WINDOW LEFT

#36704 – Agra – 8.8 x 11.7 – northern Afghan

The enchanting “Agra”carpet displayed in the left hand window measures 8.8 x 11.7. The design is inspired by an original Mughal carpet from Agra in northern India.   This recreation was hand-knotted in northern Afghanistan by ethnic Turkmen and Hazara people using handspun vegetally dyed, Ghazni wool.  Achieving this level of beauty is very labor intensive.  After the weaving, this carpet  went through an extreme finishing process including a heavy soap and water wash, followed by a deep shearing, then a beating/dusting, and finally an “antiquing” stage .  The entire process is repeated until the carpet has the right look.  For the finer weaves in this collection, it can take close to a year to make a 9 x 12.  That employs four weavers and a handful of finishers.

Truly enjoying a work of art involves getting up close and investigating details, then stepping back and watching the effect of the whole piece coming together.  The soft blue and yellow flowers are dancing in a field of natural, undyed white wool.  The artist wisely chose just the right amount of blue to add “pop”.  Notice how the charming, small blue dots surround and accent the lotus leaf.

Take note of the leaves, tulips, and other elements with and without outlines.  The ones with the outlines add a nice detail to the piece.  The elements without the outline add a lovely shadowing effect.  The more you examine this delightful piece, the more you appreciate the beauty and thought that went into creating this work of art.

WINDOW RIGHT

#34413 – Heriz – 8.6 x 11.6 – Persia

Displayed in the right hand window is an exceptional Persian Heriz ca. 1925, measuring 8.6 x 11.6.   It was hand-knotted in northwest Persia by Azeri women, using vegetally dyed, handspun local mountain sheep wool.  It is extremely rare to find a Heriz with such a cornucopia of colors: teal, khaki green, forest green, rusty red, sky blue, coral, navy, rose, etc.

This Heriz includes traditional design elements, a lovely medallion (representing a window to heaven), and an array of  stylized floral patterns which are reminiscent of earlier tribal rugs with primitive designs that tend to be geometric in shape rather than the later curvilinear ones.

Watch how the khaki green repeats itself throughout the Heriz, beginning at the border and ending inside the medallion, handsomely grounding the carpet.  The main border is loaded with detail and bursting with color!  A touch of whimsy is found in the colorful geometric flowers and in the striped stems contained inside the leaves.  The vibrant tribal medallion intrigues the eye with it’s bold, playful design.

Producing a masterpiece requires time, skill, attention to detail and an understanding of beauty.  The “Agra”   and the Heriz ca. 1925 , like all Kebabian masterpieces, have a beauty that will endure and delight their owners for decades!