Object Description
Unusual Early Afshar Carpet
7.10 x 3.65 m
The Turkic-speaking Afshar nomads, largely settled in Southern Persia, boast a long tradition of rug-weaving, and antique Afshar pieces are well known for their expressive designs and high knot-density, often woven with the luxurious wool harvested from the herds of the tribesmen themselves, renowned not only for being exceptionally soft, but also for how well it takes to the dyes used, lending the Afshar weavings a wonderfully vivid palette.
This early example is no exception. The carpet has an exceptionally fine weave, which lends a crisp clarity to its creative all-over drawing, cleverly repeated across the field in a wide range of gracefully-aged vegetable-dyed colours. The muted blue ground, with its subtle grey undertone, provides a complimentary backdrop to this design, and is well-framed by the soft terracotta spandrels and over a dozen individual outer borders – a dynamic composition, though with an all-over pattern with gives this piece a good feeling of balance and space.
Though this carpet has a thin pile, and has had some minor age-related restoration, done to a high standard, it is in good practical condition for everyday use, still retaining its outer borders on all sides – a remarkable feature for a rug of this age.
A beautiful tribal weaving, rare in this impressively large format, which would make a welcome addition to any interior.