SAUJBULAG 394 x 193 cm (12ft. 11in. x 6ft. 4in.) Persia, 18th century Published: "Antique Rugs of Kurdistan" - James D. Burns, 2002, Nr. 42 Condition: good, low pile, both ends repaired, several repairs and reweaves Warp: wool, weft: wool, pile: wool.

This iconic carpet is one of the best representations of the role that Kurdish weaving workshops played in western Persia in translating designs from the famous classical Safavid carpet designs into smaller carpets in the 18th and 19th centuries, providing a period of transition in the rug weaving industry in a period of political and cultural turmoil. Rug production in 18th century Iran is a subject that is undergoing new research, and this is making it clear that how significant Kurdish rug weaving workshops were in maintaining quality and innovating in terms of design. The border designs seen here are exactly the same as some of the 17th century so-called Vase carpets made in Kerman, as are the ascending palmettes in a loose lattice. In fact the field and border designs contains design elements that recur so often in Vase carpets that all of them could be shown by hosing just one or two 17th century Vase carpets. As James Burns indicates in his book Antique Rugs of Kurdistan (London, 2002) this exceptional carpet exhibits the defining characteristics of rug from the Sauj Bulag region in west Persia: red wool wefts and a corrosive red dye that was used as the background colour of the field.