Object Description
Large Antique Manchester Kashan Carpet
5.22 x 3.32 m
The city of Kashan, among the best-known and highly-ranked Persian rug-weaving centres, first rose to prominence in the 16th Century, under the Safavid Dynasty. These workshops earned a reputation for creating many of the most highly sought-after rugs of the Classical period and continued their work into the early 20th Century. This exceptional early example belongs to a subcategory of Kashan carpets known as ‘Manchester Kashan’, named for the high-grade lamb’s wool, imported from Manchester for a brief window at the turn of the 20th Century, used in their construction.
The carpet employs a soft cornflower blue ground, overlaid with a well-balanced, allover design – rather than the conventional central medallion composition – with delicate floral motifs across the field, in vegetable-dyed tones of red, ivory, sky blue, and with hazelnut accents. One especially attractive feature is the uniformity of colour across the ground and the wide surrounding border, lending the work a feeling of spaciousness that is rare in pieces from this period. Its artistic, novel design and large format indicate that this piece was likely a special commission, intended either for the export market or for a person of title.
Retained in very good condition for everyday use, with its outer borders preserved on all sides – its vegetable dyed colours have taken on a charming patina with age.
A truly beautiful carpet, in a large and impressive format, with a refined elegance which would lend itself to any setting.