976. a lively old northwest Persian rug

976. Provenance: Northwest Persia, possibly Kurdish 

Age: circa 1930

Size:168 x 122 cm

Condition: Good

Notes: An unusual and vibrant tribal village rug, featuring a wealth of stylized motifs, flowerheads and birds, and even what may be dragon-like beings in the main field. Great variations in shade (abrush) lend extra vitality and depth to the piece. The main field is a soft brown, but the darker magenta tones on the back of the rug reveal that this dye is the 'fugitive' fuschine, which was introduced the the rug weaving world in around 1870 and was banned several decades later, once they realised the colour faded.