A Kirman pictorial carpet, Southeast Persia,

depicting famous persons. each with a numbered cartouche, the guardstripe with the key

original ends, scattered spot stains, area of transferred colour on fourth portrait medallion from upper left-hand corner, original flatwoven end finishes with majority of knotted fringe head, losses to fringe tails; pile even, closely sheared overall, approximately 2mm in depth, overall very good condition
"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 lot offered here, with its detailed drawing and high knot density, is an excellent example of a fine pictorial rug woven in Kirman at the end of the nineteenth century. Even though rugs and carpets had been produced in Kirman since the Safavid period, the golden age of carpet making in the city dates from the late 1800s, when the number of textiles exported to the western world, particularly to North America, multiplied in a matter of a few years. The demand for very fine and elaborate works was exceptionally high on the European and American markets, as the general public on both continents became more and more fascinated with the Orient and its cultural and artistic endeavors. As Oriental influences penetrated genuine Western art forms, audiences started to develop a keen interest in genuine artifacts from far-away lands like Persia. Since to many westerners colorful carpets symbolized the mysterious Orient per se, and because textiles proved to be an easy cargo, rugs quickly became the most popular commodity among all Persian objects. The surging carpet trade enabled the city of Kirman and its neighboring villages to grow from a previously poor area to an important and wealthy weaving center. For further information on the city of Kirman and the development of its carpet industry, please see  Edwards, A. Cecil, The Persian Carpet, London, 1975, pp.197-203. Like the lot offered here, rugs from Kirman from the late 1800s were woven on a cotton foundation and, unlike other Persian city carpets, had three wefts between each row of knots and offset warps. Designs were very versatile with carpets having medallions, all-over patterns, panel or diaper designs, prayer formats, or figural compositions. The weave of pictorial design rugs, as exemplified here, tended to be particularly fine in order to depict the action of the composition as accurately as possible. Pictorial rugs were particularly popular throughout the last quarter of the nineteenth and first quarter of the twentieth century, when they were most often produced to commemorate important historic events, copy an existing decorative cartoon or, as the current lot shows, to pay homage to distinguished figures of historic or religious interest, sometimes accompanied by inscription cartouches explaining the composition, or naming the various characters, as in the lot offered here.