A Khorossan carpet fragment, Northeast Persia

acquired from Eskenazi Ltd, London, 1984

Bennett, I., 'The Alexander Collection: Part II A carpet is a Picture of God', Hali, April/May 1994, issue 74, p. 93, fig. 10. Alexander, C., A Foreshadowing of 21^st Century Art The Color and Geometry of Very Early Turkish Carpets, New York, 1993, pp. 238 - 239, ill pp. 13 (detail) & 239.

Eskenazi. J., Il tappeto orientale dal XV al XVIII secolo, London, 1982, pp. 28, tavaola. 46.

RELATED LITERATURE:

McMullan, Joseph, Islamic Carpets, New York, 1965, pp. 164 – 172, plate. 41

Green hessian backing 247 by 70cm, back not inspected. Dark browns oxidised, pile varies from 1 - 2mm down to foundation. Really spectacular colour. Fragmentary with holes and losses. Scattered areas where design has been completed with 'Kashmiri' stitching, within the yellow centre of the white palmette and in areas of the green field, largely central section of the green field, would appear there were loose warps and now couched with similar colours. Additional images of these areas can be requested via the department - Harry.grenfell@sothebys.com
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

The immediate vibrancy of this fragment is staggering, so much so that Alexander places it as early as at least late 14^th century due to the spectacular colouring and Ian Bennett singles it out in his article, op cit, p. 93. Alexander cites the Tabriz carpet  which he believes to be a century later than the offered lot but ‘is readily’ accepted as 15^th century. See Alexander, op cit, p. 121, Sotheby’s London, 7 November 2017, lot 78, catalogued as 16^th century. He however owns that there are others, Eskenazi included, who assign it as 17^th century and so within the chronological ordering of the book it appears later than the Tabriz– Alexander, ibid, p. 239 and Eskenzi, op cit, pp. 46 & 47. Faced with the other works within the Alexander Collection it should be somewhat acknowledged that dating becomes both complicated and less relevant, than perhaps with other works, with these extraordinary unusual and colourful pieces. With this in mind we have catalogued it as 17^th century, in keeping with contemporaneous viewpoints and ascribed Khorossan as the weaving centre in accordance with the jufti knotting, but do acknowledge this fragment could be older than this dating. There is a companion piece, almost certainly from the same carpet, recorded in the Museum of Egyptian Antiquities and both discussed and corroborated by Ian Bennett, op cit, pp. 93 & 94 and pictured Eskenazi, op cit, p. 47, fig. 3. In 2006 Daniel Walker discussed the Khorossan group in further depth in his review of the Textile Museum exhibition ‘Pieces of a Puzzle: Classical Persian Carpet Fragments’ and cites a number of examples. Three of which, at that time, were in private collections and share some similar motifs and colours to the present lot; notably the red outlining to the motifs and the vibrant white ‘hand-like’ palmettes, see Walker. D., ‘Carpets of Khorasan’ Hali, November –December 2006, issue 149. pp. 72 - 77, figs. 5, 7 & 8.

Perhaps the most compelling of comparisons is the so called ‘Niğde Carpet’ formerly in the McMullan collection and now in the Metropolitan Museum, New York, figs 1 & 2. This carpet was initially catalogued as Caucasian, see McMullan, J., Islamic Carpets, New York, 1965, pp. 164 – 172, plate. 41, but now is attributed to Northwest Persia, accession no 56.217. Under inspection the ‘Niğde’ becomes more symbiotic with the present lot: in the use of white ‘hand-like’ palmettes, field rosettes, saz leaf design, bright yellows and blues, the red cloudbands encapsulated in a lozenge with outline centred by open rosettes. The design layout of these works is near identical and it is possible that they were drawn from the same cartoon even though their border designs are entirely different.