Northwest Persian

Woven in the Kurdish ethnic region of Northwest Persia, this magnificent corridor carpet paints rows of shimmering paisleys or boteh against a modulated blue indigo ground. Far from a static repeat design, small but significant idiosyncrasies in drawing, shape, and color provide for ripples of variation throughout the field. The effect is reminiscent of a giant fine shawl or textile. Indeed, the boteh motif and its execution here may harken back to Persian textile traditions of the eighteenth century. This piece is signed and dated 1283 corresponding to the Western date 1866.