Many classical Iranian carpets from cities such as Tabriz, Esfahan, Nain, Kashan and Qum use similar designs and layouts. Only the colors and materials used will in part help to distinguish each particular carpet from the other. The general layout for all these carpets usually includes a central medallion, a main field, a main border, guard stripes and sometimes spandrels. This sectional layout is then decorated with curvilinear arabesques, as well as an assortment of other floral details.
The medallion is located in the center of the carpet and may be woven in one of four forms: Round, oval, eight-pointed star, or a drooping diamond. The weavers from Esfahan, Nain, Tabriz and Qum frequently use the first three medallions and very often they display complex designs that are not unlike the intricate tooling found on the covers of the Holy Qur’an. The drooping diamond medallion is a favored design of the Kashan weavers. Another popular central medallion design also used by the above weavers is the gunbaddy (dome) design, which faithfully follows the details of a mosque’s dome. A fine example can be seen in a carpet that gracefully decorates the entire floor of the Sultan Quboos Mosque in Muscat, Oman. The carpet’s central medallion gives the illusion that it is a reflection of the above dome. It is truly a magnificent carpet and is further proof that fine weaving continues to be produced in Iran.
The main field of a carpet is usually rectangular but can also be square or round. It displays both the central medallion and an exquisite curvilinear arabesque designs. These lively, fluid arabesque designs take the forms of intertwining branches that are laden with serrated leaves, profile buds and lotus blossoms interspersed with Shah Abbas palmettes. It is in this area of the carpet where the greater percentage of the weaver’s finest work will be found.
To allow the weaver to create intricate curvilinear work in both the main field and main border areas of the carpet he would have used finely spun silk or cotton warps and wefts.
The use of finely spun warps (fringe ends of the carpet) allows the weaver to produce high knot densities of anything between 500 and 1,000 knots per square inch. The use of thicker warps, as used in some Bijar carpets, reduces the knot density considerably, but not necessarily the overall quality of the carpet.
The main border frames the main field in the same way that a gilded frame surrounds an oil painting. The main border gives the carpet depth, dimension, balance and also encourages the eye to focus on the main field design in the same way that the eye focuses squarely on the oil painting.
Many classic Iranian carpets have for their main border design variants of the Herati pattern, so named after the city of Herat in Afghanistan, formerly part of the Persian empire. The Herati pattern consists of repeating Shah Abbas palmettes, or lotus flowers that are surrounded by four serrated leaves or fish like images. The serrated leaves are joined together with curling stems. Sometimes, small finely detailed flower heads are placed around the palmette and in-between the serrated leaves.
The guard stripes are narrow and run parallel with the main border. There can be from two to six guard stripes flanking both sides of the main border. The guard stripes are often decorated with small rosettes in repeat form and are linked with curling stems and some times small-serrated leaves. The guard stripe designs used in many of the carpets mentioned above are very similar to one another and only differ in the colors that have been used to represent the rosettes.
Some carpets display spandrels that are located at the top and bottom corners of the main field. Each spandrel often, but not always, replicates a quarter part of the carpet’s central medallion design. The carpet weavers from Tabriz, Esfahan, Nain, Kashan and Qum at times use spandrels to decorate their carpets.
There is a wonderful geometric version of these curvilinear carpets from Tabriz that displays the Heriz design. The central medallion, main field and main border design details are all angular. Furthermore, although Iranian carpets are universally recognized for their sweeping curvilinear designs there are many other main field designs used by the Iranian weavers. These include the bakhtiari — paneled garden design, mahi (fish design), boteh (paisley pattern), the shadow of the Sultan design (repeat form of vases that cascade with flowers and are flanked with doves or love birds), hunting scenes and pictorial scenes taken from the poems of famous Persian poets.
Although all of the above-mentioned weavers use similar layouts and designs, it is the weaver’s use of certain colors that can help in distinguishing between them. A standard, popular type of wool Tabriz carpet displays pastel colors such as eggshell blues, pastel reds, yellows, greens, salmon pinks, light browns and ivory. A more expensive wool and silk Tabriz carpet called a Banam, usually displays a combination of salmon pinks and soft purples for the main field along with colored arabesques and daisies that overflow into the ivory main border. All of these design details are either all silk or heavily outlined with silk. Classic colors include sky blues, royal blues, scarlet reds, dark beige and ivory. Nain’s are renowned for using an abundance of beige with emerald green, port-red or midnight blue main fields. Nain carpet design details are also edged and highlighted with ivory silk. Contemporary Kashan carpets use large amounts of dark blue and vibrant red wool along with illuminated areas of ivory and sky-blue. Silk carpets from Qum sometimes use a striking turquoise that is not seen in other Iranian carpets. Many Qum weavers will however use a kaleidoscope of colors to display their work.
The different colors used for illuminating carpet designs can help to some degree to identify them, but it is by no means the only criteria used. Other factors to consider collectively would include the materials used in a carpet such as wool and/or silk for the pile, and the warps and wefts, the type of knot, weaving style, quality of weaving, style of design, and how the carpet radiates to you as an art form from an aesthetical point of view.
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