Quchan Afshar Rugs
Examples of Quchan Afshar Rugs & Carpets
Quchan is an important collection point for Kurdish and Afshar tribal and village rugs. The rugs share designs with Northwest and Caucasian Kurds and Afshar.
Abbas Safavi Shah ruled Iran from 1588 – 1629 at the beginning of his reign Persia was in serious trouble. The Ottoman had taken Tabriz and most of Northwest Persia. Abbas Safavi Shah made a treaty with the Ottoman and Persia was forced to pay tribute. While on the eastern front the Uzbek came as far west as Mashad. Abbas used Kurds and Afshar to retake Mashad and gave those Afshar Turks and Kurdish mercenaries land in the Quchan area as a reward for service and as a line of defense against the Uzbeks and their Turkmen vassals. The descendents of those Kurds and Afshar live in the Quchan area and produce rugs.
JBOC Notes: Baluch Rugs
Sotheby’s Auctions » Fine Rugs & Carpets including Islamic Textiles » lot 35
Sale W02871
W – An East Persian pictorial rug, third quarter 19th century,
London, Olympia 1,000—1,500 GBP Session 1
11 Jun 02 2:00 PM
Lot Sold. Hammer Price with Buyer’s Premium: 1,175 GBP
MEASUREMENTS
193 by 102cm., 6ft. 4in. by 3ft. 4in.
DESCRIPTION
depicting the romantic hero Khusraw with three of his wives This lot contains 1 item(s).
The origin of rugs of this group is a matter of some contention. Julian Homer and more recently Dennis Woodman have pointed to a Beluch attribution (see Hali, issue 120, p. 13), but Tom Cole (Hali, issue 117, pp. 82-86, fig. 7) has suggested an Afshar origin. Whatever the origin of the group, however, it is clear that this is an early example of its type with good quality wool, saturated colours, and a pleasingly eccentric and asymmetrical design.
Quchan Ghoochan Kuchan Afshar Rug
4 foot 2 inch by 6 foot 1 inch
Afshar rug from the Kuchan area in Khorasan. The design is vaguely reminiscent of the Afshar of the Kerman area. Nice well made rug. Good wool and well drawn.
In the 17th century the Safavi Shahs tried to break the power of the once mighty Afshar tribe. One way they countered the tribe’s power was to move the part of the Afshar to the Persian Turan border area. This weakened the tribe at the same time it strengthened the Safavi defenses against the Uzbek and their Turkmen vassals. The Afshar by the Seventeenth century was controlled by Shia leadership and the Turkmen and Uzbek were nominally Sunni.
Afshar Rug, Kuchan, Persia/Iran, 20th century. 4 foot 2 inch by 6 foot 1 inch (Not including fringe).
Structure: Symmetrical. 12 knots per horizontal inch and 13 knots per vertical inch. 156 per square inch (2418 per square decimeter).
Yarn Spin: Z.
Warp: wool.
Weft: 2 shots wool.
Pile: 2 Wool singles.
Ends: 1 inch plain-weave skirt with warp fringe.
Selvages: 3 sets warp units wrapped in wool.
Further Notes. This rug is in excellent shape. No repairs or re-weaves, no dye runs or stains. The rug is older but is in new condition.
Kuchan Afshar Tabriz Rug
This is an unusual rug in that it is more sophisticated that I expect in a village rug and less sophisticated than I expect from a workshop rug. The design is very much a city design but the construction is reminiscent of Afshar tribal rugs from Khorasan.
The pattern is from Tabriz and this was made in the area of Kuchan by Afshar.
The Rug is rectangular it was just photographed at an angle.
Kuchan, Afshar Persia/Iran, 20th century. 6 foot 2 inch by 4 foot 1 inch.
Structure: Symmetrical knot. 11 knots per horizontal inch and 13 knots per vertical inch. 143 per square inch (2216 per square decimeter)
Yarn Spin: Z.
Warp: wool, bands of 3 ply pink and tan.
Weft: Cotton 2 shot. dark blue.
Pile: 2 Wool singles.
Ends: 2 inch balanced plain weave skirt with warp fringe.
Selvages: 6 cord selvage wrapped in dark blue wool.
Further Notes: Supple rug in As new condition. No holes, tears, rips or low spots. Long pile.
Village rug corner resolution:
How can you tell a village carpet from a city workshop rug? One of the easiest ways is to look at the corners. One of the most difficult things for a weaver to do is to get the corners right. This is far better than we normally see in village and tribal carpets but it lacks the clean cut execution and resolution that a work shop rug would have. The difference being that workshop rugs are done from a cartoon in Iran.
While the corners are not perfect this carpet retains a charm and vitality that makes it a beautiful carpet.
Afshar Rugs: Fantastic Afshar Lion Persian Rug
Size: 3 foot 10 inch by 6 foot 1 inch.
What a rug. This is a fantastic Afshar Lion rug in “As New” Condition. This is the nicest one of these I can ever remember seeing. Fantastic in this usage refers to these highly stylized animals that we see in rugs.
This one is from the Afshar of Quchan
Fantastic Afshar Lion Rug, Quchan/Ghoochan area, Persia/Iran. 20th century
Inventory #: V99200014
Structure: Asymmetrical knot open to the right. 8 knots per horizontal inch and 7 knots per vertical inch. 56 per square inch (868 per square decimeter)
Colors: Amber, cream, gold, moss green, cadet blue, navy blue.
Yarn Spin: Z.
Warp: 2 ply tan wool.
Weft: 3 shots amber wool.
Pile: 2 wool singles.
Ends: Post-hitch wharf binding with 1 inch warp fringe.
Selvages: 2 cord interlaced amber wool.
Handle: Soft, pliable, medium, durable.
Further Notes: Excellent condition.
Spider Medallion Afshar Persian Tribal Rug
Size: 3 foot 8 inch by 5 foot 9 inch.
This rug stands out because of the very unusual Medallion. Excellent color and design in a Persian tribal rugs. This one is from the Afshar of Ghoochan. The Afshar were moved to Quchan in about 1595 by Shah Abbas. Volume II of “A History of Persia”, by Percy Sykes. The Afshar got on the wrong side of a civil war and in 1595 Shah Abbas sought to break up the power of the Afshar. This was a good move for Shah Afshar since it divided the Afshar and provided a buffer against the Turkmen tribes who were allied with the Uzbek.
Afshar Rug, Quchan Region, Persia/Iran, 20th century.
Size: 3 foot 8 inch by 5 foot 9 inch.
Structure: Symmetrical knot. 7 knots per horizontal inch and 9 knots per vertical inch. 63 per square inch (976.5 per square decimeter)
Colors: Amber, cadet blue, vanilla, plum, navy blue, moss green, old gold.
Yarn Spin: Z.
Warp: 2 ply tan wool.
Weft: 2 shots plum wool.
Pile: 2 wool singles.
Ends: 1 inch plain weave and post-hitch wharf binding with 1 inch warp fringe.
Selvages: 2 cord interlaced amber wool.