The Bowen Tulip Kerman Afshar Persian rug

A few years ago Jim Bowen acquired a world class Tulip Lattice Afshar. Jim has always under appreciated this piece and now he is wondering should it stay or should it go. Would you keep it if you were Jim?

Closeup of the wide sumac end finishes.

Here we can see a closeup of the half hitch band. Above that we see a small strip of balanced plain weave. Above that we see alternating black and red twining.

There is a small select group of comparable rugs that includes

The Hadji Baba/Herat.com Tulip Afshar

The Corwin Afshar Collection "lattice and tulip"

There was a very similar Tulip Afshar floating around Washington DC a few years ago. It was in the control of but not in the collection of an lawyer/rug dealer who claimed to be exCIA. If I recall correctly it had non-pile end finishes with a bit of embroidery.

Please note the two small animals flanking the Tulip.

Here we see a sample of an overcastting with two pairs of separate red and blue selvage yarns.

This is an old repair from the looks of it. Rugs are generally repaired like this in Iran and almost never like this in the United States. When I see this it is generally a sign of age and authenticity.

Here is the problem with this rug. Jim does not like the "nappy pile". He has had it cleaned and still it does not feel right to him.

The Bowen Tulip Afshar

The Hajji Baba/Herat.com Tulip Afshar

Here we can see that Jim Bowen's Afshar is rather similar to The Hajji Baba/Herat.com Tulip Afshar. The Hajji Baba/Herat.com Afshar is generally considered best of type. So while not identical we can see that the Bowen Afshar compares well to the best.

For Further Reading:

Persian Rugs and Carpet

Turkish Rugs

Turkmen Rugs

JBOC's Notes on the Bible

O'Connell Notes Site map

Caucasian Rugs

Thanks and best wishes,

J. Barry O'Connell Jr.

Visit Persian Rugs: Afshar, Jozan.net - Kirman, and OldCarpet.com - Kerman

SpongoBongo and Persian Carpet Guiden Site Search

Persian Rugs