An Azerbaijan gallery carpet, late 18th century

This majestic example of a Harshang design gallery carpet is woven on a grand scale with a wonderfully varied palette, commensurate with the classical seventeeth century Central Persian carpets from which it derives.

The distinctive Harshang design developed from the 'in-and-out palmette' design of seventeenth century Central Persian carpets, comprising blossom palmettes with vertical and horizontal orientation and secondary design of dense smaller blossoms and vine trellis. It was used through the eighteenth century and into the nineteenth century, found from Kurdistan and Northwest Persia across to Eastern Persia, and in the Caucasus. For a discussion of four late eighteenth century and early nineteenth century contrasting appearances of this design, see Bensoussan, 1980, pp.207-9.

A gallery carpet of closely comparable design was sold in these rooms, 27 November 2019, lot 32, and another with very similar main field design, and border with cartouche and star medallions, attributed to Northwest Iran or Caucasus, (670 by 244cm) is in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York (acc. no.68-219, McMullan, 1965, no.27, pp.112-9). A further example was sold at Christie’s, London, 23 April 2013, lot 12.