Item Ref
BM/CB2
This is a truly fabulous and very rare 'masnad' (seating-rug), made by Afshar nomads during the middle of the nineteenth century in the Bardsir region of Kerman Province, south Persia.
The 'masnad' was specifically made in a small, square size for the Khan or visiting dignitaries to sit on whilst giving an audience to the principal leaders amongst the tribe. The masnad was therefore a very special and highly prized rug, never intended for sale.
The design in this little masnad is rare. It probably depicts either a highly stylised lotus blossom or an open-winged eagle, amid vegetal patterns and embellished with stylised 'tree-of-life'.
See a similar example of the type in Parviz Tanavoli's 'Afshar - Tribal Weaves from South East Iran'.
Size: 1.20m x 1.09m (4' 0" x 3' 7").
SOLD