Extremely Fine Persian Esfahan Carpet

Persian Esfahan carpet handwoven from silk and wool in Iran. Items with these proportions are considered standard area size.

Esfahan is one of the great historic weaving centres of Iran which sits in the centre of the great fertile western belt that stretches from Tehran in the north through Kashan, Esfahan and down to Shiraz, the capital of Fars in the South. The Safavid Shah, Shah Abbas, moved his capital from the city of Qazvin in the North West of Isfahan in the late 16th century and there it remained except for brief intervals in the 18th century, when Mashad and Shiraz were briefly appointed until the Qajars  moved the capital once again, and finally, to Tehran in the early 19th-century. Historically, Esfahan occupies in Persian political and cultural history a place similar to that of Saint Petersburg in Russia. Esfahan is undoubtedly the Cultural capital of Persia (Iran), and arguably it’s most beautiful city. Indeed it’s great central-square with the Sheikh Luftullah and Shah mosques, the two great multi arched bridges and other wonderful buildings such as the historic Friday mosque and the Chihil Situne Palace make this one of the greatest cities of the Islamic world.

This exceptionally fine Persian Esfahan carpet shows a fabulously ornate formal design demonstrating Esfahan craftsmanship at its most accomplished, and in line with the ‘Revivalist’ style of representation. Overlaid on the rich red ground eight sets of thin vine tendrils curl in perfectly executed circles ending in ‘rumi’ or split palmettes. They swirl around a complex radiating pale blue‘shamsa’ medallion drawn in exceptional detail and presenting extreme elegance. The design in this form is often referred to as an ‘eslami’ or snake pattern. The colours are from an established 20th century Esfahan palette with the emphasis on varying blue and red shades, magnificently juxtaposed on a red ground. The pale blue and ivory spandrels are drawn in such a way as to form a ‘medachyl’, or reciprocal repeat with the red ground. The circular form of the spandrels enhances the fluidity of the composition and coloured deep blue offers a magnificent complementary contrast to the main field activity in this Persian Esfahan carpet. The blue border pattern superbly compliments the main field composition with finely drawn arabesque scrolls drawn in the same technical fineness as the field elements.

For further information please contact us and our team will be pleased to assist you. All pieces in the collection are under the auspices of Essie Sakhai, one of the world’s foremost experts and collectors of fine handmade Persian rugs and carpets.