Number 1703
Type Workshop
Material Wool
Style Pictorial
Origin Tabriz
Size 167 x 120
Age 1909
Interesting fact: this rare pictorial depiction of the last Qajar monarch is sepia tinted with no other colors because it is inspired by / copied from a "black and white" photograph, as they were back in the very early 1900s.
It was woven in the famed Hajji Jalili atelier in Tabriz.
We see the young Shah in his regal attire in a solemn pose. He would have posed for hours and hours for the photographer. Who knows, perhaps an artist was painting him simultaneously.
The inscription at the bottom reinforces this historical background. It says:
The glorious king of the Constitution, Soltan Ahmad Shah Qajar, may God preserve his rule.
You can't only be a customer of Hadi Maktabi. While his main purpose is rug dealing, he starts with story telling and ends with history selling. That's what I call high-end art curating and closing it all with an entertaining friendship. George El Hani, CEO Levica, Lebanon π±π§
βYou donβt just buy a rug from Dr Maktabi... Itβs an experience, a rich one! You learn about history, culture & art. And more importantly you feel euphoric!β Dr Siamak Abolhassani, Expert Medical Care Clinics, Victoria, Australia π¦πΊ
Jβai fait la connaissance de Hadi lors de la prΓ©paration de lβexposition Β« LβEmpire des roses, chefs-dβΕuvre de lβart persan du 19Γ¨me siΓ¨cle Β» qui a eu lieu au Louvre-Lens en 2018 et Γ laquelle il a participΓ© par le prΓͺt de tapis exceptionnels. Jβavais alors Γ©tΓ© impressionnΓ©e par ses connaissances et sa passion pour les tapis orientaux. Cette rencontre a marquΓ© le dΓ©but dβune collaboration riche et fructueuse. Elle a notamment permis au musΓ©e du quai Branly-Jacques Chirac de voir ses collections iraniennes sβenrichir de plusieurs tapis et tentures dont certains nβont pas leur Γ©quivalent dans les musΓ©es occidentaux. Ce que jβapprΓ©cie chez Hadi ? Cβest son professionnalisme, son dynamisme et lβengouement quβil a pour son mΓ©tier ! Hana Chidiac, Curator of the Middle East Department at the Musee Quai Branly - Jacques Chirac, Paris, France π«π·