Isfahan

Since Shah Abbas the Great made Isfahan the capital of the Safavid Persian Empire in the late 16th Century, and established his Court looms in the city, the carpets of Isfahan have been acknowledged as among the most precious of all Persian knotted masterworks, a reputation further enhanced by the extraordinarily fine silk-based Isfahan art rugs and carpets first created under the patronage of the Pahlavi Shahs, and exemplified definitively in this truly exceptional classic specimen. Against a lovely pale honey-cream ground, a star-like medallion of astonishing filigree complexity possesses that majestic opulence for which the high Isfahan style is without compare. Scattered over the surrounding field is a cohesive plethora of graceful floral and foliate forms from the regal lineage of the Shah Abbas style, subtly mediated by a balanced scheme of border stripes in which stately palemette repeats and flowing vine-meanders are etched with the pencil-like delicacy only a weave of such superb quality permits, with its crucial foundation of gossamer handspun Caspian silk. An Isfahan of outstanding artistic and technical achievement, representing one of the most coveted of all Persian master workshop categories.