Khamseh Carpet, possibly Baharlu, South Persia, second half 19th century
7 ft. 10 in. x 4 ft. 9 in.

Provenance: Lefevre and Partners, London, 15 February 1980, Lot 10.

Other Notes: While Lefevre attributed this rug to the Qashqai and wrote that ?this superb nomadic carpet is woven in the characteristic Qashqai style and coloring?, it is almost indisputably a product of Khamseh weavers. The style of the botehs, the ?chickens? in the medallions, the border design and the checkered ends are all typical of Khamsehs. A very similar small rug with an identical border is published in Woven Gardens pl. 16. Black and Loveless attributed it to Khamseh or a Kerman tribe and stated that ?an accurate attribution is impossible.? Writing about similar botehs on a Khamseh rug published in Tribal Rugs of Southern Persia, James Opie remarks that the botehs ?were modelled after the more refined botehs of the Kerman shawls? but notes that ?a degree of geometric flavor has begun to enter the design.? Ian Bennett attributed a rug with very similar botehs to the Baharlu tribe (Woolley and Wallis 9 October 2001).

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