We have no examples of Timurid carpets but these two fragments, Plates One and Two that were originally from the same carpet, show us what they might have looked like. Both of them were once in the possession of F.R. Martin, whose lavish publication on early carpets, “A History of Oriental Carpets before 1800”, remains the seminal published work in this area. Since publication in 1908 this large, oversized book has been a rare collector's item and the wonderful reproductions still to this day remain unsurpassed. The text accompanying these illustrations, while somewhat dated in parts, nevertheless remains valuable for anyone wishing to study the early Imperial Court Carpets of Persia, as well as those from Turkey.

At the turn of the 16th century, Safavid designers discarded the idea of the earlier Timurid design layout described in the introduction to our exhibition in favor of a more sophisticated style. From then on what can be called the Safavid style dominated the art of carpet making in Persia.

Bibliography