Kāshān Carpet

Kāshān carpet, floor covering of wool or silk handwoven in or near the Iranian city of Kāshān, long known for its excellent textiles.

Three classes of all-silk carpets of the Ṣafavid period (16th century) are credited to Kāshān. The first includes three large extant carpets with medallion systems and varied hunting scenes that appear between centerpiece and corners. The two best-known of these are counted among the world’s finest carpets. The second class is represented by more than a dozen small carpets with silken pile and prominent red coloration. Most have medallion designs; four have rows of isolated animal figures or animals in combat. Members of the third class are not pile carpets but rather silken kilims, in tapestry weave of exceptional delicacy, frequently with bits of metal enhancing certain colours to provide sparkle. The designs of several include human or angelic figures. It is thought that a number of silk Polonaise carpets were also made in 17th-century Kāshān.

From the 17th through the 19th century, nothing is known of Kāshān carpets, but with the dawn of the 20th century there arose a large commercial production of pile carpets in both wool and silk. These new carpets rank among the best Persian products, with some of the most sophisticated designs, consisting of sleek medallions, curving, blossom-laden vine work, and repeats of vases with flowers. With Kermān and Tabrīz, Kāshān has been the principal source for the collector of special pieces—personage rugs, symbolic rugs, and ornate prayer rugs—otherwise unusual in Iran. Kāshān carpets are asymmetrically knotted on silk or cotton foundations, depending upon the fibre of the pile. Most of the dye in recent carpets has been synthetic.