Pile-woven carpets of the Mughal era are among the most beautiful works of art ever created - and some of the most technically accomplished of all Oriental carpets. This richly illustrated book surveys the history of the period, commerce, technical characteristics, and the carpets themselves. These carpets exemplify the broad range of imperial and provincial production during the "classical" period of Indian carpet weaving, which ended about 1800.

The lengthy chapter on the carpets is organized according to style and pattern but traces the chronological development: the Persian style with its fantastic animals and pictorial designs, the flower style in its many variations, and the later types, including the durbar, millefleur, and multiple-niche prayer types, silks, and a remarkable group from Kyoto.

For this landmark exhibition, forty-two carpets, several previously unpublished, have been gathered worldwide from museums and private collections. With the exhibition and publication of Flowers Underfoot the Metropolitan Museum is proud to honor India's Golden Jubilee, a celebration of fifty years of independence.