Signed Late 19th Century Persian Kermanshah Rug, 12'09 X 22'01

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79695 Antique Persian Kermanshah Rug, 12'09 x 22'01.

The Infinite Garden: A Late 19th Century Persian Kermanshah Masterpiece of Elegance

… Read more 79695 Antique Persian Kermanshah Rug, 12'09 x 22'01.

The Infinite Garden: A Late 19th Century Persian Kermanshah Masterpiece of Elegance

This hand knotted wool antique Persian Kermanshah rug from the late 19th century is a captivating expression of Persia’s great garden tradition, conceived on a palatial scale with the intricacy prized by discerning collectors. Its field is organized through an interlocking lattice of repeating compartments, each becoming a private garden within a larger vision of paradise. In Persian artistic philosophy, the formal garden represented an earthly reflection of the celestial realm—a place governed by beauty, harmony, and abundance. Because the lattice appears capable of continuing beyond the carpet’s boundaries, it also evokes infinity and the ordered structure of the universe.

Within this framework, elaborate multi-tiered floral medallions and Shah Abbas palmettes create a mesmerizing succession of botanical jewels. Lotus-derived flowerheads carry ancient associations with rebirth, purity, and cosmic harmony, while smaller blossoms suggest spring, vitality, and nature in perpetual bloom. Several medallions radiate outward through pointed petals and layered contours, recalling the form of a sun or cosmic wheel. Such solar imagery conveys light, enlightenment, good fortune, and the life-giving energy around which the surrounding garden flourishes.

Arabesque vines thread through the exceptional composition with remarkable fluidity, connecting palmettes, buds, leaves, and flowerheads into an uninterrupted network of growth. These Islimi-inspired tendrils speak to the interconnectedness of creation and the endless rhythm of life, while unfurling foliage reinforces ideas of regeneration and prosperity. The density of the ornament creates the sensation of looking into an enchanted Persian garden at full bloom, where geometry disciplines nature without diminishing its exuberance. It is this marriage of mathematical order and botanical fantasy that gives the carpet its distinctive sense of cultivated grandeur.

A sophisticated cartouche border encloses the field, its elongated compartments forming an architectural perimeter around the interior paradise, while floral meander guard borders add successive layers of ornament. Of particular distinction is the signature inscription incorporated into the border, a compelling detail that lends the piece an additional sense of authorship and provenance. With its monumental proportions, complex garden symbolism, and late 19th-century pedigree, this Kermanshah stands as an exquisite work of art—an extraordinary masterpiece of rarity and prestige created to command an important interior.

Signature/Cartouche inscription located in the border.
Distressed. Desirable age wear.
Abrash.
Hand knotted wool.
Measures: 12'09 x 22'01.
Pile Height: 0.13 of an inch.
Date: 1880's. Late 19th Century. See less