NORTH WEST PERSIA, CIRCA 1890

Details

A LARGE HERIZ CARPET
NORTH WEST PERSIA, CIRCA 1890
Overall very good condition
25ft.9in. x 15ft. (784cm. x 456cm.)

Provenance

Château de Haute Roche, Oudon, France
Collection de S.E. Claude Achille Clarac (1903-1999)
From where purchased by the present owner

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 this lot should be marked with a filed square ▪ . As such the lot will be removed to Cadogan Tate after the sale. For further information please contact the department or see the Storage and Collection pages at the back of the catalogue.

Please note that the Gulf Cooperation Council has imposed a ban on the importation of Iranian goods to or via its member states. Please check with your shippers whether you will be able to ship Iranian artworks to the GCC member states prior to purchase.

Brought to you by

Sara Plumbly

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Lot Essay

This impressive Heriz carpet was originally part of the collection of Claude Achille Clarac housed in the Château de Haute Roche, Oudon in France. Clarac was a French diplomat who worked in the Far East, America, Europe, and the Middle East including Tehran where he married the Swiss heiress Annemarie Schwarzenbach. His final posting was to Thailand, where he served as the Ambassador to France from 1959 to 1968. Clarac was made Chevalier de la Legion d'Honneur in 1946 and Officier de la Legion d'Honneur in 1953.

The powerful yet elegant design of this carpet is presented on a grand scale, and is epitomised by the impressive ivory-ground spandrels with crown-like split-palmettes akin to the those typically found in Bijar weaving (see 215 & 220 in the present sale).The interplay between the ivory cusped medallion, the angular linked flowering vine and the spandrels together with the deep midnight-blue field, create a wonderfully balanced and harmonious design on a monumental scale.

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