SECOND HALF 18TH CENTURY

This striking kelleh bears all the hallmarks of the transitional period of design transference during the 18th century in greater Azerbaijan. Sometimes intentional, but more frequently due to a period of social and economic crises which occurred in Persia for a protracted period throughout the second half of the 18th century, characteristic designs that historically belonged to one area, emerged in other unrelated geographic provinces of Kurdistan and Azerbaijan. For a discussion of this see Alberto Levi, 'Renewal and Renovation, Iconographic Influences on Kurdish Carpet Design', HALI, Issue 70, pp.84-93.

This present design has its roots in a sub-group of 17th century Kirman ‘vase’ carpets from south east Persia, such as the famous Gulbenkian and the Mrs E. T. Brown 'sickle leaf' carpets (A. U. Pope, A Survey of Persian Art, Oxford, 1938, pls.1235 and 1236). Two early 18th century carpets illustrated by Ellis are interesting contemporaneous examples of the migration of these designs from south east to north west Persia (C. G. Ellis, Early Caucasian Carpets, Washington, 1975, pl.19 and 22, p.68 and p.74). The present carpet relates very closely to a kelleh illustrated in Sarre and Trenkwald, (Old Oriental Carpets, Vienna, 1926 / 1928, pls.17 and 18) and another example in the Skokloster Castle, Sweden, (F. R. Martin, A History of Oriental Carpets Before 1900, Vienna, 1908, pl. XXII). The structure and colour palette of our carpet relates closely to another north west Persian kelleh of Safavid Isfahan design, formerly in the collections of F.R. Martin and C.R. Lamm, that sold in these Rooms, 5 April 2011, lot 104.