This monumental carpet was probably woven in Isfahan during the seventeenth century, either for export or for the domestic market in Iran. The design is a densely packed trellis formation of dramatic large flowers (lotus, prunus and more) and feathery leaves, on scrolling black stems. These busy scrolling stems nonetheless follow a symmetrical organisation, folding across a central vertical axis. Placed at intervals, ring-like clasps hold the scrollwork within this ordered layout. The flowers and leaves are in different blues, pinks, oranges and creams, set against a dark wine-red field. The black outlines and stems have receded, as the iron in the black dye has corroded back the woollen pile, creating an (unintended) relief effect, and revealing the foundation threads behind. Hidden within the design are small birds, which is unusual for this carpet group.
Also nicknamed “Shah Abbas” and “Isfahani”, many examples of this carpet group survive today, and they are also largely in evidence in European painting, particularly that of the Dutch Golden Age, throughout the seventeenth century. Isfahan was then the capital of Safavid Iran, when the city attracted international merchants for the raw silk trade.