

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The Victoria and Albert Museum houses the world’s oldest dated carpet — known as the “Ardabil” carpet. Photo by Nina Gilden.

V&A Museum

There is no turning off the part of our brain that looks for handmade rugs wherever we go. We notice them without fail when we watch movies, and we hover over them when we visit friends’ homes. When you admire handmade rugs and kilims for the art they are — blessing and curse — it follows you everywhere.

It’s no surprise, then, that Sales & eCommerce’s Nina Gilden returns from her European vacation with a little work-meets-play. Nina’s birthday took her home to Paris, but she couldn’t help a detour through London to the Victoria and Albert Museum — and she brings a little bit of that magic home with her, here.

The Ardabil Carpet — History’s Oldest Dated Rug

V&A Museum Gif

The V&A is a jewel of London’s culture, and home to some of history’s finest handmade rugs. It’s further home to the “Ardabil” carpet — the oldest “dated” carpet in the world, and one of the largest. The rug is named for the eponymous province in Iran, and historians date the rug to 1539 A.D. thanks to its signature, which is part of a short poem on the rug’s edge. The inscription reads “The work of the slave of the portal, Maqsud Kashani,” though historians believe it’s used figuratively.

Ardabil’s rich history is matched only by its majesty, as any who’ve gotten as close as Nina can attest. A keen eye may look past its stupendous size, though, and admire it as a masterpiece in traditional Persian rugs. Few rugs enjoy the “single integrated design” it does. If you’re confused, think of its pattern like a movie filmed entirely in one take — then consider the feat of sheer painstaking art it takes to achieve this in a 17’6 x 34’6 palace-sized rug.

It’s astounding — but it’s far from the only feather in the V&A’s cap. Further accolades include the Chelsea Carpet — another rare piece as complex as it is spacious from the Safavid Dynasty — one of countless jewels Nina admires in the Islamic gallery.