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Barry O'Connell's Oriental and Persian Rug Notes

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Guide to Tabriz Rugs & Carpets

Tabriz is the dominant city of Northwest Iran/Persia and is the second largest city in Iran. Tabriz has been a center of the Persian carpet trade for hundreds and perhaps thousands of years. Tabriz carpets are symetrically knotted. Quality spans all grades from Bazaar quality all the way up to some of the best rugs woven in Iran.

A Tabriz carpet, lot 195

The Doris Leslie Blau Benlian Tabriz

Tabriz Rug, Tabriz proper and the Persian Azerbaijan, Iran.

Size: All sizes
made up to 15 by 30
Structure: Symmetrical knot. 100 to 400 knots per square inch.
Yarn Spin: Z.
Warp: White cotton
Weft: 2 shots cotton.
Pile: 2 wool singles.
Selvages: 1 cord plain wool.
Handle: Light - medium.

Notes on Benlian Tabriz Persian Carpets

The late Edward E. Benlian was an Armenian who lived in England (The Orchard, 55 Arthur Rd, Wimbledon, London SW19). He died somewhere around 1973 and there was an estate auction after his death by Phillips, Son & Neale of London, England. Apparently his company produced rugs in Tabriz from the 1900s on. His master weavers included Javan Amir Kizi and Mahmud Ghalicheh.

Benlian represent the top tier of 20th century Tabriz production and the carpets are now old enough to start showing up in the auctions Sotheby’s,.Woolley & Wallis, Christie's , and Phillips are have mentioned Benlian in their catalogues.

Benlian Tabriz carpets have an eight-pointed star logo in one corner. Most often on the inner guard border.

Notes on Benlian Tabriz Carpets

A Benlian Tabriz carpet, lot 223

Tabriz carpet circa 1900 from the collection of the United States Department of State (8th floor)

Similar Rugs

There is no set Tabriz style so many rugs are similar but Tabriz rugs are symet

Designers

Seyyed Hossein Mir Mossavar Arzhangi

Weavers

Master Ijadi - e - Tabrizi
Tabriz Persian Carpet signed Ijadi 20th c.
Master Sheikh Hassan Haddad - e Tabrizi
Sotheby's Haddad Tabriz Persian Carpet c. 1920 lot 188
Antique Tabriz Persian Carpet signed Hadad
Javan Amir Kizi
Javan Amir Kizi Tabriz Persian Carpet

Keshishian Hajji Alili Tabriz Carpet from Oriental Carpets: Design Migration on the Silk Route

Haji Jalili Tabriz Rugs & carpets

Hajji Alil-i-Madrani, Hadji Seyed Mohammad Sadegh Imperially Jalili, Hadji Jalili, Haj Jalily, Haji Jalili.

Seen on www.jalilirugs.com
The roots of Jalili International, Inc. go back to city of Marand, in the northwestern part of ancient Persia in 1880, when the operation was first founded. Hadji Seyed Mohammad Sadegh Imperially Jalili (the famous Hadji Jalili), the founder, shortly after opened one of the first rug exporting offices in Istanbul at the end of the 19th century.

During the first, second, and third quarters of the 20th century the operation expanded, and satellite offices were opened up in London, Brussels, Dusseldorf, Hamburg, and Venlo (Holland). At the same time the Tehran office was in charge of producing and supplying high quality rugs to some of the most prominent rug houses in France, Austria, and other European countries. San Francisco office was established in 1979, and it has been managed by Kambiz Jalili, who is the fourth generation in this family business. www.jalilirugs.com/

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