CENTRAL PERSIA, LATE 19TH CENTURY

This charming cartoon depicts a series of figural hunting scenes reminiscent of magnificent Safavid carpets of the 16th century (see, for example, one preserved in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, acc.no. 10.61.2). The present lot presents a more restrained variation inspired by their resplendent predecessors. Figures of huntsmen are depicted on horseback and an array of animals and birds including, lions, leopards, gazelles and elephants among others, are repeated and mirrored around the central vertical axis. While other Mohtasham carpets incorporate animals within their scenes, it is unusual to find a carpet with such a wide range of animals across the entire field. A 'Mohtasham' carpet with a densely filled animal design, woven on a smaller scale, was sold in these Rooms, 28 October 2021, lot 198.