Lot Essay
The inscription reads Sadeqi Iran Nayini ([woven by] Sadeq of Nain, Iran). This rug is extremely finely woven with 12 x 10 knots per cm. Its technique of weaving, particularly the appearance of the back, is unlike that of most other Persian town rugs. It is probable that it is one of the very first rugs to be woven at Nain before they worked in the pastel shades for which their weavings became so well-known in the 1950s-1970s. According to A. Cecil Edwards (The Persian Carpet, London, 1953, p.314), the industry began in Nain just before the Second World war, which would fit with the apparent dating of this carpet.