Luri Bakhtiari sumak cargo bags

This set of mixed-technique double cargo bags represents perhaps the most recognizable and distinctly Luri-Bakhtiari type of woven object. This excellent example utilizes all vegetable dyes and is noticeably older than most seen on the market today. Two elongated sumak bag faces feature thin blue fields, which are drawn with an abstract rendition of a Persian leaf and palmette design. Presumably, this motif is borrowed from the design of main borders on carpets. The inner perimeters of each is traced with animal head motifs in red and white. Weft float animates the top fasteners as pile sections, drawing eight-pointed stars, secure the bottom portions of each bag. Colorful crenelated designs and plain stripes are executed in slit tapestry weave on the backs.