'Rothschild' Carpet

Some of the finest examples of Iranian carpets date to 16th and the 17th century CE, when Iran was under the control of the Safavids and carpet production received generous support from the imperial house. In particular, at the turn of the 17th century CE, carpet weaving and knotting workshops were established in the capital city of Isfahan by order of Shah Abbas I (r. 996-1038 AH/1588- 1629 CE). Due to its structural and stylistic characteristics, this carpet has been attributed to the workshops active in Isfahan around the first half of the 17th century CE. The finely knotted woollen pile on a silk and cotton foundation, the rich and glossy red ground, and a colourful and dense decoration of stylised floral and vegetal motifs placed according to an "in-and-out" pattern, hence its name, are recurring features in carpets produced in Isfahan between the 16th and the 17th centuries CE. The large dimension and the use of high-quality and delicate material such as silk indicate that this carpet was mostly probably destined for the elite market.

The royal carpet production in Isfahan was part of a larger plan envisioned by Shah Abbas I to strengthen Iran's national economy and thus answered both internal and external demand for luxury commodities. Carpets were produced not only for the use of the court but also to be donated to mosques and shrines, They were also presented as diplomatic gifts, imported to Europe and East Asia by European merchants, and largely traded by agents of the English and the Dutch East India Companies from the first decade of the 17th century CE onwards. Through these channels, beautiful Safavid knotted carpets entered the collections of numerous European royal and aristocratic households and survived until the present day.