EAST TURKESTAN, FIRST HALF 19TH CENTURY

The field of the present carpet displays an unusual combination of both the five-flower stem design together with an iconic large central roundel set within bracket corners.These stylised circular shaped buds are more often found on overall floral designs which stem originally from the Persian herati pattern, (John J. Eskenazi, Il Tappeto Orientale, Turin, 1987, p.439, pl.304). Herat, afterwhich the design takes its name, had maintained a huge position of power up until the last decades of the 19th century where it had thrived as a crossroads of commerce: from Bukhara to Kirman, and China to Constantinople where Turkoman nomads, Uzbeks and Armenian craftsmen had mingled. The intricate floral trellis is used in striking contrast against the open red square medallion within the field that is centred with a perfectly formed sky-blue roundel which is centred with eight flowerheads. At each corner of the plain red medallion there is an open fretwork bracket which prevents the network of flowering stems from encroaching upon the relatively tranquil space.