New Products - Jehan Gallery - Persian rugs

Jehan Gallery - Persian rugs

Saying that Iran has a rug tradition is a little like saying that Italy has a pasta legacy. But just as one fettuccini is superb while another is merely adequate, all Persian rugs are not created equal. For museum-worthy examples, Jehan Gallery's fifth-generation owner, Nasser Nishaburi, is simultaneously a curator and a purveyor, overseeing an inventory that mixes new, vintage, and antique.

Epitomizing the Bakhtiar tradition of what is now central Iran, an 80-year-old rug depicts a surprisingly accurate world map, framed by astrological signs and cartouches incorporating a Farsi poem that speaks of happiness, youth, and spring. In a finely woven example produced in Kashan in the early 20th century, the keyhole enclosure around the mythical tree of life suggests a view through the door of Paradise.

Afsari, a famous female weaver who lived in Kashan in the late 19th century, made a rug that tells the tale of a patriotic archer who gave his life to establish Persia's border against enemy forces. A paisley rug bordered by verse dedicated to the making of love, wine, and merriment—woven at 1,100 knots per inch—was a gift for a shah's daughter. A more humorous love rug, from Tabriz in the 1960's, is based on the legend of Shirin and Farhad, a princess and the suitor who manages to carry both her and her horse. 26 Dempsey Road, Suite 01-01/02, Singapore 249686; 65-6334-43-33; jehan.com.