#5932
AGE & ORIGIN:
c. 1890
Persia
OVERVIEW:
Shortened, worn, and repaired; and yet long before any of these adjustments happened, this was already a strange carpet. Being from the Senneh region of Persia, this was woven by Kurds who often have a penchant for creative design decisions, many of which are present. For example, the stretching of the Herati motif on either end of the rug to make it nearly unrecognizable, or perhaps the usage of two different border types, repeating medallions for the fringes and vases for the edges.
So…the carpet already has a strange history, and then at some point along the way, it was too big for someone’s house, so it was shortened. It was worn to the point of needing the selvedges secured again (in keeping true to Senneh tradition, this was done with purple silk). Holes were made, so it was rewoven.
And so, what are we left with?
As it stands, this is less a carpet and more an abstraction of one. The shortenings, both professionally done, have done much to create a visually compelling transition to the rug. The wear is neither offensive nor unwelcome as it stands as more of an evenly dispersed complement to the copious amounts of preservation done over the past 130 years. A phrase that continues to enter my mind as I look at this rug is ‘unpretentious elegance’, and I think it’s quite fitting for this painting of the floor.
CONDITION:
Worn
#5932
AGE & ORIGIN:
c. 1890
Persia
OVERVIEW:
Shortened, worn, and repaired; and yet long before any of these adjustments happened, this was already a strange carpet. Being from the Senneh region of Persia, this was woven by Kurds who often have a penchant for creative design decisions, many of which are present. For example, the stretching of the Herati motif on either end of the rug to make it nearly unrecognizable, or perhaps the usage of two different border types, repeating medallions for the fringes and vases for the edges.
So…the carpet already has a strange history, and then at some point along the way, it was too big for someone’s house, so it was shortened. It was worn to the point of needing the selvedges secured again (in keeping true to Senneh tradition, this was done with purple silk). Holes were made, so it was rewoven.
And so, what are we left with?
As it stands, this is less a carpet and more an abstraction of one. The shortenings, both professionally done, have done much to create a visually compelling transition to the rug. The wear is neither offensive nor unwelcome as it stands as more of an evenly dispersed complement to the copious amounts of preservation done over the past 130 years. A phrase that continues to enter my mind as I look at this rug is ‘unpretentious elegance’, and I think it’s quite fitting for this painting of the floor.
CONDITION:
Worn
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