About the Antique Rugs of the Future Project

Sheep Breeds of Azerbaijan

Shearing,
Sorting, Washing, Carding, Spinning

"The advantages of handspun yarn to machine spun yarn"

Rediscovery of Ancient Natural Dyes
Our Natural Dyestuffs

Mordants

Difference between synthetically and naturally dyed rugs

Weaving and Finishing Steps

Galleries of ARFP Caucasian Azerbaijani Rugs
 

 

Reconstruction of the 1600s historical Safavid Kashan kilim (Textile Museum, Washington) as a pile rug, "Dragon & Phoenix"
Code: SFV01

Size: 250 x 354 cm
Size (ft): 8'2" x 11'7"
Area: 8.85 m2
Dyes: 100% natural dyes: madder, weld (Reseda Luteola), indigo, pomegranate skins, walnut husks

Materials: Handcarded and handspun wool for pile, wool warps and cotton wefts
Hand Woven in Azerbaijan

Contact us for more information about this rug


click here to enlarge


the medallion and field of a silk rug (kilim) from Kāshān, Safavid Iran, 16th or 17th century,
Textile Museum Collection, Washington, D.C.; photography, Otto E. Nelson. The Safavid Dragon and Phoenix silk kilim was acquired in 1926 by a collectioner whose name was Myers.

 

Three classes of all-silk carpets of the Safavid period (16th century) are credited to Kāshān:

1) The first includes three large extant carpets with medallion systems and varied hunting scenes that appear between centerpiece and corners. The two best-known of these are counted among the world’s finest carpets.


 

This carpet is said to have been presented to the Doge of Venice by Shah Sulaiman of Persia in 1688. As a gift it was likely to have been new at the time. It was in the possession of the Morosoni family until it surfaced at Sothebys London on October 12, 1982 when it sold for 286,000 pounds. Subsequently it was acquired for the Royal Collection in Saudi Arabia. This is a fascinating carpet that reveals what the Safavid weavers of the late 17th century were still capable of producing, despite this period’s tendency to simplification.


 
2) The second class is represented by more than a dozen small carpets with silken pile and prominent red coloration. Most have medallion designs; four have rows of isolated animal figures or animals in combat.

3) Members of the third class are not pile carpets but rather silken kilims, in tapestry weave of exceptional delicacy, frequently with bits of metal enhancing certain colours to provide sparkle. The designs of several include human or angelic figures. It is thought that a number of silk Polonaise carpets were also made in 17th-century Kāshān.

From the 17th through the 19th century, nothing is known of Kāshān carpets, but with the dawn of the 20th century there arose a large commercial production of pile carpets in both wool and silk. These new carpets rank among the best Persian products, with some of the most sophisticated designs, consisting of sleek medallions, curving, blossom-laden vine work, and repeats of vases with flowers. With Kermān and Tabrīz, Kāshān has been the principal source for the collector of special pieces—personage rugs, symbolic rugs, and ornate prayer rugs—otherwise unusual in Iran. Kāshān carpets are asymmetrically knotted on silk or cotton foundations, depending upon the fibre of the pile.

 








For more information about the above rug or to place an order please email vd@azerbaijanrugs.com (Baku, Azerbaijan) or ra@azerbaijanrugs.com  (San Francisco Bay Area). We will get back to you within 24 hours or less.