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1. Mysterious & Visionary — The Tale of 19th Century Hadji Jallili Tabriz Carpets
Mysterious & Visionary – The Tale of 19th Century Hadji Jallili Tabriz CarpetsBy Jan David Winitz, President & Founder |
 Exemplifying the style’s signature luminescent palette of terracotta, ash blond, flaxen, and peach hues. Hadji Jallili “Garden of Paradise” rug, 6′ 5″ x 8′ 9″, 3rd quarter, 19th century, High-Collectible. See Here. |
 The Aladaglar Mountains outside of Tabriz present a rare rainbow effect due to minerals and sandstone compacting over millions of years. |
As a lover of art, I am always fascinated by the artists’ stories of the outlier, one who walked a different path, the freethinker, and the myths they inspire. As a purveyor of the seminal 19th century examples that remain of the art of the Oriental rug, I find that the Persian Hadji Jallili carpet style and the mystery about its designer has aroused a years-long desire to “crack the case” about this elusive master weaver as well as define the breadth of his influence. Was he a legendary folk figure or a bona fide historic phenomenon?
My clients who are drawn to this style time and again have homes on coastal cliffs or have particularly sun-filled architecture as the Hadji Jallili carpets reflect the sand tones and luminescent skies of such surroundings. Others find Jallili’s botanical themes, woven in delicate shades of muted apricot and amber, sage and buttercup, to capture a particularly understated splendor and grace that expresses their personal aesthetic. Taken together this Persian carpet tradition is singular, no other style is even a cousin to it. Hadji Jallili Tabrizes are a world unto themselves.
 Shimmering with patina, an allover patterned oversize Hadji Jallili carpet graces these collectors’ desert home with its soft, subtly contrasting color palette from the Hadji Jallili tradition. |
Sophistication, dignified elegance, and exquisitely meditative textured color— these attributes have drawn connoisseurs to live with the enchantment of the Persian Hadji Jallilis for over 150 years. How this visually immersive approach to design arose, so unique to the Persian carpet oeuvre, is baffling and so far, insolvable among carpet scholars.
The trademark of the quintessentially graceful Hadji Jallili style is the remarkably effectual use of an exquisitely restrained palette of earthy tonalities, centered around a particular soft orange brown hue. In its earliest iterations in the 2nd quarter of the 19th century variations of this color along with parchment, and auburn brown predominate, illumined by an extraordinarily lustrous wool. This palette eschewing most dark tonalities was revolutionary for Persian carpets and set the Hadji Jallili style apart from all others.
From an ethereal reimagining of the opulent Court medallion designs to meditative allover patterns with architectonic contours and dense weaves, there is a quiet splendor and serenity to these rugs. I believe this is why Hadji Jallili was thought, by some, to have practiced Sufism.
 This 175-year-old example of the Hadji Jallili artistry is quietly splendiferous through its delicately nuanced color palette and refined floral drawing. Persian Hadji Jallili Tabriz, 8′ 11″ x 12′ 5″, circa 1850, High-Collectible. See Here. |
In between the Hadji Jallili medallion design and exploration of small allover patterning are lush botanical designs that palpably capture the movement and aliveness in, for instance, tender blossoms hanging from breezed-swayed tendrils and very finely detailed “Tree of Life” and “Garden of Paradise” designs, replete with cypress trees, weeping willows, deer, peacocks, and gazelle. They are the epitome of elegance, both visually and for their tactile quality. Due to the high knot density, Jallili’s virtuosic motifs tend to have a porcelain, finely etched character, ingeniously embellished by crème and white-gold colored backgrounds.
To tell the story of Tabriz rugs in general is not so straight-forward. Scholars struggle to categorize any antique carpet as “Tabriz,” let alone one branch of this tradition. Historically it did not adhere to a recognizable design style and weaving technique as did the rest of the gamut of Persian floral carpets. The reasons for this are varied and fascinating and I will get to them.
 View of the domed ceiling of the Grand Bazaar in Tabriz, its contiguous commercial center since the 12th century despite foreign occupation, earthquakes, and war. |
Focusing on 19th century carpets, my specialty, it seems there has to have been a powerful influencer in the organization of Tabriz rug weaving. Just as in every new period, there are luminaries who, taking cues from the best ideas of the past, created new movements. In this case, it was with the art of the Oriental rug. It is proper that this new style arose in Tabriz.
One of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world, Tabriz was formed in 714 B.C. Situated between Turkey, modern day Russian Azerbaijan, and Persia as the ancient gateway to the entire western world, it has through the eons been a major center of commerce and foreign trade. Because of its geography, Tabriz also has a very long, complex weaving heritage, and despite numerous invasions and earthquakes, Tabriz’s engagement in carpet creation and development has been unique and continual, absorbing myriad artistic influences and techniques over millennia.
Presenting a deeply inventive rendition of the Garden Compartment Design, very rare to this style, this carpet exemplifies the distinctive color combinations, creative imagery, and refined workmanship associated with this tradition still alive at the end of the 19th century. Persian Hadji Jallili Tabriz, 9′ 3″ x 12′ 9″, late 19th century, Connoisseur-Caliber. See Here.
 The origin of this astonishing masterpiece from the 16th century is ascribed to Eastern Azerbaijan with Tabriz being the major center of weaving at the time. |
As the original capital of the Safavid dynasty beginning in 1501, it was also the beneficiary of courtly resources and development, and was responsible for the famous Ardebil and Anhalt carpets, now centerpieces in the Victoria and Albert Museum in London and the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City respectively.
Uniquely primed to respond to the avid interest in Persian carpets from America and Europe three hundred years later, Tabriz’s highly organized guilds of weavers and proactive merchant class catapulted Persian weaving into a lucrative international market. Based on shipping and inventory documents from the time, it seems that hundreds of ateliers sprang up everywhere almost instantaneously throughout the city and its environs and a thriving weaving center emerged with the advantage of being at the hub of export.
The Hadji Jallili style upheld the preference for the classical medallion format of the Safavid era, as this dainty antique area size rug attests. Persian Hadji Jallili Tabriz, 3′ 11″ x 5′ 5″, late 19th century, Connoisseur-Caliber. See Here.
The warmth of this Hadji Jallili medallion carpet supports a modern, sun-filled interior with a spacious design and unique tonalities: salmon, alabaster, sepia, and umber.
It is not hard to imagine the venture capital gathered by Tabriz’s renowned and powerful merchant class, went to the most talented and gifted designers and weavers. Amidst an ancient and vibrant society where interactions with other cultures, including Europeans, was a daily affair and where rug weaving and selling abounded, energy and inspiration could easily have created the milieu for a ground-breaking designer to arise.
 Fed by a fresh water spring, the El Golu pool in Tabriz was first established in the 14th century, enjoyed by the Safavid monarchs, and remains today as an urban lake. |
 The overall effect of this alabaster-based, blossom-studded field and scrolling border design is wonderment, a response intentionally evoked through the Hadji Jallili aesthetic. Persian Hadji Jallili Tabriz, 7′ 9″ x 10′ 4″, 3rd quarter, 19th century, High-Collectible. See Here. |
To construct a plausible backstory for Hadji Jallili rugs is challenging. Signing carpets that denoted their creators was not a tradition in Persian weaving. The lion’s share of signed carpets show the name of the patron who commissioned them.
Written information about the activities and character of Hadji Jallili is less than scant. Yet there is a group of carpets with exceptionally finely drawn patterns that emerged from this place and time, circa 1825-1890, that share a particular earth- toned palette, the subtlest of tonal gradients, and signature curtailment of dark colors.
 Featuring the earliest, elemental palette of this style, a peaceful yet elaborate vision is masterfully enhanced by the sense of flow and movement throughout the piece. Persian Hadji Jallili Tabriz “Garden of Paradise,” 9′ x 12′ 9″, 3rd quarter, 19th century, High-Collectible. See Here. |
I do not entirely discount the stories that dealers pass among themselves and to their clients about Hadji Jallili. Why wouldn’t they have some basis in fact? Gallery owners often come from multiple generations in this field and, therefore, have closer ties to 19th century carpet weaving.
Stories range from Hadji Jallili being a devout Sufi to being an expert gambler. He is thought to have travelled, and possibly studied abroad in Europe and was influenced by the art there. In one source, he was identified as being originally from the ancient city Marand, located about 40 miles north of Tabriz that was the last remaining source for the production of precious deep rosy red cochineal dyestuff. Perhaps his family was prominent enough in cochineal production to fund a favorite son’s European adventure!
This sparkling and exquisite area size rug is a superlative example woven the last stage of the Hadji Jallili style. Persian Hadji Jallili Tabriz, 4′ 1″ x 5′ 10″, late 19th century, Connoisseur-Caliber. See Here.
 The dazzling chromatic, expertly finessed pattern of this 130-year-old carpet imbues the entire room with a quiet refinement and timeless luxury. |
Being a long-time gallery owner who almost exclusively specializes in the finest extant 19th century Persian rugs, I have a fervent curiosity about pre-commercial carpet-making activity before it was altered from an artistic tradition into to an industry. I have developed a way for clarifying most of my questions about this under-examined field: I review the rugs themselves. So one day, I assembled the photos of the over 250 Hadji Jallili rugs that Claremont has sold over the past 44 years and the about 300 Tabrizes of other stylizations.
My study clarified that the evolution within the Hadji Jallili style in the first three quarters of the 19th century was completely unambiguous. There was a decidedly original and cohesive, easily discernible rug genre that arose by the second quarter of the 19th century. One can clearly assess that its artistic exploration went through three phases of iteration of about 20 years each (roughly equivalent to three generations). By the end of the 19th century, it became folded into an export business focused on American and European markets for Oriental rugs.
raditionally, the Hadji Jallili style did not produce an abundance of small rugs, especially in the early years, making this artistically remarkable piece even more precious. Persian Hadji Jallili Tabriz, 4′ 5″ x 5′ 3″, circa 1850, High-Collectible. See Here.
Left: This Tabriz map from the 16th century shows the El Joli Lake (14th century, lower left) and The Grand Bazaar (13th century, in the middle of the city). Right: A storied merchant class in 19th century Tabriz was instrumental in the growth of the Oriental carpet market.
Studying the photos of carpets circa 1850 and before that we have sold, I found the most delicate toned and sparsely decorated examples of this style were from this earliest period. They often present classical medallions based on the famous designs from the 16th century Safavid court carpets with a signature salmon-peach tone as the main hue in the field. With floral designs filled with the subtlest of contrasting hues and almost completely bereft of indigo blue, this whole body of work captures an incomparable serenity that could corroborate the fabled Sufic influence.
The subsequent group, circa 1860-1880, ventures into exquisite botanical themes, including pictorial allover patterns portraying the dynamic profusion of nature. These include flourishing flowers, palmettes, and golden leaves in entirely painterly, soft warm hues. Sensitive use of blue, usually aged sapphire, joined the expanded Hadji Jallili palette to include luminous turmeric and saffron gold as well as azure and soft copper to rose shadings.
Soft reds replace the earlier sandstone tones in this joyful oversize Hadji Jallili carpet, its buoyant large scale patterning balanced by a panoply of exquisitely drawn smaller flowers. Persian Hadji Jallili Tabriz, 11′ x 16′ 1″, late 19th century, Connoisseur-Caliber. See Here.
Hadji Jallilis woven after 1880 are much harder for the untrained eye to recognize as the commercial market
In this final generation of the Hadji Jallili style, somewhat richer tonalities of rust, persimmon, and midnight indigo were often employed. During this period, the smaller towns around Tabriz were sometimes adept at capturing the particular spirit of the Hadji Jallili style and, while not quite as fine and with a modicum of geometry added to their designs, these rugs are still artistically unique and exceptionally beautiful.
The original, subtle Hadji Jallili palette is on full display in this carpet, it’s multi-medallion pattern regally floating on a constantly striated sand-toned field. Persian Hadji Jallili Tabriz, 9′ 6″ x 12′ 8″, late 19th century, Connoisseur-Caliber. See Here.
Allegiance to masterfully dyed, understated colors in the early Jallili carpets left a legacy of unmatched woven opportunities for creating sublimely appointed interiors.
It is quite probable that Hadji Jallili of Tabriz was, indeed, a historical figure. Was he “acting alone” creating legendary carpets before 1850 and developing a chain of workshops that he, his sons and grandsons directed? Or was he the gifted son of an already successful workshop owner who was in position to catch the first waves of a nouveau market poised to explode? In either case, truly exquisite, highly remarkable carpets were woven using the trademark Hadji Jallili drawing style and an unprecedented color palette that are highly esteemed by carpet connoisseurs today.
VIEW A WIDE SELECTION OF ANTIQUE HADJI JALLILI TABRIZ RUGS NOW AVAILABLE FOR SALE
