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.
Credit
The Huntington Library, Art Museum, and Botanical Gardens
