Lot Essay
Current opinion is that all carpets woven in the 'vase' technique were made in Persia and almost certainly in the city of Kirman. Yet the design of the present fragment is without parallel in the published 'vase' group of carpets and fragments. The red ground decorated with flowers which are almost subordinated to the lattice of entwined tendrils is in stark contrast to the bold palmettes found in the field of most 'vase' technique carpets. Furthermore the drawing of the palmettes lacks the powerful complex construction of those normally encountered.
The design is however far closer to borders from India. Its regularly spaced circular flowerheads linked by tendrils appear to derive from classical Mughal border designs such as that on the rug in the Museum of the Shrine, Meshed (Ganz Ruedin, E.: Indian Carpets, Fribourg, 1980, p.133). The number of smaller floral motifs is almost a precursor of the borders of the pashmina wool rugs of the eighteenth century. Until however a group of Indian vase carpets is proposed this will probably remain thought of as a fragment from an aberrant Persian carpet.
The design is however far closer to borders from India. Its regularly spaced circular flowerheads linked by tendrils appear to derive from classical Mughal border designs such as that on the rug in the Museum of the Shrine, Meshed (Ganz Ruedin, E.: Indian Carpets, Fribourg, 1980, p.133). The number of smaller floral motifs is almost a precursor of the borders of the pashmina wool rugs of the eighteenth century. Until however a group of Indian vase carpets is proposed this will probably remain thought of as a fragment from an aberrant Persian carpet.