Details
A 'VASE' CARPET FRAGMENT
SOUTH EAST PERSIA, FIRST HALF 17TH CENTURY

The deep indigo field with a variety of flowering trees, cypresses, perching birds, animals and animal combat groups, two sides with a narrow chevron border stripe, some repaired areas, good pile, edges bound
Approximately 3ft.7in. x 2ft.6in. (109cm. x 76cm.)

Warp: white cotton, Z4S, slightly undulating, clearly layered
Weft: 3 shoots; 1 and 3 light brown wool, Z2S, slightly undulating; 2 blue cotton, Z2S, strongly undulating
Pile: wool, Z2, asymmetrical open to the left, H5.7 x V6.1/cm.
Provenance
Acquired 9 August 1937 as a "Baumteppich Fragment (per. Tierteppichfragment)"
Literature
Erdmann, K.: 'Orientteppiche in deutschen Museen', Zeitschrift der Deutschen Morgenländischen Gesellschaft, Bd.96 (Neue Folge Bd.21), Leipzig, 1940, p.407, Ill.3.
Alte Teppiche des 16.-18.Jahrhunderts der Firma L.Bernheimer, Munich, 1959, pl.63.
Beattie, May H.: 'Seven Centuries of Oriental Rugs', Oriental Art, new series VII:4, 1968, p.5.
Beattie, May,H.: 'Oriental Rugs in the Metropolitan Museum of Art', review article, Oriental Art XX:4, 1974, p.449.
Exhibited
Ausstellung Orient-Teppiche, Museum fr Kunst und Gewerbe, Hamburg, 1950, no.101, p.86, pl.38.
Persische Teppiche, Museum fr Kunst und Gewerbe, Hamburg Museum fr Kunsthandwerk, Frankfurt-am-Main, 1971, no.17, pp.48-49, (ill.).
Carpets of Central Persia, Mappin Art Gallery, Sheffield City Museum and Art Gallery, Birmingham, 1976, no.11, pp.46-47, (ill.).

Lot Essay

This is one of three fragments from the same carpet. One of the others, originally forming the top left hand corner of the carpet, is in the Museum fr Kunsthandwerk, Frankfurt-am-Main, while the other, smaller, was formerly in the Baranovicz Collection. The design has much in common with the products of North West Persia, a fragment of such a carpet being offered in this sale as lot ***, complete with animal combat groups, perching birds, pomegranite and cypress trees on a dark indigo ground. The typical 'vase' structure however encouraged May Beattie to attribute it to Kirman, relating the design to motifs found in Sanguszko carpets, being particularly close to the Berlin 'Sanguszko' carpet damaged in the second World War (Erdmann, K.: Seven Hundred Years of Oriental Carpets, fig.154, p.128). The colours also, particularly with the pink and blue combination of the pomegranites, are close to vase carpets of more typical designs.

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