Afshar Rug, South(?) Persia, mid(?) 19th century, 4' 3" x 5' 9"
| A very unusual Afshar weaving from Persia. The structural characteristics and palette seem to distinguish this weaving as very different from what we normaly see. The waprs consist of cotton and animal (goat?) hair. The palette is 'softer' than the very saturated palettes seen in other Afshar weavings. And as palette is a product of provenance, one might then consider this weaving to be from an entirely different area from where we normally assume the Afshars to be located.
The field design is virtually unknown among Afshar weavings, an oveall, tile-like pattern seen in some Baluch weavings but unknown (to me) within the context of Afshar weavings. The borders, on the other hand, are pure Afshar, including the primary border drawn on a white ground that seems to only appear in the weavings of the Afshars. The minor borders are typical of many Persian weaving groups. The primary border at the top end differs from that seen on the bottom end, a feature that is associated with older (rather than younger) weavings, hence the speculation this piece may date to the mid 19th century. The condition is ok, there is over all wear (see detail images), an area of re-weave in the bottom half of the field (expertly done), original selvedges intact as well as original ends (no kilim finish extant on the top end). The colors are all derived from natural dyes. |
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