Herat ( so-called Ispahan) rug from eastern Persia.
On a purplish-red field an all-over pattern in blue and green of large and small palmettes connected by vines and serrated leaves. Three border stripes, the main one repeating the palmette and vine pattern on a dark blue field.
Sehna knot - about 168 to the square inch. Edges overcast.
Herat, an old Persian city now situated in Afghanistan, was in Shah Abbas' time (1586-1628) the center of learning and culkture. In the rugs we notice an extreme of refinement in color, but since the city has become part of Afghanistan there is a "certain wild grandeur" corresponding to the Afghan character woven into their work. Herati rugs are closely woven of fine wool and good dyes.