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 The ruby-red ground of the original has here been replaced by a soft aqua-blue and the design has been simplified while still remaining complex and interesting.