BAKSHAISH "DRAGON AND PHOENIX RUG"
Northwest Persian Antique Rug

(High-Collectible) ("Featured in our new print catalog") This 145- to 170-year-old rug features the rarest and most archetypal of Bakshaish motifs and is a window into the psyche of this style’s rug weavers, who, before the commercialization of carpet-making in their remote region, had acquired a fervent following. Known as folkloric interpreters of classical and mythical themes, their best artists created artistic expressions that were wide-ranging and always original. In this rare, miniature version based on Bakshaish’s grand room-size to oversize carpets, the Dragon and Phoenix motif is conveyed at the center by coral-toned, cloud-like undulations gathering around the central golden escutcheon that bears a four-directional floral cluster. Grounded in ancient cosmologies, the mythical symbolism celebrates a cosmic dance of creation, reminding man of nature’s auspicious balancing of forces that blesses the earth with prosperity and dynamic harmony. Additional cloud bands cradle luminous azure spandrels in each corner like coastal fog enveloping a low mountain range. This artwork’s frame takes inspiration from the 17th-century courtly pattern named for the illustrious Shah Abbas I, which elicits an interesting dichotomy between the formal and the eloquently totemic Village tradition. Its remarkably good even pile glistens with a slowly earned patination amplifying the beauty of this iconic design.

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