Guide to Senneh Rugs and Carpets

Sennehbaf Carpet Northwest Persia Circa 1925 lot 88

Senneh is one of a small handful of Persian cities with an appreciable carpet production before the modern commercial carpet period began. For a discussion of Senneh carpet production before 1870 see Leonard M. Helfgott's Ties That Bind pages 135, 209, and 221. What we see from a variety of sources is that weaving in Senneh dates back into at least the classical [period and perhaps much longer. .

Herati Medallion Sennah

• Senneh Carpet Circa 1870 lot 8

• Ivory Ground Senneh Carpet Circa 1870 lot 9

• Blue Field Herati Senneh Kilim Circa 1880 lot 5

Senneh Carpet Circa 1820 - 1840

Sennah Carpets

• Galerie Arabesque/Craycraft Senneh Carpet Circa 1820 - 1840

• Senneh Carpet Circa 1870 lot 143

• Ivory Ground Senneh Carpet Circa 1870 lot 172

• Ivory Ground Senneh Boteh Carpet Circa 1880 lot 6

• Senneh Saddle Cover, 2nd quarter 19th century Lot 83

• Sotheby's Senna Rug Circa 1900

• Sennehbaf Carpet Northwest Persia Circa 1925 lot 88

• DM Reuben Senneh Rug C. 1920-1930

• Senneh Boteh Carpet, Northwest Persia, 2nd quarter 20th century Lot 71

Pre-1870 carpets tend to be finner. The wool tend to have a lot of twist. Normally warps are straight and wefts interlace around the warps but with Senneh rugs the wefts are straight and the warps interlace. The knots in a Senneh rug are compact so that each nodes are together making one bump. This with the high twwist makes a rough back which is commonly compared to sandpaper,

A. Cecil Edwards wrote in The Persian Carpet that in the 1940s had shifted away from the old traditional Senneh patterns and were focusing on the Herati pattern. One of the old patterns Edwards mentions is the Gol-i-Bolbol. Gol - flower and Bolbol is a type of bird so the pattern is the Flower and Bird pattern. To the right we see a traditional Gol-i-Bolbol. Compare this detail to The Persian Carpet plate 118.

Senneh Gol-i-Bolbol Carpet Circa 1890 lot 193

Senneh Gol-i-Bolbol Carpet Circa 1890 lot 193

Antique Sennah Kelim

Langauer Senneh kilim horse cover circa 1870

Antique Sennah Kelim