19th Century Persian Sultanabad Brick Red Handwoven Wool Carpet BB6673 14'1" × 16'7" $70,000

A late 19th century antique West Persian Sultanabad rug, the midnight field with an overall lozenge lattice containing floral sprays and palmettes, within a brick red rosette and acanthus leaf border.

Sultanabads are similar in design to Heriz and Serapi antique rugs which is reflected in their magnificent graphic character. Yet within this similarity, the line work of the Sultanabads are always less curvilinear and classical than the Heriz and Serapis. As with many other Antique Persian rugs, Sultanabads feature all-over designs of palmettes and vinescrolls, but they use a larger, more supple weave, and the designs in a Sultanabad tend to be larger as well. Antique Sultanabad rugs are still regarded as the most appealing to European and American tastes. To this day, the term Sultanabad or Ziegler rug denotes an outstanding antique Mahal rug or carpet from the late nineteenth century.