Qashqai rug

During the 18thand early 19th century, the Qashqai tribal confederation controlled much of southwestern Persia around the vicinity of the city of Shiraz. THis tribal dominance rivaled the authority of the Imperial Persian government. The wealth of the Qashqai was based on their flocks, and carpet weaving emerged both as a domestic necessity as well as a way to transform a surplus of wool into hard currency. Qashqai pieces are some of the finest Persian tribal weavings. This piece is larger than most, and draws a geometric rendering of a traditional Persian ‘medallion with corner-pieces’ format. Against a medium blue ground, abstracted flowers, animals, and geometric devices of the distinctive type used in the folk weaving of these nomads are drawn. In accordance to Qashqai aesthetics, little space is left on the canvas, and the series of multiple narrow borders framing the field compounds the energetic spirit and vitality of the composition.