Pictorial rugs

(Posted on 05/04/14)

The depiction of people and animals is far less common in the East than it is the West, and, despite the fact that vegetal and architectural forms are at the heart of most motifs and designs, the oriental textile artist rarely portrays landscapes or figurative groups.  Pictorial designs based on scenes taken from life, history or mythology, are largely confined to workshop rugs from Persia (in particular, Kerman, Tabriz and Kashan), India and, to a lesser extend, Pakistan.  Sometimes they comprise a single identifiable scene or group of figures, and sometimes they take the form of a series of tableaux.  They are always distinguishable from other designs which show human and animal forms by the prominence of the figures and the clear narrative quality of the scene.There is no pictorial tradition in Anatolia, Afghanistan or Caucasus (although human and animal figures are often used as subsidiary decorative motifs in Caucasian rugs), but some nomadic and tribal groups, especially the Belouch, occasionally produce item with pictorial themes. China has its own pictorial tradition, and copies of Persian schemes are produced in India and Pakistan.

                                                                                   (Pictorial Persian Rug)