A Safavid Dynasty, Imperial Court Carpet, Classic Persian design from the 17th century. The very finest handspun natural Himalayan silk inscribed all over animal, palmette & cloudband field design, inscribed inner border.

A palatial pure silk carpet of majestic beauty and supreme craftsmanship, in the exotically beautiful design of the great-inscribed floral and animal carpet from the Rockefeller collection of America, the pair of which, known as ‘The Emperor’s Carpet’ is now in the Museum fur Angewandte Kunst, Vienna. Both works are widely considered among the greatest of all known Oriental carpets.
Here, this regal composition is executed in flawless detail and total accuracy, the sweeping soft coral-ground field covered with a spectacular all over scheme of animal combat groups, single wild animals, magnificent large palmettes of wonderful inner detail, delicately wispy coludband forms and a multitude of smaller floral motifs, producing a unified picture of unalloyed grandeur in the wholly authentic manner of the 16th Century carpets made to the direct commission of the Persian Safavid Emperors. This princely field is enclosed in a broad indigo main border of equal virtuosity and ornate brilliance, comprising a multi-layered pattern of interlacing and scrolling vine tendrils linking large stylized leaf forms and exquisite rosettes, the dazzling complexity of the design mediated by the marvellous elegance of its execution. The balance established between the two major elements of border and field is among the most enduring accomplishments of this master carpet, perfectly capturing the effect created by the Rockefeller carpet to which it is so closely and intentionally related. In the inner border, a series of slender cartouche panels contain inscriptions in praise of imperial power and aesthetic beauty, such sentiments echoing the emotional impression exerted by the carpet as a whole. The calligraphy of the inscriptions is especially graceful and they are superimposed upon a background of myriad delicate floral forms
Extremely finely knotted in the most precious natural silk, this important work is a testimony to the increasingly unrivalled artistic and technical standing of the designers and weavers of Srinagar within the entire field of Oriental carpet art.