Lot 144

A KERMAN CARPET

The rare and unusual, highly eclectic design depicts an extraordinarily fantastical world in which a ruler on a palanquin, carried by half-human figures from a Persian bestiary, looks out over a vast courtyard with a fountain in which ducks and fish swim. He is surrounded, among others, by a variety of oriental dignitaries in ornate robes, warriors with sabers, and wandering dervishes with clubs, before whose eyes peacocks, monkeys, an elephant, a lion, a giraffe, a hedgehog, a gazelle, a horse, a dromedary, various birds, etc. At the ruler's right foot stands Eve of Eden with a fig branch, behind the throne a circus bear dances exuberantly, a carrier pigeon flies in, and above the ruler hovers the mythical giant bird Simurgh from ancient Persian mythology, which according to Persian legends has copper feathers, miraculous healing powers, can carry an elephant in its talons and teach one of the main heroes of the old epics the art of the imperial cut so that he can save his beloved and child (who is none other than the beloved Persian rich man Rostam). However, there are also very obvious European influences on the carpet, especially the numerous angels above the ruler, and also in the border of the carpet, which is also decorated with flowing Persian inscriptions. The Kerman region became famous at the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries for its pictorial carpets, which were in great demand, especially in the USA, and it is worth noting that lucrative contracts with Europe and America led to the once-poor Persian region becoming very wealthy and specializing in pictorial carpets in the late 19th century. Mostly, however, it is a composition of a ruler with several figures around him, or depictions of a plethora of historical figures (from Adam and Cromwell to American presidents, for example), and in this light, the composition of our specimen is quite unique, especially in its varied fauna, a palette of colors and also the mythical Simurgh. This a rare investment carpet of high quality and with a novel design and colors. Hand knotted from premium wool on cotton warp, rich infusion of natural silk in the fleece, density approx. 400,000 knots per square meter. Professionally cleaned on both sides.