Ghalin History

TITLE: Silk Carpet with Cloud-Bands

ORIGIN: Center of Iran, Isfahan

EOCH. PERIOD: Safavid Empire, Iran

DATE: Beginning of the 17^th Century

MATERIAL: Silk

TECHNIQUE: Persian knot, 300,000 knots per sq. m (194 knots per sq.in)

DIMENSIONS : 214×141 cm (84 x56 in.)

• Warp of Silk
• Weft of Silk
• Silk Pile, enriched with embroidered Silver and Gilt thread

LOCATION: Collection of the Österreichisches Museum Für Angewandte Kunst, Vienna, Austria

NOTE:

The design of this carpet, adorned with both small and large flowers, is characterized by the dominance of cloud-band strips in the background. These strips reminiscent of the influence of Chinese art on Iran during the 16th and 17th centuries. A distinctive feature of this carpet lies in its unique color harmony, specifically the combination of green and brown along the border. The border, encasing the carpet like a frame, showcases a recurring cloud-band design.

This carpet, which can be considered a kind of “Janmazi” or prayer rug, belongs to the category known as “Polonaise,” though its origins are Persian art. It was woven in the central region of Iran, probably in Isfahan, within one of the royal carpet weaving workshops of the Safavid court.