The rulers of the Middle East always enjoyed luxury. The Safavid Shahs developed to its greatest perfection the art of Persian carpet, first in Tabriz and then at Isfahan and Kirman.
Beauty and durability result from a high technical complexity whose climax is reached at Kirman. The weavers use wool and cotton in the same pieces with a wide range of dyes. The colors are dazzling and the themes with flowers, leaves and birds are charming.
The most complex weaving technique uses no less than three weft passes per knot. It is named Vase on a proposal by May Beattie in 1976.
On April 19 in London, Christie's sells a carpet and two fragments of Kirman Vase that had belonged to the Alice de Rothschild collection.
The oldest was woven before 1600, corresponding to the beginning of the reign of Abbas. This fragment 306 x 196 cm would be complete if it had kept its sides and ends. The catalog lists fifteen colors. The middle weft is made of silk, which is a characteristic of the most prestigious pieces. It is estimated £ 400K, lot 102.
Lot 100, estimated £ 250K, is a 205 x 286 cm fragment from a pair of carpets which were fragmented at an unidentified date and had been among the largest Kirman Vase ever made.
The third piece from this collection, dating from middle to late seventeenth century, is complete and in very good condition with a size of 251 x 151 cm. Large foliate motifs reinforced with more discreet blossoms are alternately dispositioned in partie and contre-partie offering an overall vision that tends toward abstraction. It is estimated £ 1M, lot 101.
The technique and design of this carpet are very similar to the Béhague specimen, of same width but 90 cm longer, which was sold for £ 6.2 million including premium by Christie's on April 15, 2010.
RESULTS INCLUDING PREMIUM
Lot 100 : £ 540K
Lot 101 : £ 960K
Lot 102 : £ 800K
Beauty and durability result from a high technical complexity whose climax is reached at Kirman. The weavers use wool and cotton in the same pieces with a wide range of dyes. The colors are dazzling and the themes with flowers, leaves and birds are charming.
The most complex weaving technique uses no less than three weft passes per knot. It is named Vase on a proposal by May Beattie in 1976.
On April 19 in London, Christie's sells a carpet and two fragments of Kirman Vase that had belonged to the Alice de Rothschild collection.
The oldest was woven before 1600, corresponding to the beginning of the reign of Abbas. This fragment 306 x 196 cm would be complete if it had kept its sides and ends. The catalog lists fifteen colors. The middle weft is made of silk, which is a characteristic of the most prestigious pieces. It is estimated £ 400K, lot 102.
Lot 100, estimated £ 250K, is a 205 x 286 cm fragment from a pair of carpets which were fragmented at an unidentified date and had been among the largest Kirman Vase ever made.
The third piece from this collection, dating from middle to late seventeenth century, is complete and in very good condition with a size of 251 x 151 cm. Large foliate motifs reinforced with more discreet blossoms are alternately dispositioned in partie and contre-partie offering an overall vision that tends toward abstraction. It is estimated £ 1M, lot 101.
The technique and design of this carpet are very similar to the Béhague specimen, of same width but 90 cm longer, which was sold for £ 6.2 million including premium by Christie's on April 15, 2010.
RESULTS INCLUDING PREMIUM
Lot 100 : £ 540K
Lot 101 : £ 960K
Lot 102 : £ 800K
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