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Lot Essay
In the second half of the eighteenth century the court style in Persia moved towards overall repeating designs without the structure seen on earlier examples. A portrait of Nadir Shah (who reigned 1739-49) in the Victoria and Albert Museum for example shows him seated on a carpet whose overall design is superimposed by a small central cusped medallion as seen here (Oriental Carpet and Textile Studies, vol.3, part 1, p.42, pl.1). While that particular carpet is likely to be of Indian origin, the style rapidly caught on. The earliest examples of this exact version of the design design appear to have been woven in Khorassan, from whence the name of the field design seen here, "herati" originates. In origin it derives from a Mongol motif of fish flanking a lotus representing a ying-yang combination. The weavers in the North West of the country took up the design very quickly. Its popularity was such that it was also adopted in the mid-nineteenth century for some of the best carpets of the Khamseh and Qashqai tribes.
The present carpet shows Karabagh weaving of North West Persia of this period at its best. The colours are luminous, and there is a very thick lustrous pile to the carpet. These carpets have always also been popular in the West, and therefore most of those that have survived are in very worn condition. From the present example it is easy to see how the fashion caught on!
The present carpet shows Karabagh weaving of North West Persia of this period at its best. The colours are luminous, and there is a very thick lustrous pile to the carpet. These carpets have always also been popular in the West, and therefore most of those that have survived are in very worn condition. From the present example it is easy to see how the fashion caught on!