Peter's Rug

I am finishing this rug for Peter, who died too young, and for his sister, who now owns it. Peter was a scholar, an artist, and a craftsperson. He repaired and restored rugs, and was almost finished with his own rug when he died unexpectedly.

The design is the result of Peter's research and scholarship: it is a recreation of the rug in this portrait, The Mass of St. Giles, by the Master of St. Giles, now held by the National Gallery in London. Peter attended design school in London, and came home with a sheaf of slides and notes on rugs in portraits and paintings in the National Gallery.

Peter and I learned to weave knotted pile from the same teacher. But Peter surpassed his teacher in craftsmanship, and in the complexity of this design, and I hope to learn from him, by working on his rug. I have had to graph the design from the existing rug, and now will endeavor to do this rug justice as I complete the border.

I promised Peter's sister that I would finish his rug in time for his birthday, April 5th. It's time to buckle down to work.