Tabriz rug
About 200 Tabriz school masterpieces of the classical or "golden" period of the 14th century are characterized by a harmonic merge of the arts of miniature paintings and weaving, by a high level of craftsmanship demonstrated by artists and carpet weavers.
The traditional topics for the Tabriz carpets are the ornamental patterns, with the following dominant background colors: cream, red or navy blue.
There is not surprising because since the beginning of the 16th century till the present day the craftsmen in Heris have traditionally been making only this type of carpet, and they know perfectly well its design and pattern.
In ancient times such compositions were based on some legendary events, love scenes, mythological and sometimes even religious and fanatical plots.
The weeping willow was a symbol of love, the oak represented strength and courage, and the pomegranate personified abundance and luck.
The most ancient of them is mentioned by Nizami, the outstanding Iranian poet of the 12th century, whose work served as an inexhaustible source of inspiration not only for numerous miniature painters but for the carpet art as well.
Normally, they form the background for the famous Oriental buildings, including forts, palaces, mosques, temples – the Nature blossoms and withers but the stones remain intact... Khosrau, Farhad, Shirin, Bahrām Gōr, Iskander, Layla and Majnun – these characters created by Ferdosi, Nizami and Fizuli, as well as scenes from their poems are often depicted in the carpets, whose style reminds you of the miniatures by the painters of the celebrated Tabriz school flourishing at the time of the Safavids.
The subject carpets were based on various topics, the most favorite being those of hunting and animals, literature plots and religious themes.
By virtue of the specific language of the miniature painting the carpet composition conveys the spirit and essence of Khayam's poetry, and it does it with a great realistic force.
The carpet bears the distichs and quatrains – verses and sections from the poems by Ferdosi, Saadi, Hafez, Sheikh Attar, with some sage maxims and adages about love.
