|
Isfahan (Isphahan, Esphahan)
The beautiful city of Isfahan, Persia’s capital from the late 16th Century to early 18th Century, was the center of flourishing carpet industry, which supplied the Safavid court. This era is widely regarded as the golden age of the Persian Carpet, and most museums hope to carry in their collections samples of these splendid carpets. Like in other city weaving centers, carpet production was minimized during the 18th and early 19th Century, with some production increasing late 19th Century. It was not till 1910 that large scale workshop weaving was introduced to the city by weavers brought in from Kashan. These skilled weavers rapidly reestablished the city’s reputation.
At the beginning of this revival the industry depended on home weavers but later on they were supplemented by workers in small factories. All production was based on more sophisticated traditional designs, often influenced by old master miniature paintings, on a high count weaving method. During the 1940s, the Serafian family has set new standards of excellence in modern Persian carpet weaving. Most Serafian rugs have a short silk kilim strip at either end, on which applied signature panel is woven.
|
