A Khorossan carpet fragment, Northeast Persia,

This carpet fragment is a beautiful and successful example of how the proximity of Mughal India to Safavid Persia could result in the sharing or transferring of design elements.  The field pattern of flowering shrubs within a very articulate latticework is most similar to that of a Mughal fragment in the Kier collection, see Spuhler, F., Islamic Carpets and Textiles in the Kier Collection, London 1978, no. 60.  This is here framed by a border of palmettes and vinery that might be found on any number of 17th century carpets attributed to Isphahan, Herat, Khorossan or even Indo-Persia.   Here, the flowering shrubs are rendered in meticulous detail on an ivory ground which is unusual for both India and Persia.  The most closely related examples of East Persian weavings with a Mughal design similar to this lot are the Bernheimer lattice carpet (Christie's London, 14 February 1996, lot 149; 16 October 1997, lot 113 and 14 October 1999, lot 107) and a fragmentary carpet in the Museum of Islamic Art, Berlin, see Spuhler, F., Oriental Carpets in the Museum of Islamic Art, Berlin, Washington, D.C. 1987, no. 126.   Both of these carpets have a red ground and the drawing is more stiff and rigid than that of the fragment offered here.    The eloquence of the design here is complemented by the saturated and jewel-like color that is a hallmark of Khorossan weaving, for an example see lot 160, Property from the Collections of Lily & Edmond J. Safra, Sotheby's New York, 3 November 2005.