More Oriental Rug Notes by Barry O'Connell

The Carpet of Wonder - the Art

It is not mere size that makes this carpet so great. The Carpet of Wonder is an important expression of Persian Art.

See also The Carpet of Wonder - Introduction, The Carpet of Wonder - The Processes of Weaving, and The Carpet of Wonder - the Mosque

Inspired by the Dome of the Shaykh Lutfallah Mosque

Religious-Architecture-and-Islamic-CulturesFall2002 LectureNotes

The central medallion of the carpet of Wonder is based on the interior design of the Dome of the Shaykh Lutfallah Mosque. The Shaykh Lutfallah Mosque was begun in about 1603 under the auspices of Shah Abbas Safavi who rightly so is called Shah Abbas the Great. We know from the earliest building inscription that Ali Riza al-Abbasi was involved in the project. Ali Riza al-Abbasi was a calligrapher often confused with the painter Riza i-Abbasi the son of Ali Asghar. Riza i-Abbasi is one of the great artists of Persian Art tends to overshadow Ali Riza al-Abbasi but suffice it to say Ali Riza al-Abbasi was an important artist at the court of Shah Abbas. After all calligraphers were more highly valued than painters.

When speaking of the beauty of the city it has often been said that Isfahan is half the world. In Isfahan one room, the domed chamber of the Shaykh Lutfallah Mosque, is considered to be the most perfect expression of Islamic Architecture

As you can see the circular central medallion of the Carpet of Wonder is drawn from the dome of the Shaykh Lutfallah Mosque. Compare the detail above with the detail from the Ardabil carpet below.

Detail The Ardabil Carpet. Plate 11 Page 18.

Both carpets draw from a similar esthetic. The Ardabil is less exacting then the Carpet of Wonder and I suspect not made to the standards of, or under as close supervision as was the Carpet of Wonder. The lack of symmetry in the lobbed medallions must be seen as errors in execution since the design is of a level that it could only have come from the top tier of the artists of the court of Shah Tahmasp. In about 1520 the two major schools of Persian art, the Turkmen and the Timurid merged when Shah Ismail brought Bihzad from Herat to Tabriz. The Ardabil Carpet comes from less than 20 years after that fusion. The Dome of the Shaykh Lutfallah Mosque is a continuation of that tradition but in a more refined way. As we can see in these details there is a great deal of over lap in the floral designs. The floral forms of 1538 were still in style in the early 17th century but now the layout was more symmetrical and more refined. The cloudband had given way to the ornate islimis we see in the Carpet of Wonder. One other innovation that we see is the Isfahan or Shah Abbas palmettes fore and aft of the central palmette in the medallion. This floral form is first associated with the late 16th century and was not common in the reign of Shah Tahmasp.

I pulled together my notes on the Shaykh Lutfallah Mosque in Notes on the Shaykh Lutfallah Mosque

See also The Carpet of Wonder - Introduction and The Carpet of Wonder - The Processes of Weaving

Thanks to the Iran Carpet Co. the producers of the Carpet of Wonder. They have been kind enough to supply me with information and the images that made this article possible. Special thanks to Mr. Yazdi and Mr. Karimi who was the Managing Director when this was written.

More Oriental Rug Notes by Barry O'Connell