Saturday, October 16, 2010

Bakhtiari flatweave purse





















Another gem - a tiny flatweave purse with birth motifs, woven with obvious care and affection. According to the dealer in Spain from whom I bought it, the piece is Bakhtiari - an attribution that certainly seems likely. 4.5" by 6".

Qashqa'i purse


















A perfect little Qashqa'i purse. Good colours, good wool, and a simple design with many subtle variations. A nice back, too. Purchased from a dealer in Switzerland, it measures 8" by 8".

Curious Afshar bag face


















This bag face, which measures 15" by 14", probably comes from a small khorjin. At any rate, it is on the upper side of the size of a chanteh. It feels old to me, and the cotton warps and wefts (some of them light blue) suggest an attribution to the Afshar. I'm including it here to show the way that weavers were sometimes inclined to juxtapose traditional patterns with freeform compositions. Other than the mushka at the top (the inverted triangular shape with finger-like extensions, an amulet to ward off the evil eye) I can't make out what is going on in the field, but it is evocative and mysterious. Purchased on eBay from an American antique dealer.

Afshar wedding bag (?)


















Half of a small double bag, this piece was sold to me by a dealer in England. It is unusual and comparatively finely woven; the white ground in the field and the horsemen carrying torches (see entry on a previous Afshar bag) suggest that it may have been a wedding or celebratory gift. The form of the tree in the middle, with the parrot-like birds, is also uncommonly detailed for a chanteh (compared, for example, with the Qashqa'i 'tree of life' in an earlier posting). It has had much use, and the colours - which are natural, as far as I can make out - have faded in the sun. The back has been strengthened at the top and bottom by strips of leather, and there is a tiny patch over a hole. A metal disc, presumably an amulet or  religious medal, is visible in the right top corner. It measures 12" by 15".