EARLY 20TH CENTURY

At the end of the 19th century, weavers were brought from the Kirman district in eastern Iran to Hereke, a small village forty miles from Istanbul. The vigorous design of gracefully scrolling arabesques and vines in dark indigo recall Persian prototypes, as does the border. Interestingly, there are two calligraphic inscriptions on this carpet and one appears to be the rare, early style of the masterweaver Zareh Penyamian, who worked at Hereke. This could be an indication that the offered carpet is a product of his atelier.