What Iran Knows - The History of Persian Carpets

Iran is the birthplace of the art of rug weaving. Behind each exquisitely patterned and brightly colored carpet, it takes several skilled workers and years to weave it. High-quality Persian rugs are usually made of pure wool and silk. They are dyed with natural pigments extracted from wild plants or even insects. The thousand-year-old dyeing techniques and unique weaving techniques ensure a stable color and can last for hundreds of years.

Royal and Persian rugs

As early as two thousand years ago, Persian carpets were the most precious symbol of wealth for local dignitaries. Global wealthy businessmen and celebrities have also been regarded as treasures, such as the British royal family, the White House and other places are the fans of Persian carpets. Nowadays, Persian carpet not only represents the noble and elegant way of life, but also symbolizes the owner's unique investment vision and artistic taste.

▲Royal family

▲Wool silk Tabriz 70 x 104

The rug is based on an oil painting by Wladyslaw Czachorski (1850-1911), which depicts aristocratic life in the 19th century. The artist has made a detailed description of the Persian carpet on the table. It can also be seen that the use of Persian carpet by European aristocrats is diversified, rather than just used as a carpet.

Oil paintings and tapestries

▲Wool silk Tabriz 350x235

This tapestry, originally titled Queen of Sheba Meets King Solomon, is an 1890 oil painting by French artist Edouard John Point (1836-1919). Edward Poynter served as a member of the Royal Academy of Fine Arts in Paris in 1875, his later years as the director of the National Gallery in London, died in London in 1919, and later this work also moved to Australia with the British, now in the New South Wales Museum of Art.

The meeting between the Queen of Sheba and King Solomon is described in detail in the Bible's Book of Kings. The story takes place in 950 BC. King Solomon was a wise king who ruled the lower reaches of the Nile, a "pharaoh of Lower Egypt" and the First Empire of his time. The Queen of Sheba's country is a cross-sea power, ruling the upper reaches of the Nile and the sea, can be understood as the "Queen of Upper Egypt". Therefore, it is an important international meeting based on economic trade and peace and friendship.

Darius and Zoroastrianism

At the height of the Persian Empire, Darius I ruled Egypt, Mesopotamia, and the Eastern Mediterranean. The walls of the first temple, the palace of Persepolis, are filled with reliefs and carvings. The relief of "Darius and Xerxes Giving Audience" on the platform of the reception hall became a typical work of Assyrian art. The scepter and lotus in Darius's hand symbolize royalty, and the lower flower is the "Persian lotus" pattern, which was the symbol of the emperor in ancient Persia.

▲Relief "Darius and Xerxes Greet the Crowd"

▲Lotus design Persian rug diameter 1.5m pure wool silk

Miniature paintings and mosques

Either as a nomadic people or as a result of the influence of Islam, there is no common easel painting in Persia. Instead, there is the traditional painting form, the miniature painting. Originally used as an illustration and cover of the Koran, miniature paintings were gradually applied to badges, boxes, picture frames and even decorative patterns on ivory jewelry. Contemporary Iranian miniatures focus on adornments, flowing lines and colorful colors.