Antique Tabriz rug, Azerbaijan, NW Iran, early 20th century, Nazmiyal Collection, 9. ft 05 in x 12 ft 10 in (2.87 m x 3.91 m)

Antique Tabriz, Persia, circa 1900. A classic Northwest Persian garden design in a compartment format unfolds majestically across the field of this lavish antique Tabriz. Each compartment represents a section of a formal Persian garden and sports a composition that is a little rug unto itself - willow trees, shrubs, vases spewing flowers, and a central band of cartouches evoking a waterway down the center. The vinescroll borders that frame the composition introduce an element of fluid curvilinearity to balance the architectural rectilinearity of the field. A masterpiece of worthy of the grand Tabriz tradition, whose soft coloration is supremely decorative as well.