FERAHAN
West Central Persian Antique Carpet

(High-Collectible) ("One of “60 Best-of-Their-Type Rugs Sold in 2022") Ferahan rugs were designed for a regional aristocratic clientele in the 18th century. This district of West Central Persia developed a distinctive rug-weaving tradition by the 19th century that blended tribal and village weaving styles with more refined, curvilinear designs left over from the Safavid dynasty. This piece is one of the earliest Ferahans we have ever seen, and it captures the style in its infancy, blending highly stylized blossoms with geometric amulets, all strung together by the thinnest of vinery. Its unique elements form a template that casually repeats; its field decoration is unfamiliar for those used to Persian carpets woven for a Western market. Numerous stylized floral motifs rest upon a spacious ground of time-honored khaki. Finely etched tendrils organize the diffuse design elements. The style's signature color palette has been pre-ordained by this time, with its saturated copper, indigo, and sapphire blues and secondary tones of azure, umber, and terracotta. The exuberant border, a precursor to the framing for room size Ferahan Sarouks fifty years later, reveals large lancet leaves forming a ribbon that undulates around the field punctuated by large flowerheads.

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