A KIRMAN 'VASE' CARPET

The weaving technique places this carpet in the so-called 'Vase' carpet group. The same lattice design can be seen in a fragment in the Museum Für Angewandte Kunst in Vienna, although that piece has golden yellow and red arabesques on a blue ground, (F. Sarre and H. Trenkwald, Alt-Orientalische Teppiche, Vienna, 1926, Vol 1, plate 31, colour detail, or Siegfried Troll, Altorientalische Teppiche, Vienna, 1951, pl.16, for the full fragment in black and white). Another fragment of comparable 'lattice' design was sold in The Bernheimer Family Collection, Christie's, London, 14 February, 1996, lot 150, again with a blue field.

The indigo border in this lot has fewer small flowerheads than the Vienna example and the arabesques are more angular which indicates that this rug is slightly later in date. A very similar border with continuous paired arabesques and ivory floral guard stripes can be seen on an example belonging to Bernheimer, Munich, Inv.46-242, (May Beattie, Carpets of Central Persia, Westerham, 1976, fig. 29, pp.60-61).

Also related in design on a similar red ground is an example in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, that begins with the arabesque design of the present lot but the weavers change to use the more common vase, tendril and large palmette triple lattice design, (M.S.Dimand and Jean Mailey, Oriental Rugs in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, 1973, no.37, fig.104, p.74). That piece illustrates that both designs were used contemporaneously.