667. a ministerial antique Zanjan Persian rug

667. Provenance: Zanjan, northwest Persia

Size: 197 x 130 cm

Age: Circa 1920

Condition: Mostly good, with all-over evenly low pile. Minor losses at one end, and some one corner wear.

Notes: Most of the weavers in this area of northwest Persia are Shia Azeris who fled the Caucasus after their defeat at the hands of Russian Imperial forces in the early to mid nineteenth century. Zanjan rugs bear many similarities with those of nearby settlements such as Hamadan and Bijar but tend to have this single, dominant pointed medallion. The colours in this piece are gorgeous natural dyes - especially lovely is the pale, almost duckegg blue in the medallion itself and elsewhere.