SERAPI
Northwest Persian (SOLD)

(High-Collectible) ("Best-of-its-Type Sold in 2020”) This monumental, very early Serapi prototype offers a glimpse at the pattern language that was evolving in the Heriz area of Azerbaijan where it and the Bakshaish carpet style arose. In fact, other than its distinctive weave, the element that identifies this piece as Serapi is its four-pointed, stepped medallion. Its other features, such as the amoeba-esque motifs and the oak leaf and rosette border, are designs that the two traditions share. The diamond inner medallion here, with its compelling horizon line and celestial blue at the top, is a virtuoso element indicative of very early Serapi rugs. The use of great swaths of abrash striation is a technique that was clearly already been mastered at this time, imbuing this rug with an arresting, primitive beauty that has become more poignant with its glistening 200-year-old patina. Learn About This Rug Type