Later this year, Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA), will exhibit the famous Ardabil Carpet for a short period of time, in November 2009.
There are two magnificent Persian carpets called the Ardabil Carpets. Their exact origins remain unknown. They are said to have come from a complex of shrines and mosques at Ardabil in North West Iran, the burial place of Shaikh Safi al-Din Ardabily, ancestor of Shah Ismail, founder of the Safavid dynasty. This dynasty ruled Iran from 1501 to 1733. At one end of the Ardabil carpet, a cartouche contains an inscription which dates to 1539/40 AD.
One Ardabil Carpet is in Victoria & Albert Museum in London. The other piece is in Los Angeles County Museum of Art, LACMA.
Here is some preliminary information on the piece which is in Victoria & Albert Museum in London :
Size: 17′ 6″ x 34′ 6″ or 5.34 x 10.51 meter
Weft: Un-dyed silk (beige) 3 paired shoots after each row of knots
Warp: Un-dyed silk (beige) 35 threads per square inch
Knot: asymmetrical (Senneh or Farsi); 340 per square. inch
Pile: wool, 10 colors: white, black, green, yellow, three shades of blue, and three shades of red
Purchased in sum of £2000 in March 1893
Unknown to the Victoria & Albert Museum at the time, there was a more finely knotted second Ardabil carpet, which is now in the Los Angeles County Museum of Art. This carpet has lost its borders and part of its central field; a portion of the missing areas are used to repair the carpet owned by the V&A.
The size of the Ardabil Carpet kept at LACMA is 13′ 2″ x 23′ 7″ or 4.00 x 7.18 meter.
I will write more on this exciting and one of a kind event later.
Khosrow Sobhe
Certified Rug Specialist (CRS)
www.rugidea.com
310-770-9085
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