Note: This Herat Pirabadil (Perepedil) rug was published at Luciano Coen & Louise Duncan's The Oriental Rug. Attributed to Shirvan, but actually this type of Herati design antique rugs were woven mainly in Pirabadil village, Kuba Region. This is also an antique Kuba Pirabadil rug.

PLATE 76. "SHIRVAN"

ca. 1930, 6'6" X 4'10" [m. 2.00 x  1.50]

Warp: wool
Weft: cotton, two shoots after each row of knots
Knotting: Ghiordes (Turkish), wool, 132 knots per square inch [2100 per dm^.2]

 

Although this rug bears no resemblance to those in Plates 69-75, which come from the same district, it makes quite an interesting comparison to the one in Plate 89, from Agra, India, and to certain Persian rugs. It has fairly muted colors for a Caucasian and is almost totally devoid of the angularity by which most people would recognize a Caucasian rug. In fact, it is filled with Persian botehs and covered with an all-over flower design joined by vines and leaves, which is also characteristically Persian. Like the one in Plate 89, the wide border contains the Herati motif, the other most often used Persian design. If the field were not so crowded, it might even be possible to trace an arabesque as the main design.

Part of the charm of this rug lies in the fact that it is like a Rorschach test, that is, identical on the sides but not on the top and bottom (see Plate 89). From top to bottom it appears to be identical in sections, but not wholly.

The matching guard borders are pretty and delicate, and the central one is fairly prominent. The leaves in the Herati are rayed. The white outlines of the flower are so long and indolent that they make the flower look like an insect with great feelers.

It is interesting to note that the colors are shades of blue and orange-brown with white and yellow touches, not a combination one would think beautiful in the abstract. This rug has faded the way an Oriental rag should fade, though, and its color is one of its strongest points.