unusual BakhtiariThe Bakhtiari tribe inhabit the mountainous area of central Iran, west of Isfahan. The carpets produced by these nomadic people fall into two categories: tribal or workshop. Tribal pieces are ornate and coarsely knotted with a wool base and contain traditional tribal motifs. Workshop rugs are distinguished by the fact that they have cotton foundations, colourful floral designs and are created in workshops of various sizes in the hundreds of villages of the Chahar Mahal valley inhabited by the Bakhtiari.
The so–called ‘Garden’ or ‘Garden Tile’ pattern of geometric palettes containing different motifs arranged all over the field are associated with workshop Bakhtiars and rugs with central medallions of ornate shape with motifs of trees and flowers are also common. Vegetable dyes are often used in the colouration and they are woven in the Turkish knot.
This one-of-a-kind modern Bakhtiar has a unique field arrangement of stylized geometric motifs bearing a loose resemblance to tribal masks with hooks and lozenges set into delineated hexagonal panels with perfect symmetry. The vivid colour palette is achieved through the use of natural dyes, which serve to enliven the striking yet naive composition as sea-foam green grounds compliment bolder tones of salmon and navy blue and anchor softer shades of teal, coral and gold. The bordering contains an expressionistic floral arrangement set against midnight blue with a two-headed animal motif that serves almost as a signature at the apex. The three dimensional quality of the design is further enhanced by the rich natural luster to the highland wool pile, I see it as a piece of art as much as a floor covering, imagine how much heart and soul would go into a painting that took six months to complete and the natural dyes echo that as much as the wildly creative composition. The size is 5' x 7'
