SOLD Antique Persian Kurdish Kilim

Origin: Bijar or Senneh area, Kurdistan Province, Iran. 

Age: Early 1900s, about 100-120 years old.

Design: Design that is very typical of Kurdish kilims of this region. A beautiful abstracted floral medallion design loosely based on the French rose design, also called gole-farang. The blue field of the medallion is less common, and this is the only example I have seen that depicts fish. Given the fineness of the weave, it resembles a Senneh kilim, though Bijar kilims are also very similar and either are a possibility, as is another village within this region.

Colors: Huge range of entirely natural, small batch dyes. Shades of red from deeply saturated to pink to rust red, light and dark blues, yellows, greens, red brown, light and dark brown, and natural ivory. Some scholars have theorised that higher levels of arsenic that occur naturally in the groundwater in this region contributes to excellent colorfastness of dyes and unique shades of red. Reds are from madder root, pink is sometimes made from fermenting madder root and yoghurt, blue from indigo, yellow from vine leaves, onion skins or dyers weld, green from overdying blue and yellow, and brown from walnut husk or natural brown wool.

Foundation: Hand spun cotton warp and wool wefts.

Size: Approximately 4x5.

Condition: Excellent condition with no holes, slight loss to outer border guard at either end.