A NEYRIZ 'LATTICE/LION' RUG, SOUTH PERSIA, MID 19TH CENTURY
A NEYRIZ 'LATTICE/LION' RUG, SOUTH PERSIA, MID 19TH CENTURY
"A lattice design rug composed of crowned lions in ivory, blue or green arranged in diagonal patterns on a dark blue field. The main border consists of boteh on a madder ground. There are two minor borders in diagonal-bar patterns and two types of guards. The sides look original and are overcast in dark brown wool. There are weft-faced plain weave kelim ends with some minor banding. The knotting is asymmetrical, open to the left, with a thin flexible weave. Wefts are in dark brown in two shoots and the warps are in natural and brown wool." (Benjamin, op.cit., p. 4). Approximately 255 x 158cm
THE COLLECTION OF PROFESSOR PAUL R BENJAMIN
Lots 193 - 260
Paul Benjamin was a Professor of Neuroscience at the University of Sussex but also had a great passion for history and art.
About 40 years ago he bought a rather tired Afshar rug in a local sale. From then on he acquired a detailed knowledge of historic South Persian rugs, bags and saddle covers, buying many beautiful and valuable examples in London auctions and through specialist dealers such as Clive Rogers and Richard Purdon.
A holiday in Iran in 2002 enabled him to enjoy seeing how rugs were made including natural dying techniques and the methods of weaving and knotting.
Paul wrote various articles for HALI magazine, gave a talk to the Oriental Rug & Textile Society and hosted members in his home. He also produced a carefully researched and beautifully illustrated catalogue of his collection.
Following his death in 2024 his family agreed to keep a few much-loved examples and to put most of the collection up for auction so that others may share his passion.
[The Benjamin family]
The catalogue which Professor Benjamin produced, (with assistance from Richard Purdon and Clive Rogers on the technical descriptions), is now out of print and hard to find. It offers, however, a both personal and erudite consideration of the pieces published, and with the family’s agreement, we have therefore included both descriptions and notes from the catalogue, as indicated in the following entries, so that others may enjoy the benefits of his research and observations. The selection also includes several unpublished pieces from the collection.
[Olympia Auctions]
LITERATURE:
Benjamin, Paul, South Persian Rugs, Bags and Saddle Covers: from the collection of Paul R Benjamin, 3rd ed., 2004, pp. 4-5
Hali, issue 161, p. 83, 2009
"Purdon (Purdon, R. In Search of Neyriz, Hali, issue 161, 82-88, 2009) has argued recently that this piece, together with a related ‘Laristan’ rug illustrated in Mumford (Mumford, J.K. In: Oriental Rugs, London Plate XIV, 1902), is an example of a ‘pre-Khamseh’ rug woven by nomadic tribes in the Lake Neiris region of SW Persia.", (Benjamin, op.cit. p.4)
Condition Report:
scattered small holes in upper left hand corner, some localised wear to knotbars and to foundation
Estimate
Reserve
Time, Location
Auction House
A NEYRIZ 'LATTICE/LION' RUG, SOUTH PERSIA, MID 19TH CENTURY
"A lattice design rug composed of crowned lions in ivory, blue or green arranged in diagonal patterns on a dark blue field. The main border consists of boteh on a madder ground. There are two minor borders in diagonal-bar patterns and two types of guards. The sides look original and are overcast in dark brown wool. There are weft-faced plain weave kelim ends with some minor banding. The knotting is asymmetrical, open to the left, with a thin flexible weave. Wefts are in dark brown in two shoots and the warps are in natural and brown wool." (Benjamin, op.cit., p. 4). Approximately 255 x 158cm
THE COLLECTION OF PROFESSOR PAUL R BENJAMIN
Lots 193 - 260
Paul Benjamin was a Professor of Neuroscience at the University of Sussex but also had a great passion for history and art.
About 40 years ago he bought a rather tired Afshar rug in a local sale. From then on he acquired a detailed knowledge of historic South Persian rugs, bags and saddle covers, buying many beautiful and valuable examples in London auctions and through specialist dealers such as Clive Rogers and Richard Purdon.
A holiday in Iran in 2002 enabled him to enjoy seeing how rugs were made including natural dying techniques and the methods of weaving and knotting.
Paul wrote various articles for HALI magazine, gave a talk to the Oriental Rug & Textile Society and hosted members in his home. He also produced a carefully researched and beautifully illustrated catalogue of his collection.
Following his death in 2024 his family agreed to keep a few much-loved examples and to put most of the collection up for auction so that others may share his passion.
[The Benjamin family]
The catalogue which Professor Benjamin produced, (with assistance from Richard Purdon and Clive Rogers on the technical descriptions), is now out of print and hard to find. It offers, however, a both personal and erudite consideration of the pieces published, and with the family’s agreement, we have therefore included both descriptions and notes from the catalogue, as indicated in the following entries, so that others may enjoy the benefits of his research and observations. The selection also includes several unpublished pieces from the collection.
[Olympia Auctions]
LITERATURE:
Benjamin, Paul, South Persian Rugs, Bags and Saddle Covers: from the collection of Paul R Benjamin, 3rd ed., 2004, pp. 4-5
Hali, issue 161, p. 83, 2009
"Purdon (Purdon, R. In Search of Neyriz, Hali, issue 161, 82-88, 2009) has argued recently that this piece, together with a related ‘Laristan’ rug illustrated in Mumford (Mumford, J.K. In: Oriental Rugs, London Plate XIV, 1902), is an example of a ‘pre-Khamseh’ rug woven by nomadic tribes in the Lake Neiris region of SW Persia.", (Benjamin, op.cit. p.4)
Condition Report:
scattered small holes in upper left hand corner, some localised wear to knotbars and to foundation
Estimate
Reserve
Time, Location
Auction House
