Sotheby's Important English and European Furniture, Silver, Porcelain and
Carpets, Including Clocks from the Teets Collection New York | 18 Nov
2011, 10:00 AM | N08803 LOT 328 A HERIZ SILK CARPET, NORTHWEST PERSIA
approximately 11ft. 6in. by 9ft. (3.51 by 2.74m.) circa 1880 ESTIMATE
40,000-60,000 USD Lot Sold: 40,625 USD
CATALOGUE NOTE Almost
all wool Heriz weavings can be characterized by a rectilinear medallion
design that has changed little over time, relatively low knot density and
the dominance of madder and indigo colors punctuated with yellows, browns
and sometimes occasional greens. Pieces from the mid and late nineteenth
century tend to have particularly attractive colors that, while often
saturated or vibrant, are never harsh. However, brilliant coloring is one of
the few characteristics wool and silk weavings from Heriz share. As
exemplified in the piece offered here, silk weavings attributed to Heriz
have soft yet saturated hues that make up a fine and harmonious color
palette. In this regard, Heriz silk rugs resemble silks produced in
nearby Tabriz. Some have suggested that, because of their shared design
characteristics with Tabriz silks, these finely-woven pieces cannot be
attributed to Heriz with any certainty, see Murray L. Eiland Jr. and
Murray Eiland III, Oriental Carpets, London, 1998, p. 93. In fact, the
curvilinear drawing of this carpet's border's design is more comparable
to those found in contemporaneous Tabriz works, rather than to elements
decorating weavings from Heriz. However, the fine, blanket-like handle of
this piece suggests that it is the product of Heriz silk weavers, who are
known to have executed extremely pliable works that most often surpass the
quality of their Tabriz counterparts. Silk Heriz carpets from the second
half of the nineteenth century are almost always symmetrically knotted
and, as mentioned above, have particularly attractive coloring. Just like
the color palette, the juxtaposition created by the difference between
the naturalistically executed flowers and palmettes of the border and the
more angularly drawn trellis design of the field is subtle. Other small and
mid-scale Heriz silk weavings with fields decorated in a similar fashion
include one sold Sotheby's New York, 14 December 2006, lot 22 and another
sold in the same rooms 16 December 2005, lot 40. In addition to a
comparable field, the former also shares a more curvilinear border design
with the lot offered here. The very high quality of craftsmanship along with
the precious material preserved in its near original condition make the
carpet offered here a testament to the excellence of Qajarera carpet
weaving.
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