Image Carpets

Antique Early Kurdish Gallery Carpet – 161010

Kurdish Gallery Carpet

Northwest Persia

6.7 by 15.5

Dated 1239 = 1823 and illegibly inscribed by the weaver

The abrashed navy ground displays a three column version of the classic Harshang(crab) allover palmette pattern. Small freestanding flowers and “snowflake” stars are scattered about. The rust red main border is in the Joshogan manner with palmettes and L-shaped bracket leaves. The weave is cotton  warps, single cotton wefts and symmetric knots, giving a verso  somewhat resembling that of Senha rugs,. However, the handle is much heavier and it does not in any way resemble stylistically anything ascribed to Senha. A Kolyai source might be considered as that town wove many exceptional galley format carpets in the first half of the nineteenth century. The natural dye palette is particularly wide with a crisp red-orange along with forest and lime greens, light blue and old gold. The unaltered early nineteenth century date is fully in agreement with the general character of the carpet. The elongated traditional format indicates a domestic, probably local, original patron.