Description
Extraordinary vintage Persian Kashmar pictorial carpet. Detailed imagery of birds, serpents, gryphons, (griffins), guards, kings, towers, royal courts, deer, ducks, swans, a blue-eyed sun with pink lips, and other extraordinary creatures.
A pair of strange and sinister snakes, with the head of a cat and ghoulish teeth that would thrill any orthodontist, are my personal favorites. These cannot portend pleasant events!
The primary field color is an apricot beige. There are a whole range of additional colors such as several shades of blue, beige, ivory, orange, mint green, butterscotch, red, and black.
Condition is very good with some small areas of minor wear on the rug. A bit of dye diffusion from the orange in a few spots from a wash, but hardly noticeable.
The side cords and short fringes are in very good condition.
This is a solid dense rug that can be used in a high foot traffic area or under a dining table, etc.
Exact size is 13 ft. 1 in. by 9 ft. 8 in. 1960s era.
Last photo with Morgan silver dollar presents the backside of the rug.
These are sometimes referred to as archaeology rugs because they include an historical tableaux of ancient Persian courts, animals and artifacts. Often there are scenes of ancient ruins and sculpture from Persepolis, the royal courts of of kings such as Darius and Xerxes, and the remarkable birds and animals from the Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam.
Because of the plethora of vases and urns depicted, which can symbolize material or spiritual bounty, they are sometimes called ‘vase Kashmar’ carpets. Another designation in Farsi, ‘zir khaki’ — literally ‘under the earth’ — points to the array of ancient artifacts displayed on the rugs.
The traditional iconography of these carpets include numerous birds, deer, lions, mythical beasts, and even serpents; guards holding spears stand outside the walls of the royal court, protecting kings and their retinue.
Kashmar is located in the Khorasan (also Khurasan) province of Persia, which is located in the northeast of the country. The name means ‘rising sun’ — since from the perspective of those to the west this is where the sun rises.
Kashmar is a small city of about 80,000 people located near the river Sish Taraz in the western part of the province and about 200 kilometres south of Mashhad. Kashmar is well known for growing many varieties of grapes and raisins, as well as its saffron. And of course it produces many fine and unique carpets.
Kashmar weavers prefer rich plush colors such as crimson, plum, and burgundy. Many of the carpets woven in Kashmar are large, around 3 by 4 meters. This one is heavy, close to a hundred pounds and will ship with FedEx.
A very large and heavy rug. Shipping is $99 within the continental U.S. Free pickup in the SF Bay Area is also an option.
Please email me with questions. Thank you.
(KA0022 O202)