Description

This Bakhtiari animal band, sometimes also called a “mal band”, dates to the early 20th century.

Like another band on this website (see https://www.christopherleggeorientalcarpets.com/products/view/bakhtiari-pack-band/), it is made in a tablet weave technique as a warp-faced double weave in wool and cotton and in the same colour scheme of undyed white cotton and indigo dyed blue wool for the main body of the band, plus madder red wool in the very narrow borders. And like that band, so this considerably longer band, too, follows the same tradition of highly stylized geometrical patterning with very similar designs of diamonds, chevrons and checkerboards, plus the elongated prowling animal like figure in blue, surely a significant element of the design repertoire.

The annual large migration to the summer pastures formed an important part of the calendar in the life of this tribal grouping and was an integral part of their tribal identity. Bands like the one in hand are therefore important tribal artefacts which also served both a practical as well as an aesthetic purpose (see further description on this website, link above).

For a brief power point presentation on the material and cultural significance of the only Bakhtiari mal band in the possession of the George Washington University, we include a link to their website: file:///C:/Users/44786/Downloads/TM%20Poster%20Textile%20Day%20-%20FINAL%205%20(2).pdf.

The band is complete and in excellent condition.

£750