Description

This rare part-silk Persian Tehran rug dates to around 1900.

It is a carpet of superb quality both in terms of weaving skills as well as materials used, with very fine wool and a high silk content, which is concentrated in the flowers.

The design is an interesting combination of a classic vase design and a tree of life design: flowers arranged in a bunch emanate from a heart shaped vase on a dark blue ground. The vase is resting on remnants of a mountain on either side of its foot. Out of the highly stylized ‘waves’ denoting the mountain grow two delicate trees, one on each side of the vase. They thin out into elegantly swerving tendrils forming arabesque vines which connect a multitude of leaves and flower heads. The light elegance of this arrangement is underlined by the fact it is set against a white ground – always a desirable feature among collectors. The mihrab, too, is beautifully drawn against the dark blue corners. For another example of a white-ground rug in a prayer format with a tree of life design, see https://www.christopherleggeorientalcarpets.com/products/view/antique-persian-silk-kashan-tree-life-design in our archive on this website.

Two minor borders with a meander of sweet flower heads on a lighter blue ground flank the main border which, with its deep red ground, forms a definitive frame around the lightness of the field. It is decorated with a meander of alternatingly inward and outward facing flower heads which can also be found in the field.

The rug has spent its life hanging on a wall and is therefore in perfect condition. It is an exceptional example of its type.

POR