Afshar chanteh

A “chanteh” is a personal bag that Persian nomads used as a small purse or wallet. This Afshar double chanteh set, resembling a miniature pair of saddle bags, was woven with the utmost care in exceedingly soft wool. Each bag face draws a row of three ‘boteh’ paisleys traced in light colors against a deep indigo ground. The detailing and color contrast are superb, and this piece is a tactile delight; it has an excellent baby blanket handle, indicative of more refined older pieces. Surprisingly, each of the knotted pile faces is woven with the pile in the direction of the drawing. Neither is woven ‘upside-down’. This meticulous attention to detail could only be achieved by the loom being flipped. This is almost never seen in a double bag set.