Qashqa’i gurband, Exhibition ‘South Persian Tribal Rugs’

Qashqa’i gurband, animal trapping

from southern Persia

early 20th century

Size: 407 x 13 cm

The women of the Qashqa’i are considered to be perhaps the finest of all Persian tribal weavers and employed a wide variety of both flatweave and pile techniques in their carpet making. Their weavings of rugs, bags, and animal trappings naturally mirror their everyday life and serve useful functions. They wove and knotted various straps as animal decorations and for tying loads on their pack animals. Trappings like this one with a charming array of animals and human figures, woven and knotted in a mixed pile technique, were to decorate horses or camels on festive occasions.