Small Holbein pattern: Persian or Anatolian?

Filiberto Boncompagni · August 10th, 2012, 05:10 PM

Nice investigative job, Pierre.

I don’t know the provenance of the Small Holbein pattern, but you have found an important fact: the Il-Khanid miniatures of Fig 2 demonstrate that it existed already in the region of Tabriz between 1330 and 1375. So, for a possible origin, I would start from there. And that is before the Timurids isn’t it? (1)

The subsequent Timurid miniatures confirm that the SH pattern – always together with a kufic border - was still in use a century later. I rather doubt that Timurids bought their carpets from Anatolia, so isn’t preposterous to presume that they should have been woven in Timurid territory. From there the pattern must have been exported to other weaving nations, such as Ottomans and Moorish Spain.
Regards,

Filiberto
(1) - Mrs Eleanor Simms, objection « The validity of using pictorial art as a source of evidence for textiles that no longer survive is,..., questionable at best » cannot apply here: those are SH rugs. Unless the miniaturists had the gift of divination and were depicting future rugs, that is.

August 10th, 2012, 05:10 PM	#2
Filiberto Boncompagni Administrator Join Date: May 2008 Location: Cyprus Posts: 194	Nice investigative job, Pierre. I don’t know the provenance of the Small Holbein pattern, but you have found an important fact: the Il-Khanid miniatures of Fig 2 demonstrate that it existed already in the region of Tabriz between 1330 and 1375. So, for a possible origin, I would start from there. And that is before the Timurids isn’t it? (1) The subsequent Timurid miniatures confirm that the SH pattern – always together with a kufic border - was still in use a century later. I rather doubt that Timurids bought their carpets from Anatolia, so isn’t preposterous to presume that they should have been woven in Timurid territory. From there the pattern must have been exported to other weaving nations, such as Ottomans and Moorish Spain. Regards, Filiberto (1) - Mrs Eleanor Simms, objection « The validity of using pictorial art as a source of evidence for textiles that no longer survive is,..., questionable at best » cannot apply here: those are SH rugs. Unless the miniaturists had the gift of divination and were depicting future rugs, that is.