AFSHAR
Central Persian Antique Rug
3' 10" x 5' 5" (117cm x 165cm) Circa 1850
(High-Collectible)
Price upon request
(High-Collectible)
A premier work of the ingenious Afshar tribe, this piece is at once tightly controlled and exuberantly expressive. The compositional balance and unusually dynamic assortment of motifs and emphatic natural hues bring about a seldom seen, brilliantly orchestrated interplay. Shamanic mask shapes alternate with spotted white poppies. Notice the two quixotic birds with crown plumage floating in the indigo ground. The beautiful gem color tones are particularly vivid through the natural aventurescence of superb lanolin-rich wool, where lapis, citrine, carnelian, and mahogany obsidian, are deftly illumined by highlights of bright ivory. In a daring and unexpected move, the artist-weaver introduced flashes of shimmering emerald green, an immensely luxurious dye for a peripatetic tribal people. Despite long odds of survival among the nomadic tribes, this authentic piece retains good pile with intact kilim work at each end after 175 years!
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