Antique Kurdish Rug

This Kurdish carpet was woven near the town of Saj Bulagh in the far northwest of the Kurdish region of Persia. It is being conservatively dated to the last quarter of the nineteenth century. Kurdish rugs from this region, while sometimes borrowing from the repertoire of classical Persian weaving, are known for bold larger-scale geometric drawing and vibrant saturated color. This piece makes use of a field with a repeating ‘ashik’ motif. While of the same shape and roughly the same size, these elements are distinguished by rotating patterns of alternating color. The main border has traces of leaves from vegetal scroll, though it is likewise heavily geometricized. The alternating red and white guard borders are characteristic of Saj Bulagh weavings as is the thick lustrous wool of the pile.