Fine Royal Isfahan Carpet, Iran, Circa 1965

Very fine Isfahan Royal carpet, woven in Iran around 1965, signed "Isfahan Royal". It is one of the first Isfahan created before the imperial coronation of Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, the last sovereign who reigned from 1941 to 1979. This carpet, in very good general condition, has a beautiful polychromy and a weaving density of approximately 10,000 knots per dm². The piece is made of quality silky lamb's wool velvet, with silk inlays on entirely silk foundations (warps, weft and fringes). The ivory field is decorated with a royal hunting scene, where five horsemen and hunters surround animals, including a lion, in the middle of richly flowered plants and shrubs. The originality of this carpet lies in the rare and delicate presence of two birds of prey at the top, a pair of red kites, a colorful species of the kestrel family. The carpet is bordered by three friezes, the main one, beige in color, is decorated with polychrome animal motifs, surrounded by multi-colored plants and flowers. The terminal border has a cartouche signed "Iran - Ispahan Royal". Dimensions: 197 x 129 cm