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Lot Essay
The city of Kashan in central Persia has been a major center of textile production since the Safavid dynasty. Halfway between Tehran and Isfahan, Kashan is situated in an arid, treeless and almost waterless plain. During the 16th and 17th centuries, its inhabitants, unable to make a living from the land, turned to textile production. The Afghan invasion of Persia in 1723 brought an end to most weaving centers due to unrest and turmoil and it was not until a much later revival in the 19th century during the Qajar dynasty that the tradition was resumed.
The controversial term "Mohtasham" is often misused. Carpet legend asserts that a Hadji Mollah Mohammad Hassan Mohtasham of Kashan, a successful textile businessman, married a young woman from Sultanabad, an active weaving village at the time. With the young womans' technical ability and his knowledge of the field, their carpets soon became popular and "Mohtasham" became the preeminent workshop in Kashan (S.U.Azadi, Mohtasham Kashan, Ghereh, Issue 23, pp. 9-19). There is no definitive information to support this legend, but there are two known carpets signed 'Hadji Mollah Mohammad Hassan Mohtasham', indicating that there was an active workshop producing rugs and carpets of high quality, most of which were unsigned.
The controversial term "Mohtasham" is often misused. Carpet legend asserts that a Hadji Mollah Mohammad Hassan Mohtasham of Kashan, a successful textile businessman, married a young woman from Sultanabad, an active weaving village at the time. With the young womans' technical ability and his knowledge of the field, their carpets soon became popular and "Mohtasham" became the preeminent workshop in Kashan (S.U.Azadi, Mohtasham Kashan, Ghereh, Issue 23, pp. 9-19). There is no definitive information to support this legend, but there are two known carpets signed 'Hadji Mollah Mohammad Hassan Mohtasham', indicating that there was an active workshop producing rugs and carpets of high quality, most of which were unsigned.