EARLY PERSIAN CARPETS-THE SCHOOL OF SHAH ABBAS

EARLY PERSIAN CARPETS FROM THE SCHOOL OF SHAH ABBAS

There was a short interval of minor rulers after the death of Shah Tahmasp; finally a truly remarkable sovereign appeared, known as Shah Abbas the Great.

He moved his capital to Isfahan in 1598 largely rebuilding the old city. His great mosque at the Maidan-i Shah, the mosque of Shaykh Lutfullah opposite the Ala Qapi, part of the Shah's palace, the bridges over the Zilldeh Rudh and the great avenue of Chahar Bagh all testify to the magnificent achievement in art and architecture of this period, which lead to the expression: "Isfahan is half the world"

But architecture and architectural decoration did not take all of his time. Under his patronage a great school of painting flourished, and magnificent rugs were woven on the court looms for the royal palace and other new buildings of the capital.

The first and most famous type is the Vase Carpet, of progressive floral design which springs from a vase and similar rugs use the floral trellis only. A sumptuous group with silk pile, the so-called "Polonaise," used for export and to some extent as royal gifts were woven in both pile and tapestry (Kilim) techniques. The most comprehensive collection of such rugs is today in the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York (John D. Rockefeller, Jr. Collection). They feature both floral and animal patterns, but are much simpler in composition than their predecessors of Shah Tahmasp's time. The third group attributed to Shah Abbas is quite rare, and not too well known. It is an arabesque type, represented today almost entirely by fragments. Never has such bold interlacing appeared in rug design before or since. An all over pattern of large palmettes proved so popular that it was copied extensively, and persisted in the Caucasus well into the 19th century. It is popularly known as the "Shah Abbas Design."

Although probably not originating from the court school in Isfahan, but created in a North Persian center are a number of types that have also first been made during the reign of Shah Abbas. These are the so-called Tree and Garden Carpets.