Esfahan Classic

Esfahan is one of the most historic weaving centres of Iran, sitting in the centre of the great fertile western belt that stretches from Tehran in the north through Kashan, Esfahan and down to Shiraz, the capital of Fars, in the south. The Safavid Shah moved his capital from the city of Qazvin in the north west to Esfahan in the late-16th century and there it remained (except for brief intervals in the 18th century when Mashad and Shiraz were briefly appointed) until the Qajars moved the capital once again, and finally, to Tehran in the early-19th century. Thus historically, Esfahan occupies in Persian political and cultural history a place similar to that of St. Petersburg in Russia; it is, undoubtedly, the cultural capital of Iran and arguably its most beautiful city – indeed its great central square with the Skeikh Luftallah and Shah mosques, the two great multi-arched bridges and other wonderful buildings. Such as the historic Friday mosque and the Chihil Situn Palace make this one of the greatest cities of the Islamic world.

Carpets have been woven in Esfahan at least since the establishments of royal workshops under Shah Abbas in the 1590s. Two groups associated with the golden age of Safavid art include the silk “Polonaise” carpets and the great predominantly red ground floral carpets; the latter often called “Indo-Persian” or “Indo-Esfahan” in the early to mid part of the 20th century, despite the fact that 19th century collectors had no doubts as to their Esfahan origin. As with many of the leading Persian weaving cities, things become a bit hazy from the end of the 17th century to the end of the 19th and, within the context of the revival of Persian weaving at the latter time, there are few rugs that can be attributed to Esfahan before the 1920s (unlike Tabriz, Kashan and Kerma, which were at the forefront of the weaving revival). The great period of Esfahan weaving began in the 1930s and continued after the Second World War with the establishment of some of the greatest ustadan of the 20th century, including Sirafian, Mahmoury and Hekmatnejad. These rugs are all distinguished by their quality of weave and the elegance of their designs. They are all asymmetrically knotted on either cotton or, with the finest pieces, silk. Although the designs vary considerably, that of a complex shamsa medallion with sixteen lobes surrounded by floral arabesques of complex delicacy is perhaps most characteristic of the Esfahan style.