Kirman Carpet

Persia, XXth century

385 × 634 cm

The city of Kerman has been a major center for the production of high quality Persian carpets since at least the 16th century. Employing gifted weavers, master dyers, and expert designers, Royal Safavid Court carpets were woven there. Kirman “Vase” technique carpets from the period are highly prized and present in major museum and private collections in the West, as well as the new Islamic museums in the Gulf Region.

By the 19th century, Kerman had a long history of urban workshops, employed very fine Carmania wool, natural dyes, and featured a diversified design repertoire for export to western markets . The present example, most likely woven sometime in the 1940’s, display’s an obvious European design influence reflecting the contemporary vogue in French and English interiors. The weave is extremely dense, the pile luxurious and full.