Khamseh rug

Tribal rugs from south Persia often adhere to a style with consistent use of materials and technique. This rug, though, appears to be a hybrid of sorts. Rugs of the Khamseh Confederacy (a group of like weaving groups gathered under a single tribal banner) usually feature brownish or grey warps, while the warps of this example are ivory white. The outer border, too, is one that is more often encountered in Afshar tribal weavings, while the white ground border flanking the field features alternating birds common to Khamseh rugs. Given the extraordinary size, precluding a true tribal function, it is likely a very high quality workshop product with brilliantly saturated dyes and a visually dramatic field design of flowers and flowing tendrils moving across the indigo blue field. An extremely atypical and excellent example.