Lot Essay
Carpets belonging to the 'Polonaise' group generally exhibit light and soft field colors woven in silk and sometimes with gold and silver metal thread highlights. They acquired the name 'Polonaise' as the first identified group were found in the collection of Count Czartoryski of Poland and their prevalence in his collection, as well as the presence of his family's coat of arms on the rugs, led some scholars to believe they were Polish, rather than Persian. In fact, Polonaise rugs are found throughout Europe not because they were woven there, but because they were presented by Shah Abbas and his court to foreign nobility as diplomatic gifts. Although it is now accepted as fact that these rugs were woven in Persia, the term 'Polonaise' is still used. This example demonstrates an intricacy in design and color that can only be achieved through the use of silk threads.