Antique Shirvan Pictorial rug, Shirvan Region, Azerbaijan. dated 1257 (=1841), 114x146cm, warps: wool, wefts: wool two shots, 2450 knots per dm2, 154 / kpsi. published Luciano Coen Oriental Rugs

This rug is a collector's fantasy, for it tells a story. In the center is a picture of a hunter on horseback holding the points of a stag being brought down by a dog. The hunter crouches over the horse at such an odd angle that he may be dead or wounded. In the background are trees and a red sky.
Over this scene is an inscription (Arabic alphabet) about the hunt. It begins by saying that the rug was ordered by Hussein from another town "in memory of my father." Because of the stylization in weaving, an inscription is difficult to read unless it is quite familiar.