Pile carpet, wool on a cotton ground. “Isfahan carpet”
Iran, Isfahan (?); beginning of 17th century
H: 451; W: 280 cm
Inventory number 15/1967
Shah Abbas moved the capital of Iran to Isfahan in 1598. Workshops with royal protection were established there and elsewhere in Iran to weave high-quality carpets designed by the court studios.
Arabesques, cloud bands, large, fleshy fantasy flowers, and leaves reflect the ones found on paintings, woven silks, and large tile decorations.
These carpets, which were used in the palaces of the elite and exported in large quantities to India and especially Europe, differ significantly from nomad rugs. Nomad rugs often feature ancient and long-forgotten motifs and symbolism that had been handed down from the Central Asian nomads of the steppes.
Arabesques, cloud bands, large, fleshy fantasy flowers, and leaves reflect the ones found on paintings, woven silks, and large tile decorations.
These carpets, which were used in the palaces of the elite and exported in large quantities to India and especially Europe, differ significantly from nomad rugs. Nomad rugs often feature ancient and long-forgotten motifs and symbolism that had been handed down from the Central Asian nomads of the steppes.
Published in
Published in
A collection of Oriental carpets and rugs belonging to Heinrich Wulff, Copenhagen, Museum of Decorative Arts, Copenhagen 1934, pl. 3;
C .L. Davids Samling. Fjerde Del : Jubilæumsskrift 1945-70, København 1970, cat.no. 3, pp. 248 and 251;
Kjeld von Folsach: Islamic art. The David Collection, Copenhagen 1990, cat.no. 417;
Kjeld von Folsach: Art from the World of Islam in The David Collection, Copenhagen 2001, cat.no. 691;
Sheila S. Blair and Jonathan M. Bloom (eds.): Cosmophilia. Islamic Art from the David Collection, Copenhagen, McMullen Museum of Art, Boston College,Boston 2006, cat.no. 65;
C .L. Davids Samling. Fjerde Del : Jubilæumsskrift 1945-70, København 1970, cat.no. 3, pp. 248 and 251;
Kjeld von Folsach: Islamic art. The David Collection, Copenhagen 1990, cat.no. 417;
Kjeld von Folsach: Art from the World of Islam in The David Collection, Copenhagen 2001, cat.no. 691;
Sheila S. Blair and Jonathan M. Bloom (eds.): Cosmophilia. Islamic Art from the David Collection, Copenhagen, McMullen Museum of Art, Boston College,Boston 2006, cat.no. 65;
