Page 229 - ART OF THE ISLAMIC AND INDIAN WORLDS Carpets, Ceramics Objects, Christie's London Oct..27, 2022

PROPERTY OF THE LATE OLIVER HOARE
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A SILK SAMARKAND FIGURAL POLYPTYCH and appear to be in a similarly well preserved condition. The date is particularly bodices while the image of The Mongolian Leading the Tiger, is seen as an ancient traditional story-tellers, travelled to the towns and villages reciting the great
EAST TURKESTAN, PROBABLY DATED 1910 confusing as it can be read as either 1210 or 1910. If it were the Islamic date symbol of good-luck and was often used to decorate the doorways of those in epics and stories in their repertoire. It is to this tradition that the subject-matter
Of pictorial design with four panels depicting a man and a range of animals, AH 1210/1795 AD, it does not explain why it would be written in Western power and authority, (Mimi Lipton, The Tiger Rugs of Tibet, London, 1988, pp.10- of this carpet could belong, illustrating one of the age-old Central Asian stories
with silk warps, the date probably reading 1910 inscribed in the border, in numerals. Armenian numerals are similarly written however they would reflect 11). The so-called ‘saf’ arrangement of multiple arches usually bears a religious with the hand gesture of the man suggesting that he is the story-teller. On
overall very good condition the Christian calendar. Interestingly the example in Tehran had reputedly significance representing the mihrab for prayer, and carpets with this arrangement one level, stories were recited as public entertainment; on another, they were
13ft.10in. x 5ft.4in. (421cm. x 162cm.) belonged to several generations of Armenian émigrés before it travelled to Iran. were typically woven for mosques or other religious buildings. The undulating credited with encapsulating a deep tradition of wisdom. Such a story is The
Despite being relatively well informed of their provenance, the overall meaning outline that strings the four panels together however seems less architectural but Man, the Snake and the Stone, of which this may well represent a variation (see:
£25,000-35,000 US$29,000-40,000
of the pictorial depictions remains something of an enigma. more mountainous in its appearance and therefore quite possibly was used in a Idries Shah, Caravan of Dreams, Octagon Press, 1988.)
€29,000-40,000
more secular surrounding. There are many more less familiar features in the design
Although the present carpet is woven on a silk warp structure the weave remains however, which would include the paired inverted snakes within the border and the The other mysterious image is that of the sheep, or possibly a cow, which
LITERATURE:
HALI, Issue 184, pp.66-67 relatively coarse which is quite typical of carpets woven in the oases town of male military figure and the heavily pregnant animal. appears to be heavily pregnant. Tanavoli suggests that perhaps the figure
Samarkand in East Turkestan, as is the rich palette of wine reds, blues and yellows. represents a wealthy man of some authority while the sheep represents his
Although one would assume that this extraordinary carpet as unique, we are Other familiar features that are found in the weavings of this region are the 'Greek The costume of the man resembles that of a Russian or Armenian officer valuable flock and the flanking images of the dragon and the tiger are there
aware of two other examples displaying this highly unusual design. Parviz Key' inner minor stripe that frames each of the four pictorial panels and the fruiting wearing boots typical of those worn in the Russian army in the late 19th century, to reinforce his strength and power. Alternatively, he suggests that they
Tanavoli discusses at length one in a private collection in Tehran but appears pomegranate trees that are so frequently used with their rich iconography of virility while the soft red hat is similar of those worn by Armenians in the Caucasus. could simply represent a series of astrological signs that signify his birth,
to be unaware at the time of the existence of the other two, (HALI, Issue 40, and life. The depiction of the dragon and the tiger, albeit rather comical here, are The vast area stretching from Eastern Turkestan where these carpets were profession and wealth. While we can offer no definitive answer to the overall
pp.14-15); the second sold in these Rooms, 24 October 2019, lot 262. That often depicted in Chinese and Tibetan art and are perceived as highly auspicious woven, to the Caucasus where the man’s costume probably belongs, is, meaning of this carpet, Tanavoli’s suggestion, that all three carpets were a
carpet had recently surfaced in Spain where it had been part of a private characters, rich in iconography. In the 7th century, during the reign of the first King culturally speaking, relatively homogenous. Along with music and carpet- bespoke commission from a wealthy Armenian Christian who travelled east
collection in Madrid for some years. All three bear the same date and design of Tibet, Songsen Gampo, officials sat on tiger skins and wore tiger embroidered weaving, the main cultural expression has always been story-telling. The Ashiks, along the trading Silk Route to East Turkestan, seems plausible.

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fee are also payable if the lot has a tax or λ symbol. Check Section D of the Conditions of Sale at the back of this catalogue.