A LARGE HERIZ CARPET

This impressive Heriz carpet was originally part of the collection of Claude Achille Clarac housed in the Château de Haute Roche, Oudon in France. Clarac was a French diplomat who worked in the Far East, America, Europe, and the Middle East including Tehran where he married the Swiss heiress Annemarie Schwarzenbach. His final posting was to Thailand, where he served as the Ambassador to France from 1959 to 1968. Clarac was made Chevalier de la Legion d'Honneur in 1946 and Officier de la Legion d'Honneur in 1953.

The powerful yet elegant design of this carpet is presented on a grand scale, and is epitomised by the impressive ivory-ground spandrels with crown-like split-palmettes akin to the those typically found in Bijar weaving (see 215 & 220 in the present sale).The interplay between the ivory cusped medallion, the angular linked flowering vine and the spandrels together with the deep midnight-blue field, create a wonderfully balanced and harmonious design on a monumental scale.