WEST PERSIA, CIRCA 1870

Wagireh (samplers) were used as portable and durable illustrative material that demonstrated the weaver's capabilities, which were not specific to the Bijar region but were used by various weaving centres throughout Iran and some of the Caucasus. In some cases, as many as five suggested carpet designs could be incorporated within one single wagireh, which would also show the variety of colours available and the quality of wool with which it would be woven (A.U. Dilley, Oriental Rugs and Carpets, a Comprehensive Study, New York/London, 1931, p.102, pl.XXIII).

Few examples seem to make their way to the market as most, according to G. Griffin Lewis in his Practical Book of Oriental Rugs, Philadelphia/London, 1911, p.318, were retained by the weavers and used in their own homes (Kurt Erdmann, Seven Hundred Years of Oriental Carpets, Berkeley: University of California Press, 1970, p.191). The present wagireh is considered larger than most and may well have been used as a cover after it had served its initial purpose.

Whether they went unacknowledged, were considered as utilitarian cast-offs or just mere fragments at the time, today, these small objects are greatly admired by collectors. A very similar camel ground wagireh to the present lot, sold Sotheby's New York, 16 November 2011, lot 414, while one of the strongest results was seen at Christie's, London, 27 April 2017, lot 216.