Antique Qashqai Shekarlu Rug

Period: Late 19th Century
Origin: Qashqai, Iran
Dimensions: 170 x 224 cm

This rare late 19th century Qashqai Shekarlu rug highlights a powerful and rhythmic composition featuring a dense and luminous ivory field filled with an intricate lattice of repeating geometric boteh motifs, small floral devices, and stylized tribal symbols. This structural balance between the open cream central field complete with its delicate rows of vibrant pear motifs and the surrounding multi layered dark framing borders filled with repeating geometric stars and rosettes reflects the pinnacle of traditional Southwestern Persian Qashqai Shekarlu fine craftsmanship world renowned for its expressive tribal design purity, fine knotting, decorative clarity, and majestic graphic presence. Textiles of this antiquity are celebrated for their ability to blend highly expressive nomadic design narratives with a striking heraldic pattern rhythm.

The color palette is masterfully balanced featuring a primary ivory canvas contrasted by rich madder red, deep indigo blue, terracotta, golden yellow, and sky blue accents, framed by a continuous dark main border flanked by geometric guard bands that allow the central light field to step forward dynamically. These rich and enduring tones achieved through the expert application of natural vegetable dyes over 130 years ago exhibit a characteristic gentle patina, soft historic abrash, and a lustrous wool texture that are hallmarks of the finest late 19th century Qashqai regional productions. The multi layered framing borders create a powerful visual boundary that highlights the superior hand spun wool quality and distinctive technical finesse of the weaver.

Structural analysis indicates the use of premium hand spun wool woven with a characteristically resilient, finely knotted structure and a supple yet sturdy handle tailored for expressive architectural spaces. The exceptional clarity of the geometric outlines, specifically the perfectly balanced symmetry of the all over repeating boteh layout and corresponding detailed multi band borders, definitively distinguishes this antique masterpiece as an authentic late 19th century Qashqai Shekarlu rug production. Ultimately, this decorative textile stands as a premier example of classical Persian tribal art representing a peak in both technical endurance and graphic majesty for global collectors.

Stock No: 6112