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Carpet

Unknown artist, 18th century

4.21 m × 3.54 m

A storey and a half of a house. Stood on end it is 2.5 people tall.

Against things you know the size of

Height: 3.54 m
Width: 4.21 m
Medium: Linen, plain weave; embroidered with wool and hemp chenille yarn couched with hemp; cut to form pile
Kind: Textile
Made in: Portugal
Where the measurement comes from: Measured by the museum. The dimension is the one recorded by the institution that holds the work.
As the museum records it: 421.2 × 270.5 cm (165 3/4 × 106 1/2 in.)
Why this differs from the record: Recorded as 2.71 m × 4.21 m. Hung to match the photograph.
Credit: Gift of Robert Allerton

Five questions, answered from its own record. What is AGAI?

How big is it?: 4.21 m × 3.54 m. A storey and a half of a house. Measured by the museum.
When was it made, and when is it everyone’s?: Made 18th century. It is in the public domain, and The Art Institute of Chicago publishes it for open use.
Whose is it?: Everyone’s to see. It is held by The Art Institute of Chicago: Gift of Robert Allerton.
How was it made?: Linen, plain weave; embroidered with wool and hemp chenille yarn couched with hemp; cut to form pile, made in Portugal.
Who speaks for it?: Its record at The Art Institute of Chicago. Measured by the museum. This gallery adds nothing it cannot cite.

One email. The smallest thing in the collection, the largest, and two that hang well together.

Scored on colour, shape, era and scale, the same way the gallery hangs them.