A Khorassan carpet fragment, Northeast Persia

Warp: cotton, undyed, ivory, Z spun, 4S plied, strongly depressed Weft: cotton, light walnut, Z spun, 3 shoots Pile: wool, Z spun 2Sw plied, asymmetric jufti knot, open to the left Density: 5V - 4H per cm Sides: not extant Ends: not extant Colours: forest green, apple green, dark coral orange, salmon pink, crimson, apricot, lemon yellow, pale blue, mid dark blue, chestnut, dark mid brown (corroded), white, taupe (corroded), light tan and russet red Measurements 90cm wide across the top, 92cm. across the bottom, 222cm long left side, 222cm long right side. Crimson ground and dark browns heavily oxidised. Pile 2mm deep in motifs, bound on all edges, pieced at upper end with long curved join encircling palmette on right hand side, couple of old repaired slits, some re-opening. Needs cleaning and mounting. Georgeous colours (15 different shades). Specialist Comment: This must have come from a very large carpet judging by the scale of the palmettes. Really great colours and dramatic composition. EMBARGO ON IMPORTATION OF PERSIAN/IRANIAN WORKS OF ART TO THE USA. Due to recent changes in the U.S. law, carpets and rugs of Iranian/Persian origin can no longer be imported into the U.S. Please check with the sale administrator if you are uncertain as to whether a lot is subject to these or any other restrictions or if you need assistance with such enquiries.
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Warp: cotton, undyed, ivory, Z spun, 4S plied, strongly depressed
Weft: cotton, light walnut, Z spun, 3 shoots
Pile: wool, Z spun 2Sw plied, asymmetric jufti knot, open to the left
Density: 5V - 4H per cm
Sides: not extant
Ends: not extant

The ‘Khorossan’ group are attributed based on their technical features, which include an ivory cotton warp on two levels (also found in the ‘Vase Carpet’ group), cotton wefts, jufti knotting, and intense saturated colours. They are a very rare group of jufti knotted carpets, which are mainly known through fragments. The designs generally are derived from the Safavid Persian models, including the lanceolate leaf lattice ‘Vase-Carpets’. This fragment is of sufficient size to reveal the rhythm and balance of the design, and gives some sense of the magnificent scale of the original carpet.

For a small 17^th century Khorossan field fragment (179 by 105cm) on a dark blue ground which shows a section of the main field including palmettes and wonderful stylised scrolling cloud motifs, see Sotheby's London, 20th September, 2006, lot 114. For other fragments of this design see Eskenazi, J. and Franses, Michael, Il Tappeto Oriental dal XV al al XVIII secolo , London, 1982, pp. 47-8 and 90, no. 29, and three comparable museum examples cited, as figs 1-3, which include a border and field fragment from the Victoria & Albert Museum, a carpet from The Art Institute of Chicago, and a small  border field fragment from the Islamic Museum, Cairo.

Being rare survivors, it is enlightening when fragments show similarities in their design. There are four known fragments which allude, through their scale and rhythm to what would have been a wonderful ‘Khorossan’ carpet, with the technical attributes required and with design of distinctive sickle leaf motifs, and use of palmettes and smaller floral motifs and stems. For two exceptional 17^th century border fragments, see Sotheby’s, London, 9^th October 1991, lot 2 (more recently in the Talhouni Collection, Jordan; Hali, No.60, pg.150) and a similar smaller fragment sold Sotheby’s, New York, 14^th September 2001, lot 80 (Provenance: Berdj Achdjian, Paris, Wher Collection, Switzerland and Sotheby’s, New York, 16^th December 1993, lot 156). During the 1930’s a field fragment was on loan to the Victoria & Albert Museum, London, from the George Mounsey Loan 491981 – whereabouts now unknown. Another similar example of the sceptre head design was published by Bernheimer Fine Arts, London (see Hali, No.61, pp.62-63). A possible complete carpet of the same design as these fragments was sold at the American Art Association, New York, 30^th April 1927, lot 1058. By repute, all four above cited fragments were cut from this carpet (see Hali, No.73, pg.134).

However, the design of the offered lot, whilst clearly derived from the ‘Vase’ carpets, appears to be a very rare survival of an example to include such dramatic cloudband motifs and dynamically orientated palmettes, only lightly tethered to a delicate vine trellis.