Antique Perisan Serapi / Bakshaish Carpet, late nineteenth century - A pattern of monumental star-shaped medallions in soft blue repeats majestically up the center of this incomparably beautiful antique Bakshaish. The central medallion appears in its entirety, while the upper and lower ones are halved. The warm red field is filled with an impressive array of abstract hooked forms and stylized flowers and shrubs. The stylized arabesque border set against an ivory ground is no less impressive than the field in terms of the bold precision of its drawing and its adroit use of color. Bakshaish carpets are exceptional as a group generally, but even among its own kind, this carpet is virtually without peer. |
