AN ISFAHAN CARPET BORDER FRAGMENT

The intricate border of this carpet, with its interlocking and overlapping lancet leaves, is unusual and is found on only a few 17th century carpets of which the most impressive is the Lafões carpet, formerly in the William A. Clark Collection, Corcoran Gallery of Art, sold at Sotheby's New York, 5 June 2013, lot 19. Other examples include a carpet from the Clark collection sold at Christie's New York, November 24, 2009, lot 29, a fragmentary carpet sold V. & L. Benguiat Collection (American Art Association, New York, December 4-5, 1925, lot 35) a fragment in the Al-Sabah Collection, Kuwait (see Friedrich Sphuler, Carpets from Islamic Lands, Kuwait, 2012, cat.22, pp.102-3) and a carpet that sold in these Rooms, 8 October 2013, lot 98. Both the present lot and the Al-Sabah fragment incorporate an additional small ivory flowerhead between each of the larger red and green lancet leaves that issue flame-like leafy stems that appear to rotate from their central floral axis.