A LARGE SAFAVID ISFAHAN CARPET
A LARGE SAFAVID ISFAHAN CARPET
A LARGE SAFAVID ISFAHAN CARPET
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A LARGE SAFAVID ISFAHAN CARPET
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PROPERTY FROM AN IMPORTANT PRIVATE COLLECTION
A LARGE SAFAVID ISFAHAN CARPET

CENTRAL PERSIA, EARLY 17TH CENTURY

Details
A LARGE SAFAVID ISFAHAN CARPET
CENTRAL PERSIA, EARLY 17TH CENTURY
Heavily corroded dark red, uneven areas of wear, scattered old restoration, selvages and ends secured
26ft.6in. x 10ft.10in. (808cm. x 330cm.)
Provenance
Duke Don Gaetano de Braganza, Fourth Duke of Lafões (1856-1927), Italy.
William A. Clark, New York.
'500 Years: Decorative Arts Europe', Christie's New York, 24 November 2009, lot 29
Literature
Illustrated Handbook of The W.A. Clark Collection, Washington, D.C., 1928, p. 77.
'Carpets for the Great Shah', The Corcoran Gallery of Art Bulletin, Vol 2, No. 1, October 1948, p. 16, no. P16.
Exhibited
Washington D.C., The Corcoran Gallery of Art, Carpets for the Great Shah, 3 October-16 November, 1948, no. P16.
Further details
Some countries prohibit or restrict the purchase and/or import of Iranian-origin property. Bidders must familiarise themselves with any laws or shipping restrictions that apply to them before bidding. For example, the USA prohibits dealings in and import of Iranian-origin “works of conventional craftsmanship” (such as carpets, textiles, decorative objects, and scientific instruments) without an appropriate licence. Christie’s has a general OFAC licence which, subject to compliance with certain conditions, would enable a buyer to import this type of lot into the USA. If you intend to use Christie’s licence, please contact us for further information before you bid.

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Lot Essay

With a third of this carpet in completely full, original pile, we are able to appreciate and comprehend the brilliance of Isfahan carpets as they were, when first woven in the 17th century. The richness of colour and the delicate forms of the foliate decoration woven on such a grand scale are impressive. The border is a highly sophisticated pattern formed of paired reciprocal rose and pale blue split-palmettes with speckled centers, alternating with two varieties of palmettes. The delicate execution and arrangement of this border design is comparable to the silk and metal-thread 'Polonaise' carpet of Prince Johann II of Liechtenstein (F. R. Martin, A History of Oriental Carpets Before 1800, Vienna, 1908, p.64, fig.153) and another very similar border is found on a multiple medallion carpet from the same period, illustrated by Arthur Upham Pope (A.U. Pope, A Survey of Persian Art, London, Vol. XII, pl. 1179).

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