On the fringe of the central desert in Persia, Kashan has a well-deserved reputation for producing extremely fine quality traditional rugs.

During Safavid times Kashan developed a reputation as one of the finest weaving centers of the world.  The city is located at the very heart of the central Persian carpet-making region and has given rise to some of the most famous of all carpets.  The great Ardebil Carpets were most certainly woven there in the sixteenth century.

The small silk carpets of Kashan, as described by Kurt Erdmann in his authoritative work, Seven Hundred years of Oriental Carpets, “are the most important of the 16th century rugs of Persia, form a clearly defined group.”  The heritage and significance of the carpets are legendary.  From the famous Vienna hunting carpet of Baron de Rothschild collection to the animal carpets from the Warsaw castle, to the Altman collection in the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, this prestigious group of carpets have been treasured by collectors such as the Ford, Rothschild, and Rockefeller families; and prominently exhibited at the world’s most famous museums, including the Rijksmuseum, and the Louvre.

This particular rug, although of relatively recent vintage, shows its design lineage off well.  The soft color tones were achieved with the help of a chemical wash the rug received well after its completion.