Khorasan fragment of a saf prayer carpet
East-Persia 17th century, 5 ft. 8in. x 2ft. 9in., 172 x 85 cm
Provenance: former Wher collection, Lugano
Published.: Eberhart Herrmann, Asiatische Teppich- und Textilkunst, Band 1, pl. 72
Two other fragments of this great prayer rug are published:
a) B.W. Robinson et al., Islamic Art in the Keir Collection, London/Boston 1988, S. 82, T.30
b) HALI 1.4 (1978), S. 7, Advert Textile Gallery, M. Franses
Condition: some areas low pile, foundation partly showing
Wool pile, cotton warp, cotton weft
Important examples, even fragments, of 16th century Persian carpets are exceptionally rare and thus are highly sought after by collectors and museums.
Six prayer arches remain from a much large saf or multi-niche carpet which was probably used in a mosque. A complex vocabulary of naturalistic motifs are distributed and shared between the red ground and niches, their geometric style being particular to Khorasan, which was on the outer edges of imperial Safavid suzerainty.
The bold drawing style associated with Persian rugs of this period and provenance is best seen in the small strapwork cloudbands that the weaver has attached to the upper left and right corners of each of the six large niches, which come together and form their own secondary niches.
The head and shoulder style arches trace their origin back to some of the earliest examples of Safavid weaving, and their inclusion here denotes this saf must have been woven for an important position in a prominent mosque, perhaps under imperial patronage.

Condition: some areas low pile, foundation partly showing
Wool pile, cotton warp, cotton weft