2.7 x 4 Antique Bidjar Rug, Possibly a “Sampler” or “Wagireh”, Northwest Persia, Circa 1910

Woven in the northwest Persian province of Kurdistan, this small Bidjar rug focuses on details from an “all-over” design format. Given the large scale of the motifs and the asymmetry of the design, it is possible, and perhaps even likely, that this piece was woven as a “Sampler” or “Wagireh” to show a prospective client the design elements that would appear in a larger rug or room size carpet utilizing this format.

The whimsical scrolling vine and flower border is all the more distinctive being on a green background.

If one looks closely at the larger palmettes, you can see they have an ivory and blue “speckled” effect, a hallmark of Bidjar weaving and not seen often in other types of Persian rugs.