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Lot Essay
Within the corpus of Safavid carpets the so-called 'vase carpets' clearly stand out. Their name came about from the inclusion of stylised vases within the design from which the tendrils which issue the palmettes and flowerheads spring. In most examples this design is directional, the vases appearing in alternating positions and being almost overshadowed by the massive palmettes. Not only is there a clear group of design similarities, but they all share a technical structure quite unlike other carpets of the period. Using this as a basis, in 1976 May Beattie held an exhibition of a number of carpets which used this technique, many of which had designs totally unrelated to the vase and palmette type, attributing the entire group to Kirman (Beattie, May H.: op.cit. above). This was already accepted as the centre of production of those examples of the classic type, but the inclusion of all other carpets woven in this technique was potentially controversial. While in some cases a few authorities have reservations, in general this concept has been far more readily accepted than most in the field of tapitology!
The present example has two clear confronted vases in the centre of the field, flanked at each side by part vases. This appearance in obvious rows is unusual, as is the fact the the design is symmetrical around the horizontal axis. What is more unusual is the combination in this carpet of an overall scrolling arabesque design overlaying floral sprays with these vases, which is in itself a relatively infrequently encountered motif.
The border is a variant on one of the most frequent of all the 'vase' carpet borders. This slightly bolder and more angular version is usually found with a field of floral sprays (Arthur Upham Pope, A Survey of Persian Art, Oxford, 1938, pl.1231) or in one example in the Kunstmuseum, Düsseldorf with the floral sprays enclosed within an ogival lattice (Beattie, op.cit. no.55, p.80 and col.pl.11). It is unusual for it to be combined with a design of vases in the field.
The present example has two clear confronted vases in the centre of the field, flanked at each side by part vases. This appearance in obvious rows is unusual, as is the fact the the design is symmetrical around the horizontal axis. What is more unusual is the combination in this carpet of an overall scrolling arabesque design overlaying floral sprays with these vases, which is in itself a relatively infrequently encountered motif.
The border is a variant on one of the most frequent of all the 'vase' carpet borders. This slightly bolder and more angular version is usually found with a field of floral sprays (Arthur Upham Pope, A Survey of Persian Art, Oxford, 1938, pl.1231) or in one example in the Kunstmuseum, Düsseldorf with the floral sprays enclosed within an ogival lattice (Beattie, op.cit. no.55, p.80 and col.pl.11). It is unusual for it to be combined with a design of vases in the field.