It has a 'non-directional' design, unlike, for example, a traditional prayer carpet which would have a 'directional' design (ie. an obvious top and bottom) that relates it to a religious function. It is possible, therefore,"that the Chelsea carpet was not intended for religious use. Each end of the carpet is, however, slightly different; at one end there are three groups of animals in the border design and in the other there are four. Furthermore, the carpet may, in fact, be split into two halves since in one half the blossoming trees contain dark blue or black birds and in the other they have pale blue birds (see fig. 1a & fig. 1b), so the carpet does appear to have a 'direction' although it is subtly indicated and therefore is not one that obviously relates to a traditional religious function.
The carpet has a carmine red ground with deep blue medallions which reflect the traditional heraldic colours of the Persian court carpet. It also depicts animal and floral forms that show a strong influence of Chinese motifs and naturalism - especially noticeable in the handling of the cloudbands and the symbols of the dragon and phoenix. There is also an even balance between the animal and floral motifs in the caspet, suggesting, perhaps, that neither is more important than the other and, therefore, that the carpet is unlikely to have been intended for formal religious use since such carpets tended to be predominantly floral.
It has been suggested that in Safavid Persia wild animals and animal combats may symbolise temporal authority and power, or, on a more philosophical level, man's spiritual struggles (King p. 96), In China the dragon is an auspicious symbol of wisdom, power and Yang strength, while for Muslim (and European) artists it became an evil and destructive force. Similarly, flying cranes, deer and other playfully represented animals on Yuan porcelains became part of aggressive combats in Near Eastern art (Day p. 43). The Chelsea carpet appears to contain a mixture of peaceful and violent animal symbolism, the dragon and phoenix, for example, though not in direct conflict, adopt aggressive postures whiie still remaining very close to Chinese originals since they both incorporate the Yin and Yang symbol into their postures (see fig. 2).
The most notable fact about the animals in the Chelsea carpet, however, is the saturation of lion imagery. The lion is an ancient symbol that has been found in many carvings that predate Islam. In the ancient religion of Mithraism the lion was connected to the sun and to fire and was perceived as a moral cleansing and purifying force (Tanavoli p. 9). Another function of lion symbolism that predates Islam relates to the fact that water was relatively scarce and therefore sacred in ancient Persia, and pollution of it a great sin. The lion appears as the guardian of water in order to instil respect for water in the people. It is found depicted in public baths, water faucets, water vessels etc. Interestingly, the Persian words for 'lion' and 'water faucet' are one and the same: shir (Tanavoli pp. 14 - 15). There seem to be, however, only two possible references to water in the carpet, the first (or inner) stripe and the fish pools (although the medallions may also symbolise fountains).
Lion imagery is also found on royal thrones, where it was traditionally supposed to offer protection to the occupant. The lion then became viewed as bath a protector and as a sign of sovereignty (Tanavoli p. 21), The relationship between the lion and the sovereign is expressed in an old tale of how Imam Ali, on his return from battle, saved a lion that had fallen into a water cistern. Thereafter the lion followed Imam wherever he went.
The notion of a lion that has been 'tamed' by the sovereign is juxtaposed with reminders of the animal's ferocity. In the Chelsea carpet we can compare the tame lions with the ferocious (see fig. 3a & fig. 3b). In addition, the notion of the lion as a 'guard' may be present in the lion heads which appear in both the outer border and surrounding the medallions of the central field (see fig. 4).
The Safavids laid strong emphasis on lion imagery, making it an official emblem of the state and symbol of the nation. They also reintroduced the use of carved lions in graveyards. The ancient Mithra myth of the lion as protector of the sun was also picked up by the Safavids and used on coins (Tanavoli p, 39). This myth also fed into astrology where Leo became the 'House of the Sun' and was linked to mid-summer. This in turn led to the image of a lion attacking a bull becoming symbolic of the end of winter (Tanavoli p. 38). The Chelsea carpet may, therefore, contain references to the passing of the seasons since a lion attacking a bull features as part of the design (see fig. 5); furthermore, the dark colour of the bull contrasts with the light colours used for the lions and other predatory mammals, one of which appears to be a pure white tiger (see fig. 6). This light and dark symbolism may relate to notions of good conquering evil.
The lion also has a tradition of being used as a talisman for solving or avoiding problems, or purely for good luck (Tanavoli p. 40). In this case, however, the lion was usually revered in prayers and such an example is not evident in this carpet. Clearly, however, it would not be bad luck to possess a carpet filled with lion imagery. The wisps of cloud around the lions (see fig. 3b) not only reflect the influence of China, but also signify the animal's spiritual importance. Similar wisps accompany the dragon and phoenix which also have important mythical status.
There are subtleties and inconsistencies in the drawing of the lion heads and sheep/bear heads in the outer border; at one end the lions eyes are drawn so: whereas along the side they are drawn so: and colour is used in the mouth (see fig. 7a & fig. 7b). It appears to me that the latter looks more aggressive than the former, but these subtleties may simply be due to the whims of, or stylistic differences between the weavers. Likewise, what appear to be sheep or goat heads in the outer border metamorphosise into something that more resembles a bear's head (see fig. 8). The fact that the change is gradual suggests that the change is consciously made, so as not to appear too sudden or obvious. It is not clear why it is done, but it may simply be a sophisticated way of deliberately incorporating inconsistencies and variety into the carpet.
There is also a deliberate inconsistency in the main border in which all the leopards" face to the right and all the lions face to the left except for two on the far left which break the rule. This inconsistency does not, however, break the strong sense of movement, or 'encirclement' created by this juxtaposition,
It is also worth noting that the animals in the central field are larger than those in the border which are used more schematically; in other words they echo the central field but form part of a different narrative. This, perhaps, suggests that a relatively temporal field is being framed by a more ordered border.
The carpet's design also incorporates four vases. Vases are common in early Kerman or Joshaghan carpets, but what is unusual here is that the vases face in both directions rather than the usual one. It has been suggested that a vase is a landmark that offers a moment of repose or point of origin in a busy floral design (King p. 100). In this carpet, however, the vases seem to have a more decorative function since they are as busy as the field (they contain animal designs) and are multiple (i.e. do not suggest an origin). Another suggestion that has been made is that since vases are man-made they are symbolic of the fact that the carpet has its origin, or source, in the mind. They may also be a reminder of the tree of life although this significance may also apply to the trees with birds (see fig. 1a & fig. 1b, since the tree of life sometimes is, and at other times is not, contained in a vase.
The vases (see fig. 3a) are used as a formal link between the white pond and the blue medallions. Whereas the red field contains struggle and violence the blue and white areas depict harmony, The fish (fig. 9) are linked in harmony, two peacocks kiss in the centre of the vase and various other animals (dragons, lions and ducks) are not engaged in violent struggle when depicted on a blue or white background (see fig. 2 & fig. 10), Both harmony and conflict are depicted on the red ground of the field (see fig. 3b, fig.11a & fig. 11b) the naturalism of which, shown best in the splitting pomegranates, expresses the sense of the momentary and temporal (see fig. 12). This is contrasted with the geometry of the medallions (see fig. 13) but linked by the use of palmettes, rosettes and arabesque in both. The field of the carpet contains the greatest diversity of forms of any part of the design and this busy abundance is contrasted with the continuous lines of the stripes and their designs which serve to 'contain' the chaos of the field. It is also worth noting that the shape of the red dragons in the main border is echoed by the red motif in the duck medallions and the shape made by the peacocks which in turn echoes the cloudband motifs in the inner and outer stripes (see fig. 2, fig. 3a, fig. 7b, fig. 10, fig. 14), So there is a complementary sense that everything is interlinked.
The arabesque in the medallions and in the blue ground of the main stripe continue out of the field of view (see fig. 15) and then reappear; this gives a sense of the different levels or planes that are depicted in the design.
Small and large palmettes appear throughout the carpet. The small ones may be mere decoration but the larger ones in the red area of the field (see fig. 16) may be some sort of heraldic symbol that relates to the maker, or the intended recipient of the carpet. Because it has no centralised medallion the carpet was presumably not made for traditional ceremonial use by a sovereign; it was the custom for the sovereign to sit upon a throne that was placed over the central medallion of the carpet (see Curatola p. 64). The carpet does, however, appear to have been made to be seen from the centre sinca the leopards and lions in the border face inwards. It is hard to say what the medallions might signify, if anything, but the layout of the carpet may have been influenced by the traditional structure of the 'garden carpet' since there is a central fish pond and all of the medallions are linked, like a network of ponds or fountains such as were found in many royal courtyards and which, in the hot dry climate of Persia, evoked paradise. The dot in the centre of the fish pond may represent a fountain as well as being a symbol of the mathematical centre of the carpet (see fig. 9).
The omega design of the main border (see fig. 5) may be based on Chinese cloud motifs which were transmitted to the Islamic world by the Mongols (King p. 61). This design is also, however, thought to echo a doorway design that is common to Mongol domestic architecture. A similar design appears on a thirteenth century Yuan porcelain flask (see fig. 17), and again on a Turkish Isnik ceramic basin (ref; 7409), both in the V & A, which, perhaps, further reflects the history of the colonisation of Persia. The cloudband is also linked to the notion of a celestial portal and it is significant that it appears near the edge of the carpet; perhaps it is a reminder that when one steps onto the carpet one enters a different, and in this case special, space. In addition, Ford points out that this border design illustrates the affinity between the cloudband motif and the Persian - Islamic mihrab (Ford p. 42).
To me it is the liberal use of animal motifs that makes this carpet distinct and, furthermore, it is their triumphalist nature that suggests that the carpet was produced to please a specific individual. The eagle is thought to reflect power, the birds of paradise felicity, the phoenix life and resurrection, the antelope restfulness, and the lion destroying the antelope the victory of day over night and the powerful over the weak (Hawley P. 71). Although the theological narrative is present in the geometry and arabesque the predominance of such animal images suggests that the carpet was intended for the private use of a lord or monarch.
In conclusion we can say that the Chelsea carpet appears to be a representation of, on the one hand, wealth and power (probably of a specific individual) and, on the other, paradise and divine order. In general we can say that wealth and power is suggested through the specific symbolic forms used in the design and divine order is suggested in the overall unity of the design through the repetition of forms and in the way that the more stylised border frames the field.