Embellished with threads in precious metals, antique Polonaise carpets are among the most elegant and lavish of the court productions made under the Safavid dynasty in Iran during the seventeenth century. Large numbers of such carpets were exported to Poland where they were highly prized by the aristocracy at a time of enormous political power and wealth. Some were even custom made with the heraldic devices of specific Polish noble families. All this led to the erroneous opinion that these carpets were actually made in Poland, which is nowadays discredited. Their soft golden coloration, supremely delicate drawing, and additional detail in gold and silver make the Polonaise carpet a masterpiece of bygone grandeur that is still usable as a decorative carpet today.