Hello Zach, This silk is interesting. Again I can only speak to the art not to the particular Kelim. The art is again late 16th century or early 17th century. Normally I would suggest that this art is from perhaps 1580 to 1590 but I do not think this is from an major art center but rather a minor one such as Kashan.So from a provincial art center we do not expect them to be as up todate so this may be later. This silk kelim looks very similar to the Wittelsbach kelim in the Residenz Museum in Munich. Obviously it can not be the Wittelsbach kelim because the Wittelsbach does not have the borders. There are only a handful of these and iot can not be the Textile Museum one becasuse that one is not inscribed. So I have to conclude that this is either the one from the Louvre, the Met, or Berlin. The main border two plane scoll is rather interesting it is styisticly very close to the borders in the Franchetti Silk Kelim. Ian Bennett attributes the Franchetti to the Kashan late 16th century in Rugs & Carpets of The World. But I think there is a problem with the conventional wisdom on Kashan. Kashan did not get Imperial workshops until sometime after 1590. Even at that it is a provincial production center in that time frame. Court art depends on Court artists and there is no record I know of that places any important artists in Kashan. Lets get backk to the art. Please note the three pyramids in the bowl directly under the throne in Illustration 1. This is seen frequently in art from Shiraz and very rarely in miniatures from anywhere else. The fruit in the bowl of Illustration 2 is also seen commonly in Shiraz Art and less commonly elsewhere.
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