196 - Kirman carpet (cotton warp and weft, wool pile), southeastern Persia.

Kirman carpet (cotton warp and weft, wool pile), southeastern Persia. Circa 1900–1940 (Slight wear and fraying.) Length: 418 cm; Width: 276 cm The rug is adorned with an elegant, stylized polychrome floral design and floral scrolls on a tan background. A wide navy blue border featuring floral motifs and ivory cartouches with multicolored flowers is framed by numerous counter-borders. The city of Kirman’s isolated location prevented it from playing a significant role during the Sassanid era but spared it from Mongol plunder. Its name, given in 928, means “place of war.” Carpet weaving was encouraged during the Safavid period but came to a halt with the fall of the dynasty. It did not resume until the 19th century, when European carpet merchants gradually began opening offices there. Around 1920, the city opened up to the American market. The wool used in these carpets, which comes from neighboring towns and sometimes from Khorasan, is soft and white and was hand-sheared until 1950. Kirman is also renowned for its wide variety of shades, ranging from fifteen to thirty different tones. Kirman carpets often feature designs composed of highly intricate floral motifs. Bibliographic reference: - SABAHI, T. *Splendors of Oriental Carpets*. Atlas, Paris, 1987, pp. 165–169. Expert: Alexandre CHEVALIER