Ardebil Carpet Excerpt from “Rugs and Carpets from the Orient”

An acquaintance dropped by the rug store the other day and brought three treasures he decided to leave with us. They are three monographs or small books, published between 1905 and 1923. Two were titled “Rugs and Carpets from the Orient” and the other was titled “A Handbook of Oriental Rugs” I was able to locate one of the monographs on the website handweaving.net. It was published The H. B. Claflin Co., New York and given with compliments to their customers. The old photographs are a wonderful depiction of the carpet weaving world in the early 20 century. I thoroughly enjoyed reading these booklets and thought I would share an excerpt from “Rugs and Carpets of the Orient.” Please see more information on the website where you can find a downloadable pdf of this monograph.

“The world’s most famous Oriental carpet, still in existence, is the “Ardebil”. A Persian masterpiece made in the year 1539 by the weaver Maksoud for the Ardebil Mosque, in which for many years it was the Mosque carpet. It was acquired a generation ago by the Victoria and Albert Museum in South Kensington, London, where it is now on exhibition. Its purchase prices was $12,500, but in view of the prices paid by collectors of rare Oriental in recent years it is doubtful whether $100,000. would by it today. (Keep in mind this is from 1913)

It represents the labor of the best part of the life of its creator, measures 341/2 ft by 17 ½ ft and contains 33,037,200 hand tied knots, (380 knots per square inch).

The ground is a rich blue and is covered with the most intricate of old Persian floral designs. It has a central medallion in pale yellow with corners to match. There are three border stripes, on wide border with a narrow one on either side of it. The ground of the outer stripe is cream colored and that of the main stripe is a rich brown with round and elongated panels alternation and surrounded by a profusion of floral lines. Within these panels is found in Arabic the following inscription: “I have no refuge in the world other than my threshold; My head has no protection other than this porchway; The work of the slave of the Holy Place, Maksoud of Kashan, in the year 942.”

This date corresponds to A.D. 1539.

It must not be inferred from this unassuming inscription that Maksoud was as insignificant a person as his self-designation would suggest. His work on the “Ardebil Carpet” must have covered not less than thirty consecutive years, and probably much more. No person of even ordinary station, much less a slave, would have been allowed to weave a carpet of such importance. Grandiloquence and humility are, from the view point of language alone, alike very misleading in the East, and Maksoud’s modest rating of his station in life is not true according to our idea of slave hood. The rug is beautiful in color and design, though of course, much faded with age and use.”

by The H.B. Claflin Co. New York 1923