Ferahan Sarouk, 1880
Ferahan Sarouk, 1880 GLORIOUS FLOWERS
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From a German collector
Ferahan Sarouk carpets produced around the wider Arak (formerly Sultanabad) area from about 1850-1910 earned a deserved reputation as amongst the most desirable and imaginative finely woven carpets in Persia. As these things go, they morphed in style around 1910- 1920 into the differently woven Mahajirhan Sarouk fashion (quality examples of which are also in demand) and then disappeared entirely.
Their desirability rests not only on fine weaving, and excellent wool. Many of the better examples were commissioned by aristocrats or wealthy merchants who encouraged creativity, in an actively competitive way; rugs during this period, as before, were direct illustrations of an individual’s wealth, power and prestige.
Beyond this lay a more fundamental and seemingly contradictory set of motivations by the weavers. At one and the same time they sought to emulate the great court carpets in finesse and design. And yet-- they applied rustic or village, and even tribal elements and nuances to their designs. The result was a cavalcade of creativity.
So, a village-based genre came into being which produced primarily an approx. 6x4 rug size format, and also provided, if more rarely, larger formats, which command increasingly high prices, due to their rarity, visual excitement and grandeur.
The artistic achievement of this “school” had to do with marrying elegance and a degree of formalism with whimsy, and design innovation. They offer a charm and a certain magic beyond that of court and most city carpets.
As in any area or era, there is a quality spectrum ranging from mediocre to highly superior. Superiority is judged of course as to weave and wool quality. It is rather unusual, though, to encounter pieces made before 1890 -which are bona fide Ferahan Sarouks- with poor wool or weaving: standards were upheld during this period, and natural dyes widely employed, particularly in the wider Arak (then Sultanabad) region.
Thus, as an investment collectible to adorn the home we believe the ultimate criterion is aesthetics, this being an art form, after all.
Ferahan Sarouks have been a special area of interest for us over the decades both from artistic and investment perspectives.
Allowing for personal taste, our suggestions are few and simple. A Ferahan Sarouk ought to display a wide colour palette, fine drawing and delicate, sometimes “intense” detail. The finest pieces also display an elevated sense of balance in the use of space.
We have seen many finely woven pieces which in our view are garish and lack one of the two key artistic elements intrinsic to the better examples of this genre – elegance. Sometimes they are overly cluttered; the drawing artistry is muddled or lost.
In other cases odd and ineffective design devices are used, detracting from or interfering with an otherwise good design. The era of the Ferahan Sarouk was rife with experiment, not all of them successful.
The other important attribute, when it can be found, is original artistic creativity, even serendipity, -- or effective design innovation within the compass of this rug type and the unique standards of its prime period.
On average, we examine between 20-30 antique Ferahan Sarouks to achieve one acquisition, for the benefit of our clients.
With our admitted obsession with Ferahan Sarouks of the highest quality, we were delighted to find this outstanding example recently in a German estate sale.
This piece exhibits numerous attributes which glorify the Ferahan Sarouk genre. First, beautiful, balanced drawing in the overall composition. The corner pieces have innovatively been replaced by flowing vines which are mesmerizing. The artful insertion of colors into the vines, and their abrash coloration corresponding to the medallion reveals a delicacy and attention to detail par excellence .
There is wonderful balance and use of space in this exceptional piece.
Second, the colour palette is wide as seen in the array of flowers which contrast wonderfully against the dark indigo to near black, delicately abrashed medallion, which please observe. The flowers in the field deserve careful attention for the graceful flowing movement and color.
The weaving is very fine – this is one of the older Ferahan Sarouks which has the wonderful –and unique among carpets –“leathery” feel or “handle “as said in the trade, owing to the fineness of the weave , and high knot count .
Excellent condition, no repairs.
A rug of this calibre is an investment piece as well as work of art which will add quiet joy and dignity to any home.
We acquired this well and are able to make it available at below market rate.
25% reduction for a closely limited time
$12,800
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