ABADEH, Southwest Persian
3' 6" x 5' 4" Late 19th Century Price: $5,800
(High-Decorative)
Located along the road between Shiraz and Isfahan, the town of Abadeh created robust rugs with striking geometric designs inspired by the Qashqai tribespeople who had their summer pastures nearby. Woven well before the commercial period took hold, it possesses endlessly nuanced hues and continually evolving patterns. Abstract poppies and crystalesque flowerheads join other botanical motifs within a luminous blue hexagonal reserve in an energetic garden scape. At the center is a stylized “eternal hearth” emblem allowing the owner to take the essence of home wherever they may wander. Individually drawn flower ornaments are joined by double sprouting boteh “Seeds of Life” looking like a series of Venetian carnival masks. The variations of shape and slight asymmetry of it all creates a subliminal sense of movement amplifying the visual interest so that the viewer does not immediately perceive why this piece is so stunning until studying it more closely. Still extremely robust after some 120 years, this unusually small area size piece would make for a perfect companion around the home.