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www.privateairny.com Private Air | Summer 2020 90 Jan David Winitz, founder and president of Claremont Rug Company, who has studied them for over a half-century. "Part of their brilliance lies in their use of symmetry and asymmetry within a single carpet. e overall effect is a virtuoso sense of visual movement and depth, a nuanced union of formal and naive, floral and geometric," he says. "Stately, classical, yet alive with whimsy, the Ferahan aesthetic is like crossing orchestral music with folk songs," Winitz continues. Ferahan weavers even felt free to scatter tiny motifs such as stars, mandalas and two-dimensional dogs, birds, and plants that may only reveal themselves after the observant viewer has looked closely at a carpet's myriad details. And more than any other 19th century Persian floral carpet, Ferahans are individually distinct from one to the next. is diversity was, at the time of the Vienna Exhibition and continues to be, a significant part of Ferahan allure. As Ferahan's market emerged in the 1800's, Europeans living in the Middle East took notice. Jakob Polak, an Austrian physician who was instrumental in establishing modern medicine in Iran, wrote that "the most beautiful rugs come from Ferahan" — a province said to be home to some 12,500 looms at the time. Commissions of any dimension and design could be made, ranging from 'area' mats to palace-size carpets as vast as 15 by 29 feet. Accolades such as this undoubtedly encouraged a vibrant export business. Inspired by foreign visitors' accounts of Ferahan rugs on palace floors and bolstered by investments of royalty and gentry in the larger locally-run workshops, a renaissance of woven artistic expression burgeoned. As they had numerous times before, most recently during Egypt's Mamluk carpet weaving period, Armenians played an instrumental role in the mercurial rise of Ferahan carpets. eir early embrace of Christianity, a faith that allowed for more naturalistic renditions in art than the Islam religion, ultimately contributed to the Ferahan aesthetic. During their long history and travels, Armenian artisans were influenced by myriad 'foreign' patterns and techniques, including freeform tribal Kurdish and Caucasian rugs. Praised by authorities FROM TOP: Persian Ferahan Sarouk "Tree Of Life", c. 1875, presents a striking single blooming tree of sumptuous color and riveting botanical drawing. This medallion carpet from the middle of the 19th century exemplifies the best of Ferahan weaving at its height, offering sensitive, rich color combinations including rare green, and a mesmerizing field design. THE COLLECTION

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