A wool and metal-thread kilim, North West Persia, second half 19th century

Ex-collection Victor Adda (d. 1965), Alexandria and Rome

Thence by descent

inscriptions

In the border: exhortations to God, Muhammad, and 'Ali

In the central field: Qur'an, surah al-Inshiqaq (LXXXIV), verse 1 to verse 6, and exhortations to divine attributes

In the mosque lamp, Qur'an, surah al-Ikhlas (CVII)

This unusual kilim, woven in wool, metal-wrapped thread and with silk warps, is a later relation of Safavid weaving. There are over thirty recorded Safavid flatweaves, most of which have a central medallion with floral designs, 10 with figural imagery and 3 with medallions enclosing coats of arms (HALI, no .145, p. 87). Among them, two examples are in the Miho Museum, Japan, one of which was sold at Christie’s, London, 8 July 1999, lot 189, see HALI, no. 183, pp. 64-65. Others are in the Metropolitan Museum of Art (acc.no. 51.197) and the Textile Museum, Washington (inv. no. acc.no. R33.28.1) The Safavid examples are considered to be the production of Kashan or Yazd in the second half of 16^th to 17^th century, and were woven in silk and metal-thread rather the more robust wool used here, although it retains silk warps.

The format of the calligraphic panels of the mihrab can be compared to Safavid niche rugs of the ‘Salting’ or ‘Topkapi’ group, see Sotheby’s, 31 March 2021, lot 138. However, the stylized drawing and zodiac imagery of this example doesn’t fit within a Safavid repertoire. The use of Kufic calligraphy here, rather than the cursive script of earlier examples, is fitting of the style of drawing in the spacious polychromatic floral and vase motifs of the field. A related North West Persian kilim woven with a figural design but without metal-thread was formerly in the collection of George Farrow, sold at Christie’s, London, 24 October 2024, lot 227.

This kilim was formerly in the collection of Victor Adda. Victor Adda was born in 1885 in Alexandria, the son of Abram Adda, a successful cotton trader. Victor Adda took over the family trading business and travelled extensively between Egypt and Europe before relocating to Europe in the mid-1950s. The Adda family were avid collectors and Victor Adda is best known for his collection of coins and antiquities, but he also collected outside of these fields and assembled a collection of Iznik pottery (see Christie's, London, 27 October 2022, lots 120-126, and 28 October 2021, lots 68-74). This rare kilim reveals his eye for unusual examples of craftsmanship and innate aesthetic appreciation.