Safavid Carpets
Except otherwise stated, all results include the premium.
See also : Persia Islam Textiles
Chronology : 17th century 1600-1609 1650-1659
See also : Persia Islam Textiles
Chronology : 17th century 1600-1609 1650-1659
Intro
The production of exceptional carpets started at Tabriz in rhe 16th century under the direct patronage of the Shah. The early carpets are featuring intricate designs including medallions, spandrels and palmettes inspired by Persian miniatures. About 30 complete pieces survive from that period and center.
One of the best preserved, 6.40 m in length, was sold for £ 1.6M by Christie's on July 6, 1999. It is illustrated in the Magic Carpets article prepared by Christie's in October 2021. Its suggested date is the third quarter of the 16th century. The wool is remaining thick and the colors are very fresh. This piece had been seized by the Nazis from the Viennese branch of the Rothschilds and restituted by Austria in 1999. After the auction, it is kept in Qatar.
One of the best preserved, 6.40 m in length, was sold for £ 1.6M by Christie's on July 6, 1999. It is illustrated in the Magic Carpets article prepared by Christie's in October 2021. Its suggested date is the third quarter of the 16th century. The wool is remaining thick and the colors are very fresh. This piece had been seized by the Nazis from the Viennese branch of the Rothschilds and restituted by Austria in 1999. After the auction, it is kept in Qatar.
1590 Isfahan Rug
2009 SOLD for £ 2.7M by Sotheby's
On October 7, 2009, a Safavid prayer rug 163 x 110 cm made in Isfahan was sold for £ 2.7M by Sotheby's from a lower estimate of £ 80K, lot 276. It is made of silk, wool and metal thread brocading and decorated in vivid colors with palmettes, vines and curling leaves.
This piece is inscribed anti clockwise with a Persian poem calling to prayer Sultan Murad and his Ottoman house, supreme lords of earth and sky on the joyful and successful throne of justice and good fortune. A referent for that prayer is identified as a preacher from Qazvin and qadi of Mecca.
It may have been a diplomatic gift on the occasion of the 1590 Peace Treaty signed between the two empires in 1590 when Abbas was the Safavid Shah and Murad III the Ottoman Sultan. From ots Ottoman ownership, it is considered as an addition to the group of 89 so-called Topkapi rugs of Persian design.
On October 6, 2010, Sotheby's sold for £ 1.16M a Safavid prayer rug, 180 x 112 cm, from the Topkapi group, lot 394. The center is made up of trees, branches and vases in a mosque-shaped niche. The large borders show selected verses from the Qur'an.
Another Topkapi Niche rug, 168 x 114 cm, was sold by Sotheby's for £ 400K on March 31, 2021, lot 138. A Topkapi prayer rug 173 x 120 cm was sold by Sotheby's for $ 365K on January 31, 2014, lot 93. It is attributed to Kashan or Isfahan ca 1600.
This piece is inscribed anti clockwise with a Persian poem calling to prayer Sultan Murad and his Ottoman house, supreme lords of earth and sky on the joyful and successful throne of justice and good fortune. A referent for that prayer is identified as a preacher from Qazvin and qadi of Mecca.
It may have been a diplomatic gift on the occasion of the 1590 Peace Treaty signed between the two empires in 1590 when Abbas was the Safavid Shah and Murad III the Ottoman Sultan. From ots Ottoman ownership, it is considered as an addition to the group of 89 so-called Topkapi rugs of Persian design.
On October 6, 2010, Sotheby's sold for £ 1.16M a Safavid prayer rug, 180 x 112 cm, from the Topkapi group, lot 394. The center is made up of trees, branches and vases in a mosque-shaped niche. The large borders show selected verses from the Qur'an.
Another Topkapi Niche rug, 168 x 114 cm, was sold by Sotheby's for £ 400K on March 31, 2021, lot 138. A Topkapi prayer rug 173 x 120 cm was sold by Sotheby's for $ 365K on January 31, 2014, lot 93. It is attributed to Kashan or Isfahan ca 1600.
late 16th century Paradise Carpet
2005 SOLD for $ 2.03M by Sotheby's
In Timurid and Safavid Persia, Paradise walled parks were game reserves in which the King and his court were hunting. The Paradise Garden carpets include scenes of animals enclosed within the border. The mythical moon tree represented by a cypress is another symbol of such a place for both earthly and heavenly delight.
A Safavid Paradise carpet 830 x 340 cm was sold for $ 2.03M by Sotheby's on November 3, 2005 from a lower estimate of $ 500K, lot 160.
Its design is symmetrically arranged both vertically and horizontally around a small lobed flower head, with cypress and flowering trees pointing inwards from each end and with pairs of animals and birds between them. The wild life is varied, including stags, tigers, lions in combat with bulls, gazelles and antelopes, parrots, doves and peacocks.
This example has a jewel-like range of colors and a structure associated with East Persian carpet production in the late 16th century.
A Safavid Paradise carpet 830 x 340 cm was sold for $ 2.03M by Sotheby's on November 3, 2005 from a lower estimate of $ 500K, lot 160.
Its design is symmetrically arranged both vertically and horizontally around a small lobed flower head, with cypress and flowering trees pointing inwards from each end and with pairs of animals and birds between them. The wild life is varied, including stags, tigers, lions in combat with bulls, gazelles and antelopes, parrots, doves and peacocks.
This example has a jewel-like range of colors and a structure associated with East Persian carpet production in the late 16th century.
1600 Isfahan Silk Rug
2008 SOLD for $ 4.45M by Christie's
In 1598 CE Abbas I transfers his capital to Isfahan. The city, destroyed by the Mongols in 1387, centralizes the very ambitious cultural policy of the Shah. Everything must be done to dazzle the visitors.
On June 3, 2008, Christie's sold a Persian rug for $ 4.45M from a lower estimate of $ 1M, lot 37. This 230 x 170 cm piece is entirely woven in silk without brocade. Its unique luminescence could be a witness to that rebirth of Isfahan, around 1600.
The search for luminosity is carried to perfection, with 17 colors including several shades of yellow. Its repeating pattern of flowers, leaves and plant arabesques is centered by a small medallion, an innovation that provided the illusion of a water lily floating on a pond when the colors still had all their original contrast.
The so-called "Polonaise" rugs, woven in Isfahan and Kashan, can be considered as an evolution of this design several decades later. Unfortunately their silver brocades are often blackened by oxidation and the dyes are less stable.
On June 3, 2008, Christie's sold a Persian rug for $ 4.45M from a lower estimate of $ 1M, lot 37. This 230 x 170 cm piece is entirely woven in silk without brocade. Its unique luminescence could be a witness to that rebirth of Isfahan, around 1600.
The search for luminosity is carried to perfection, with 17 colors including several shades of yellow. Its repeating pattern of flowers, leaves and plant arabesques is centered by a small medallion, an innovation that provided the illusion of a water lily floating on a pond when the colors still had all their original contrast.
The so-called "Polonaise" rugs, woven in Isfahan and Kashan, can be considered as an evolution of this design several decades later. Unfortunately their silver brocades are often blackened by oxidation and the dyes are less stable.
Vase Weaving Technique
Intro
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.
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.
1
The Carpet of Senator Clark
2013 SOLD for $ 34M by Sotheby's
The extreme refinement of Persian carpets reached its peak under the Safavid dynasty. Well known by the connoisseurs, the carpet of Senator Clark had already been described for nearly a century as a masterpiece of Persian textile art. It was exhibited after the death of its owner in 1925 in a museum that de-accessioned it. It was sold for $ 34M from a lower estimate of $ 5M by Sotheby's on June 5, 2013, lot 12.
Its red background is rare and perhaps unique in its class, the sickle-leaf pattern variant of the 'Vase' technique. Its fine floral motifs and its palmettes make it a vibrant and sumptuous artwork in 267 x 196 cm size.
It is always difficult to date and locate an old carpet, if not by considerations of its technical characteristics. The Clark carpet is Safavid and probably Kirman. It is comparable to the best pieces woven during the reign of Shah Abbas 400 years ago.
The image is shared by Wikimedia.
Its red background is rare and perhaps unique in its class, the sickle-leaf pattern variant of the 'Vase' technique. Its fine floral motifs and its palmettes make it a vibrant and sumptuous artwork in 267 x 196 cm size.
It is always difficult to date and locate an old carpet, if not by considerations of its technical characteristics. The Clark carpet is Safavid and probably Kirman. It is comparable to the best pieces woven during the reign of Shah Abbas 400 years ago.
The image is shared by Wikimedia.
2
The Béhague Carpet
2010 SOLD for £ 6.2M by Christie's
A Kirman carpet was released from anonymity on April 15, 2010 at a Christie's sale in London when it was sold for £ 6.2M from a lower estimate of £ 200K, lot 100. The press revealed that it had been sold six months earlier in Augsburg from an estimate of € 800 by a local auctioneer who refused to publish the result.
This wool carpet is knotted using the intricate Vase technique, suggesting that it was woven in the royal workshops of the Safavid dynasty. It measures 339 x 153 cm and is in outstanding condition except for a few tiny repairs and some corrosion of the black threads. It had been commented in 1938 by an expert who stated for its provenance the prestigious collection of the comtesse de Béhague.
The golden age of Kirman carpets is the reign of Abbas I, who died in 1629 CE. The Béhague carpet is characterized by a very elegant simplification of shapes that Christie's positions around the mid-17th century.
In a magnificent geometric regularity, parallel stems support several pairs of leaves. From top to bottom, the leaves of one stem alternate with the leaves from the adjacent stem. Tiny flowers are inserted into the spaces between the leaves. This decoration anticipates the repetition of flowers and leaves in the highly popular Herati pattern and may evoke some figures from the Iznik ceramics.
This wool carpet is knotted using the intricate Vase technique, suggesting that it was woven in the royal workshops of the Safavid dynasty. It measures 339 x 153 cm and is in outstanding condition except for a few tiny repairs and some corrosion of the black threads. It had been commented in 1938 by an expert who stated for its provenance the prestigious collection of the comtesse de Béhague.
The golden age of Kirman carpets is the reign of Abbas I, who died in 1629 CE. The Béhague carpet is characterized by a very elegant simplification of shapes that Christie's positions around the mid-17th century.
In a magnificent geometric regularity, parallel stems support several pairs of leaves. From top to bottom, the leaves of one stem alternate with the leaves from the adjacent stem. Tiny flowers are inserted into the spaces between the leaves. This decoration anticipates the repetition of flowers and leaves in the highly popular Herati pattern and may evoke some figures from the Iznik ceramics.
Figural Velvet
2009 SOLD for $ 3.4M by Sotheby's
Textile is a symbol of luxury and refinement since immemorial time. But it is a fragile art, and few examples remain to testify to the extreme skill displayed in antique workshops.
A brocade of high complexity measuring 57 x 71 cm, 84 x 100 cm including borders, was created in Safavid Persia 300 to 400 years ago. It is very difficult to date such a piece with precision. Sotheby's sold it on April 14, 2010 for £ 1.6M from a lower estimate of £ 300K. This unpublished piece had been listed at the sale of a collection at the Hôtel Drouot in Paris in February 1912. It had not been seen since that time.
It is a green and red silk velvet woven on a bright yellow ground. The decor is composed of complex patterns punctuated by medallions and including peacocks, birds of paradise and flowers.
On March 19, 2009 in Doha, a Safavid silk velvet nicely decorated with two figures, 74 x 107 cm, was sold for $ 3.4M by Sotheby's from a lower estimate of $ 250K, lot 301.
A brocade of high complexity measuring 57 x 71 cm, 84 x 100 cm including borders, was created in Safavid Persia 300 to 400 years ago. It is very difficult to date such a piece with precision. Sotheby's sold it on April 14, 2010 for £ 1.6M from a lower estimate of £ 300K. This unpublished piece had been listed at the sale of a collection at the Hôtel Drouot in Paris in February 1912. It had not been seen since that time.
It is a green and red silk velvet woven on a bright yellow ground. The decor is composed of complex patterns punctuated by medallions and including peacocks, birds of paradise and flowers.
On March 19, 2009 in Doha, a Safavid silk velvet nicely decorated with two figures, 74 x 107 cm, was sold for $ 3.4M by Sotheby's from a lower estimate of $ 250K, lot 301.
à la Polonaise
Intro
Since the reign of Shah Abbas, the Persian carpet was the symbol of the splendor of the new capital, Isfahan. The weaving workshops are developing new techniques that bring an unprecedented luminosity. Abbas dies in 1629 CE.
The craze is growing. The needs of the Shah come first, but the workshops in Isfahan and Kashan get permission to supply other clients when they have time.
A monumental Safavid carpet surfaced in Osaka in 2007 in a noble family. Some specific features suggest that it has been woven in Isfahan for the use of a high Japanese official, possibly in the lifetime of Shah Abbas. In the Edo period from 1603 CE, Japanese links to the West were severely limited with the exception of the Dutch East India company.
It is a rare example of a carpet close to the à la Polonaise design that does not include the metal threads whose oxidation has dulled the original dazzling of so many other examples. It is woven entirely in silk on a monochrome red field which has not faded. That quality suggests a make in the lifetime of Shah Abbas. The figures of leaves and cartouches do not refer to Muslim symbols.
Treasured by the Japanese family for nearly three centuries, this unrestored carpet is nearly intact including complete ends with original fringes. The silk is extremely well preserved.
This time capsule 545 x 224 cm is the second largest of all known Polonaise carpets. It was sold for £ 950K by Christie's on October 24, 2024, lot 200. Please watch the video shared by the auction house.
The fashion for Persian carpets reaches Europe. To obtain the same visual effects more easily, the textiles are brocaded with silver and gilded silver. Production becomes more abundant. These rugs went out of fashion around 1700.
In the Polish section of the Universal Exhibition in Paris in 1878, Prince Czartoryski exhibits his collection of brocaded rugs. This type of carpet is henceforth referred to as "à la Polonaise". Their conservation is less good than for previous techniques because the brocades oxidized and the dyes were less stable.
The craze is growing. The needs of the Shah come first, but the workshops in Isfahan and Kashan get permission to supply other clients when they have time.
A monumental Safavid carpet surfaced in Osaka in 2007 in a noble family. Some specific features suggest that it has been woven in Isfahan for the use of a high Japanese official, possibly in the lifetime of Shah Abbas. In the Edo period from 1603 CE, Japanese links to the West were severely limited with the exception of the Dutch East India company.
It is a rare example of a carpet close to the à la Polonaise design that does not include the metal threads whose oxidation has dulled the original dazzling of so many other examples. It is woven entirely in silk on a monochrome red field which has not faded. That quality suggests a make in the lifetime of Shah Abbas. The figures of leaves and cartouches do not refer to Muslim symbols.
Treasured by the Japanese family for nearly three centuries, this unrestored carpet is nearly intact including complete ends with original fringes. The silk is extremely well preserved.
This time capsule 545 x 224 cm is the second largest of all known Polonaise carpets. It was sold for £ 950K by Christie's on October 24, 2024, lot 200. Please watch the video shared by the auction house.
The fashion for Persian carpets reaches Europe. To obtain the same visual effects more easily, the textiles are brocaded with silver and gilded silver. Production becomes more abundant. These rugs went out of fashion around 1700.
In the Polish section of the Universal Exhibition in Paris in 1878, Prince Czartoryski exhibits his collection of brocaded rugs. This type of carpet is henceforth referred to as "à la Polonaise". Their conservation is less good than for previous techniques because the brocades oxidized and the dyes were less stable.
1
ex Schönborn
2019 SOLD for £ 3.9M by Christie's
An early Polonaise carpet 205 x 140 cm from Isfahan was sold for £ 3.9M by Christie's on May 2, 2019 from a lower estimate of £ 600K, lot 254.
Possibly dated from the reign of Shah Abbas in the first quarter of the 17th century, this piece is woven with a precious silk pile enhanced by an extensive use of gold and silver in the wrapped thread.
This artwork and a pendant carpet had belonged to the elector Augustus of Saxony who gave them in 1695 to Lothar Franz von Schönborn, prince archbishop of Mainz.
They are superbly preserved after a three century hanging on the walls of a summer palace of the Schönborn family, escaping the wear of a usual storage on the floor. This example maintains in its full beauty the original blue, indigo, green, peach and pale yellow dyes.
Possibly dated from the reign of Shah Abbas in the first quarter of the 17th century, this piece is woven with a precious silk pile enhanced by an extensive use of gold and silver in the wrapped thread.
This artwork and a pendant carpet had belonged to the elector Augustus of Saxony who gave them in 1695 to Lothar Franz von Schönborn, prince archbishop of Mainz.
They are superbly preserved after a three century hanging on the walls of a summer palace of the Schönborn family, escaping the wear of a usual storage on the floor. This example maintains in its full beauty the original blue, indigo, green, peach and pale yellow dyes.
2
ex Schönborn
2019 SOLD for £ 3.7M by Christie's
A Polonaise carpet 200 x 145 cm from Isfahan was sold for £ 3.7M by Christie's on May 2, 2019 from a lower estimate of £ 550K, lot 255.
It had been for 300 year the pendant of the carpet of the previous lot that sold for £ 3.9M. Despite their similar sizes and period, they cannot be considered as a pair.
This example is preserving its sumptuous red border and a high amount of silver-metal thread around the fragile silk wraps.
It had been for 300 year the pendant of the carpet of the previous lot that sold for £ 3.9M. Despite their similar sizes and period, they cannot be considered as a pair.
This example is preserving its sumptuous red border and a high amount of silver-metal thread around the fragile silk wraps.
3
2022 SOLD for £ 2.3M by Christie's
A Safavid à la polonaise carpet 197 x 141 cm made in the early 17th century CE probably in Isfahan and possibly during the reign of Shah Abbas was sold for £ 2.3M from a lower sstimate of £ 1M by Christie's on March 31, 2022, lot 174.
It is decorated of inverted palmettes and arabesques of flowering stems. The palette includes twelve colors and the silk pile is remaining thick. Warps and wefts are in natural cotton excepted some red silk wefts. The brocade is made of silver gilt and gilt metal wrapped around silk. It still has an end row of original fringes.
This piece had been the cover lot from a group of no less than twelve polonaises in a Rothschild estate auction in 1968 in Paris. The twin of its pair is in worn condition.
It is decorated of inverted palmettes and arabesques of flowering stems. The palette includes twelve colors and the silk pile is remaining thick. Warps and wefts are in natural cotton excepted some red silk wefts. The brocade is made of silver gilt and gilt metal wrapped around silk. It still has an end row of original fringes.
This piece had been the cover lot from a group of no less than twelve polonaises in a Rothschild estate auction in 1968 in Paris. The twin of its pair is in worn condition.
Christie's head of Oriental Rugs and Carpets, Louise Broadhurst, explains why a Safavid 'Polonaise' carpet, once owned by Baron Adolphe Carl von Rothschild, is such an exciting find. Read here: https://t.co/uFjII1PnSE pic.twitter.com/wYgYbrW6rZ
— Christie's (@ChristiesInc) March 24, 2022
4
2021 SOLD for £ 2.06M by Christie's
The Italian aristocracy was fond of these Polonaise style rugs. A 208 x 135 cm carpet which came in 1984 from the estate of King Umberto II was sold for $ 790K by Sotheby's on October 1, 2015, lot 68.
On April 1, 2021, Christie's sold a Polonaise carpet 210 x 140 cm for £ 2.06M, lot 129. The brocades have not escaped oxidation, but this piece is remarkable for the thickness of its silk pile and for its intact edges. It has not been restored. These rugs were often produced and delivered in two identical copies. The other element of the pair is on display to the public at the Palazzo del Principe in Genoa.
On April 1, 2021, Christie's sold a Polonaise carpet 210 x 140 cm for £ 2.06M, lot 129. The brocades have not escaped oxidation, but this piece is remarkable for the thickness of its silk pile and for its intact edges. It has not been restored. These rugs were often produced and delivered in two identical copies. The other element of the pair is on display to the public at the Palazzo del Principe in Genoa.
'A rare survival from a golden age' — a 400-year-old Persian carpet of outstanding quality will be offered at auction for the first time on 1 April: https://t.co/aCl8IJKxnJ pic.twitter.com/L1AyzgIwst
— Christie's (@ChristiesInc) March 29, 2021
