Persian Azeri Sofreh
Description
Sofrehs are flat woven cloths to be used either on the floor to spread food on (these sofrehs are usually rectangular, varying in size according to the wealth of the host and the number of diners), or as bread (or flour) sofrehs used in the process of bread making to make the dough on and to keep the bread in. Sofrehs in this latter group are usually quite small, about a metre square, and follow a fairly simple design of concentric borders around a plain field or a field containing one central, usually geometric, design element, as in this contemporary piece.
Like the other sofreh on this website http://www.christopherleggeorientalcarpets.com/products/view/persian-azeri-sofreh/ it is a kelim from Persian Azerbaijan, with the weft made of wool and the warp in cotton.
Cf also: Tanavoli, Parviz, Bread and Salt. Iranian Tribal Spreads and Salt Bags. Translated by Shirin Samii. Tehran, Ketab Sara Publishers, 1991