BAKSHAISH CAMELHAIR
Northwest Persian Antique Carpet

("One of “60 Best-of-Their-Type Rugs Sold in 2023") The best antique rugs and carpets utilizing undyed camelhair are quite rare, as they represent a limited production of just a handful of the rug weaving villages and tribal encampments of the mountainous district of Northwest Persia. Prized camelhair yarn, often spun from the wool of the weaver’s own camels, yields an exceptionally soft and glowing earth tone, and, like top-quality sheep’s wool, it is very strong and resilient to wear. This noble example exemplifies the juxtaposition between the robust central field motifs with the smaller refined latticework in the cornerpieces. The abrashed (intentionally color striated) undyed camelhair reserve rests beneath a powerful highly abstracted meandering formation enclosing a lobed centerpiece with a pair of vertically aligned diamond pendants. The madder red serpentine design displays a combination of serrated vinery with an undeniable totemic force. The trefoil medallion arrangement, in various shades of indigo, is somewhat more sedate yet no less artistically powerful. The corner spandrels feature a smaller-scale latticework replete with a series of repeating boteh (Seed of Life) on a cornflower blue ground.

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