The Ardebil carpets and V&A
The two Ardabil carpets were still in the shrine of Shaykh Safi al-Din in 1843, when one was seen by two
British visitors. Thirty years or more, the shrine suffered an earthquake, and the carpets were sold off,
perhaps to raise funds for repairs.
The damaged carpets were purchased in Iran by Ziegler & Co., a Manchester firm involved in the carpet trade. Parts of one carpet were used to patch the other. The result was one 'complete' carpet and one with no border.
In 1892, the larger carpet was put on sale by Vincent Robinson & Co. of London. The designer William Morris went to inspect it on behalf of this Museum. Reporting that the carpet was 'of singular perfection … logically and consistently beautiful', he urged the Museum to buy it. The money was raised, and in March 1893 the Museum acquired the carpet for £2000.
The second, smaller carpet was sold secretly to an American collector, and in 1953 it was given to the Los Angeles County Museum of Art.
The Ardabil carpet hung on the wall in this gallery for many years. In 2006, the Museum created the extraordinary
case in the centre of the gallery so that the carpet could be seen as intended, on the floor. To preserve its colours,
it is lit for ten minutes on the hour and half-hour.
The Ardabil Carpet on display at the V&A
Ardabil, North-west Iran
Hand knotted carpet in wool and silk
1539 - 1540
Width approx 535.5cm x length approx 1044cm
Museum no: 272-1893
Translation of text woven into carpet:
'Except for thy threshold, there is no refuge for me in the entire world.
Except for this door there is no resting-place for my head.
The work of the slave of the portal, Maqsud Kashani.'
Maqsud was probably the court official charged with producing the carpets.
He was not necessarily a slave in the literal sense but called himself one to express humility,
while the word for 'portal' can be used for a royal court or a shrine. Perhaps Maqsud meant both,
as in this case the court was the patron of the shrine.
The fourth line contains the date 946 in the Muslim calendar, which is equivalent to AD 1539 - 1540.
Left: Ardabil Carpet held at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art
Right: Ardabil Carpet held at the Victoria & Albert Museum London
Ardebil Landmarks
Ardebil’s most famous natural region is the Sabalan Mountains. The population of The Ardabil
province
is considered by many to be the coldest province in Iran which can reach sultry
temperatures of up to
heights of 35 C in the best summer months, but the winter season
can be bitterly cold falling as low as -25 C.
Ardebil is an area of much natural splendour that bodes many hot springs and beautiful natural
landscapes which
attract tourists’ year upon year. The mineral springs of Ardabil are Beele-Darreh,
Sareyn, Sardabeh and Booshloo,
which are famed throughout Iran for their medicinal
qualities. The beautiful Lake Ne'or located some 48 km south
east of Ardabil city has a thin
white layer of minerals on the surface of the lake which is commonly refined and
used for
healing skin diseases and rheumatism.
Ardebil Bazaar
