NORTH WEST PERSIA, CIRCA 1890

Details

A TABRIZ PICTORIAL RUG
NORTH WEST PERSIA, CIRCA 1890
Lightly corroded amber and ivory, a couple of very small repairs
6ft.5in. x 4ft.4in. (194cm. x 131cm.)

Special notice

Specified lots (sold and unsold) marked with a filled square not collected from Christie’s by 5.00 pm on the day of the sale will, at our option, be removed to Cadogan Tate. Christie’s will inform you if the lot has been sent offsite. Our removal and storage of the lot is subject to the terms and conditions of storage which can be found at Christies.com/storage. Please call Christie’s Client Service 24 hours in advance to book a collection time at Cadogan Tate Ltd. All collections will be by pre-booked appointment only. Tel: +44 (0)20 7839 9060 Email: cscollectionsuk@christies.com. If the lot remains at Christie’s it will be available for collection on any working day 9.00 am to 5.00 pm. Lots are not available for collection at weekends.

Sale room notice

Please note that the Gulf Cooperation Council has imposed a ban on the importation of Iranian goods to or via its member states. Some of the member states are enforcing the ban strictly such as Saudi Arabia. Please check with your shippers on whether you will be able to ship Iranian artworks to the GCC member states.

Brought to you by

Jason French

jfrench@christies.com +44 (0)20 7389 2371

Lot Essay

The character depicted in the present lot is most likely do-rūy or 'two-faced', one of ten demons known as dīv who appear in the epic poem, the Shahnameh (Mahmoud Omidsalar, Encyclopaedia Iranica, Vol. VII, 1995, pp. 428-431). The dīv have an external soul which can be kept in the body of a live fish and once defeated by a hero, they are taken as their slaves (ibid, Omidsalar, 1995, pp.428-431); this is alluded to by the fish moustache and shackles around our figure’s ankles. In using a trompe-l'œil technique when portraying the face, which can be read from either end of the rug, our weaver has achieved a level of complexity and a design for which we can find no direct comparable.

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