A Qashqa'i kilim from Southwest Persia, late 19th-century. Among the ancient artifacts found frozen in the Siberian tundra was a carpet whose very existence has to this day yet to be explained. Frozen in a block of ice for more than 2,000 years, the carpet emerged virtually unharmed. There is no solid explanation for this 1,700-year interruption of production and it remains one of the great mysteries in all the arts. In the 600 years that post-Pazyryk carpets have been in production, weavers have been busy making sure that there is no shortage of superb examples.
Today there are dozens of active carpet-making regions and a literally countless number of designs.
Many well-known collectors of rugs started out looking for rugs to fit in particular rooms, and wound up looking for extra room for all of their rugs. As you begin to look through the various offerings you may stop thinking about these weavings' utilitarian quality and see them more as works of art. Once smitten by the subtle but intricate designs found in a Chinese Ninghsia rug, you may have a very hard time hiding it under your dining table. An Isphahan Rug from Central Persia, 17th-Century. Though his collection was neither as large nor as diverse as some others, he amassed what many have considered the finest-ever private carpet collection.