Image Carpets

Antique Isphahan Rug -161008

This Isphahan carpet may be attributed to the Ahmad workshop, the first to revive carpet weaving in that central Persian city in the 1920’s. Ivory fields were popular and this has a complex allover pattern of multilobed rosettes, elliptical medallions,  cartouches and escutcheons, all linked in a biplanar arabesquerie with polychrome flowers, leaves and buds. The saturated red main border alternates in and out palmettes with S-shaped leaves.  Many Isphahan carpets are in medallion layouts and this is a relatively uncommon example with a complex, but balanced, allover pattern. As with all the best Persian city carpets of the period, the weave is fine, the pile is erect and resilient, and the colours are crisp and evenly dyed. Although the carpet is unsigned, as is the case with almost all of Ahmad’s work, the high quality makes such an ascription quite likely. The condition is exemplary.