A TUDESH NAIN CARPET, central Persia, mid 20th century.

Under the Pahlavi emperors, the central Persian city of Nain became one of the great weaving centers of Persia. Nain carpets are justifiably admired for their superb technical quality, outstanding draughtsman ship and distinctive palette. This example has a dark blue ground on which is arranged an extraordinary complex system of floral arabesques, each flower head drawn in minute detail and beautifully coloured. The field is perfectly balanced by the beige main border, which contains a stylized palmetto meander and is flanked by two cream and blue ground guards containing floral repeats. This carpet is a very attractive example of one of the major groups of 20th century Persian carpets.