A History of Tufted Rugs

Prototype. Chapter text drafted from the research notes and not yet checked at the archives. Images awaiting permission are marked.

Single-warp 'Spanish' knot: armorial carpet, 1415–1458 (Textile Museum R44.4.1)
Illustration, not the item itself: Diagram of the single-warp (Spanish) knot

Single-warp 'Spanish' knot: armorial carpet, 1415–1458 (Textile Museum R44.4.1)

Object · not yet checked at the source · Image permission pending

Made by
Mudéjar weavers
Date
1415–1458
Place
Spain (Alcaraz?)
Held by
The George Washington University Museum and The Textile Museum
Number
R44.4.1
Materials
wool
Themes
Rug-making techniques, Woven carpet
View at the source Cited in chapter 1, note 5

Cite this source

Mudéjar weavers. Single-warp ‘Spanish’ knot: armorial carpet, 1415–1458 (Textile Museum R44.4.1), 1415–1458. The George Washington University Museum and The Textile Museum, R44.4.1. collections-gwu.zetcom.net/en/collection/item/7980.

Research notes

How it works: the Spanish knot is tied round a single warp, not two. Knots in alternate rows sit on alternate warps, so the pile is staggered (Britannica 'Spanish knot'; Wikipedia; Textile Studies paper on Spanish carpets). Britannica says it was used mainly in Spain and became extremely rare after the 18th century. This object: an armorial carpet with the joined arms of Alfonso V of Aragon and Maria of Castile. Its structure is listed as knotted pile, plain weave, single-warp knot. Acquired by George Hewitt Myers in 1944. GWU says the Textile Museum holds two of only ten known Mudéjar carpets with Spanish arms. More single-warp examples: the Met 57.150.3 (fragment, Spain, 15th–16th century) and MFA Boston 39.614 (small-pattern 'Holbein' carpet, probably Alcaraz, 15th century, on loan to the Aga Khan Museum July 2026 – Feb 2027 per one snapshot). Sources: https://www.britannica.com/topic/Spanish-knot · https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Knotted-pile_carpet · https://collections-gwu.zetcom.net/en/collection/item/7980/ · https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/451458 · https://collections.mfa.org/objects/46976 Research note (Oct 2026): from search results; pages not opened.