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The PETAG workshop (Persische Teppiche Aktien Gesellschaft), was a German initiative founded in Berlin in 1911. Guided by the scholar/dealer Heinrich Jacoby (1889-1964), author of Eine Sammlung Orientalischer Teppiche, Berlin, 1923, amongst other works, a large workshop was opened in the city of Tabriz, north west Persia. Its aim was to produce carpets of the highest quality in order to combat the decline in quality encountered due to the mass production of carpets in the late 19th century. PETAG carpets are identified by their use of particularly lustrous kurk wool, natural vegetal dyes and their distinctive 'signature' formed of three çintamani roundels arranged in a triangular formation, often located in the far corner of the field or border pattern. Originally a Tibetan Buddhist motif, it symbolised a wish-fulfilling glowing pearl, as well as the triple spots of a leopard's pelt. The çintamani was later adopted by the Ottomans and used in textiles, ceramics, amongst other art forms. Heinrich Jacoby personally owned one such Iznik tile (see lot 213 in the present sale) that is particularly striking in its display of the çintamani motif and is thought to be the original source behind the company's design logo, featured on the cover of Die Petag Im Dienste Ihrer Kunden, Frankfurt, 1961.At the end of the 19th century/beginning of the 20th century, there were a number of highly important publications on the history of Oriental carpets which included large-scale black and white, and more importantly, some colour illustrations, of magnificent Safavid and Ottoman carpets. Publications such as, A History of Oriental Carpets before 1800, by F.R. Martin, Stockholm, 1908; Friedrich Sarre's, Orientalische Teppiche, Vienna, 1892, and, Alt-Orientalische Teppiche, by F. Sarre and Herrman Trenkwald, Vienna, 1926, gave the workshop access, for the first time, to the great 16th and 17th century carpet designs. These were faithfully reproduced with minor alterations to the colour palette to suit more western tastes. The following four examples in the sale, produced by this exemplary workshop, illustrate a cross-section of the designs drawn from Persia to the Caucasus, covering a period of over three hundred years.

THE HEINRICH JACOBY PETAG TABRIZ CARPET

NORTH WEST PERSIA, CIRCA 1920

Details

THE HEINRICH JACOBY PETAG TABRIZ CARPET
NORTH WEST PERSIA, CIRCA 1920
Of 16th century Safavid 'Paradise' carpet design, overall excellent condition
22ft.8in. x 14ft.1in. (690cm. x 430cm.)

Provenance

Heinrich Jacoby (1889-1964), president of the Persische Teppich Aktien Gesellschaft (PETAG), thence by descent until purchased by the current owner

Special notice

This lot will be removed to Christie’s Park Royal. Christie’s will inform you if the lot has been sent offsite. Our removal and storage of the lot is subject to the terms and conditions of storage which can be found at Christies.com/storage and our fees for storage are set out in the table below - these will apply whether the lot remains with Christie’s or is removed elsewhere. Please call Christie’s Client Service 24 hours in advance to book a collection time at Christie’s Park Royal. All collections from Christie’s Park Royal will be by pre-booked appointment only. Tel: +44 (0)20 7839 9060 Email: cscollectionsuk@christies.com. If the lot remains at Christie’s it will be available for collection on any working day 9.00 am to 5.00 pm. Lots are not available for collection at weekends.

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Behnaz Atighi Moghaddam

BAtighiMoghaddam@christies.com 44 20 7389 2509

Lot Essay

The design of the present lot is drawn from a 16th century Persian Safavid carpet in the Museé des Arts Decoratifs in Paris, a detail of which was first published in black and white, but noted as having a "yellow ground and red border" in F.R.Martin, 'A History of Oriental Carpets before 1800, Stockholm, 1908, fig.304, p.119. Another closely related carpet to the present lot but with an arabesque border and an indigo field is the 16th century Schwarzenberg 'Paradise Park' carpet first published in the 'Vienna Book', Orientalische Teppiche, Vienna, 1892-96, pl. 41, and now in the Museum of Islamic Art, Doha, Qatar. This PETAG carpet remained in the possession of the Jacoby family until very recently and is an impressive example of the workshops production overseen by the descendants' ancestor.

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