A Khorossan carpet fragment, Northeast Persia

The Textile Gallery, London

James D. Burns, Visions of Nature, Iceland, 2010, pp. 132-133, pl. 40

Fragmentary. Pile ranges from 1/5in. with extensive areas of moth damage low to foundation. Some dark browns also oxidized to foundation. Scattered holes and tears, now sewn to a natural linen backing. Foundation slightly dry due to age, but is now stabilized with the backing. Good color retention, soft wool, good drawing.
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Based on its unusual structure, the origin of this rich and vibrant seventeenth-century carpet fragment can be firmly attributed to the Northeast Persian province of Khorossan. Khorossan pile weavings from the Safavid era can be identified by the presence of the jufti knot, which is constructed with strands of wool tied over four warps rather than the usual two. The use of the jufti knot, in conjunction with the more widely used two-warp asymmetric knot, allowed the weavers to create designs of widely varying angles and styles specific to the region. As apparent in the present fragment, a rich and adventurous color palette is also associated with Khorossan carpets. Although red hues in Khorossan carpets are often highly oxidized due to the corrosive insect dye used, in this fragment all colors remained extraordinarily strong and powerful, giving real sense of the original color palette of rugs and carpets from the Khorossan region. The use of Safavid court carpets as prototypes for this group is clearly illustrated by a number of design elements found in the present fragment such as the serrated palmettes and split leaves in the border and the bicolor palmettes and angularly drawn vines in the field. The flowering bush motif in the center suggests that this fragment was once part of a medium-sized garden carpet.