CENTRAL PERSIA, CIRCA 1920

Details

A LARGE 'MANCHESTER' KASHAN CARPET
CENTRAL PERSIA, CIRCA 1920
Of 'Sickle Leaf' design, full, thick pile throughout, overall excellent condition
23ft.4in. x 12ft (714cm. x 367cm.)

Provenance

Anon. sale, Sotheby's, London, 5 March 2008, lot 33

Special notice

Specifed lots (sold and unsold) marked with a filled square ( ¦ ) not collected from Christie’s, 8 King Street, London SW1Y 6QT by 5.00 pm on the day of the sale will, at our option, be removed to Crown Fine Art (details below). Christie’s will inform you if the lot has been sent ofsite. If the lot is transferred to Crown Fine Art, it will be available for collection from 12.00 pm on the second business day following the sale. Please call Christie’s Client Service 24 hours in advance to book a collection time at Crown Fine Art. All collections from Crown Fine Art will be by prebooked appointment only.

Sale room notice

The USA prohibits the purchase by US persons of Iranian-origin “works of conventional craftsmanship” such as carpets, textiles, decorative objects, and scientific instruments. The US sanctions apply to US persons regardless of the location of the transaction or the shipping intentions of the US person. For this reason, Christie’s will not accept bids by US persons on this lot. Non-US persons wishing to import this lot into the USA are advised that they will need to apply for an OFAC licence and that this can take many months to be granted.

Conditions of sale

Brought to you by

Behnaz Atighi Moghaddam Head of Sale

batighi@christies.com +44 20 7389 2509

Lot Essay

The intricate web of swirling vines in the design of the present carpet, which weave their way through a network of floral sprays overlaid by the curling, split and serrated lancet or ‘sickle’-leaves, is directly inspired by the Clark 'Sickle-Leaf' carpet, one of the most impressive Safavid carpets ever woven. First published by the scholar Arthur Upham Pope, when discussing the group he wrote, “ The Clark-Corcoran carpet is definitely the finest of the group, and is surely one of the outstanding examples of Persian carpet weaving,” (A. U. Pope, A Survey of Persian Art, vol. VI, 1939, pp. 2385-2386). The ruby-red ground of the original has here been replaced by a soft aqua-blue and the design has been simplified while still remaining complex and interesting.

More from Art of the Islamic and Indian Worlds including Oriental Rugs and Carpets

View All