Sumak Salt Bag
N°
04111
Period
Circa 1870
Origin
Moghan-Savalan plain, Northwest Persia
Materials
Wool
Status
Sold
Size
43 cm x 361'4" x 1'2"
A very cheerful and rare salt bag in mint condition, characterised by an honeycomb arrangement of small polychrome hexagons containing a cruciform element. Differently from the preceding example, the design connects the neck to the body, enhancing the fluidity of the design. The more squarish format also provides balance to the composition. The motif seen here appears also on the rare pile bags of the Shahsavan. Finely woven with lustrous wool and with a rich and varied palette, this example also represents the pinnacle for Shahsavan sumaks. Together with the preceding example, it had long been in the private collection of a Shahsavan tribal leader.
P. Tanavoli, Shahsavan, 1985, plate 250.