Carpets composed of flowers and vines arranged on neutral backgrounds were produced in great numbers during the reign of Shah Jahan in the seventeenth century. This velvet fragment was originally part of such a composition. The large flower in the center relates to the technique of pietra dura in which precious stones, often depicting floral motifs, are inlaid into marble in architectural settings. The discrete shapes of solid, unshaded color that form the flower are reminiscent of one of the techniques seen in the inlaid stones of pietra dura, which was at its peak around the time this textile was produced.