CENTRAL PERSIA, FIRST HALF 17TH CENTURY

The red ground Isfahan carpets, such as the present lot, with scrolling arabesques terminating in palmettes set within an indigo or deep green border of similar palmettes, are the most commonly encountered group of 17th century Persian carpets to have survived to the present day. Their dating and popularity is attested by the number that can be seen in paintings, particularly by the Dutch and Flemish artists of the period. A comparable example sold in The Dani and Anna Ghigo Collection, Christie's London, 12 May 2016, lot 401.This rug retains a wide variety of original colours and their juxtaposition is particularly harmonious. For a brief account of these carpets covering the arguments as to their origins please see the foreword to the Bernheimer Family Collection of Carpets sold in these Rooms, 14th February 1996, pp.15-16.