An exceptionally rich piece of tapestry, the bejewelled carpet popularly known as the Pearl Carpet of Baroda, or simply the Baroda Carpet, was commissioned by the Maharaja of Baroda Khande Rao II Gaekwad (r. 1856–1870) in 1865. Densely embroidered with pearls and other gems, it was intended as a gift to adorn the tomb of Prophet Mohammed in Medina, in present-day Saudi Arabia, but remained in India as Khande Rao died before it could be sent. Made over the course of nearly five years by artisans previously employed by the Mughal courts, the carpet exemplifies the sophistication of traditional Indian craftsmanship, the wealth of regional rulers and the lavish patronage they endowed on the arts. 

Approximately 2.64 metres long and 1.74 metres wide, the carpet comprises a base of deer skin and silk that is heavily embroidered with beads and precious stones forming arabesque patterns and motifs. It is estimated to contain over 1.5 million Basra pearls altogether weighing about 30,000 carats, and cut-diamonds weighing close to 400 carats. In addition, rubies, emeralds, sapphires and coloured glass beads embellish parts of the composition. The central field features three large roundels in a row, each consisting of an innermost circle of seven bright, round floral motifs made of diamonds set in gold and silver, surrounded by a rim of pink and gold petals, and an outermost ring of blue and white pointed petals. The rest of the central field is covered by entwined vines and other floral motifs, including five prominent palmettes, three of which top the arches over the roundels. The central field is bounded by a deep border featuring thirty-two smaller roundels encrusted with emeralds and blue and red sapphires, imitating the inner and middle levels of the central roundel design. These are surrounded by a pattern of vines, buds and round floral motifs.

The high quality natural marine pearls used for the carpet — most between one and three millimetres in diameter, with some measuring up to four millimetres — were sourced from the southern part of the Arabian Gulf (present-day Qatar and Bahrain). Pearl harvesting had been a traditional occupation for centuries along this coast, and became a mainstay of the region’s economy with the pearls sold to buyers from Asia and Europe via the port of Basra in present-day Iraq. India was the biggest purchaser of these pearls, with its appetite for precious jewels among the aristocracy and royalty: in the late nineteenth century, Basra pearls constituted most of the pearls being used in India.