Antique Persian Kerman rug, late nineteenth century, designed by Master Kermani Various nineteenth century Persian carpets, have from time to time been modeled on the ruined reliefs of the great palace built by the ancient Achaemenid Persian kings Darius I and Xerxes at Persepolis in the early fifth century B.C. But no other rug of this kind can compare with the range and monumentality of this splendid example, woven under the supervision of the great master Kermani. He combines reliefs from all over the site as well as views of the architecture, the great stairways, and even the nearby tomb of Darius. The border is based on scenes from later rock reliefs of the Sassanian Persian kings. Kermani has combined them into one great decorative homage to ancient Persian history and kingship in keeping with the taste and revivalist aspirations of the Qajar dynasty for whom Kermani worked. |
