WikiRug:Featured Article/2022/9

The high point in Persian carpet design and manufacture was attained under the Safavid dynasty. It was the result of a unique conjunction of historical factors—royal patronage, the influence of court designers at all levels of artistic production, the wide availability of locally produced and imported materials and dyes, and commercial acceptance, particularly in foreign markets.
The history of carpet weaving during the first century of Safavid rule can be traced only sketchily. The most important documentary evidence is three carpets with dated inscriptions. The date on a medallion rug in the Poldi Pezzoli collection in Milan has been read by some scholars as 929/1522-23 and by others as 949/1542-43. (Full article...)