Persian Nain Silk Inlaid - ATR 2 - 3.08 x 2.12

Nain is a small town in the province of Isfahan, and it is situated on the edge of the desert uplands of central Iran. Until the beginning of this century, the main craft in Nain was the weaving of costly woollen cloth. The import of textiles from the west lead to the decline of this craft, and the Nain craftsmen switched to carpet making. They were soon to gain a place among the quality carpet producers of Iran. The decoration of Nain carpets is similar to that used for Isfahans, and many of the carpets have backgrounds decorated with an interlaced pattern of flowers and branches. There are however, fewer carpets with central medallions as in the Isfahan carpets. Plants and animals feature in a number of the Nain carpets, and the colour Scheme for both background and decoration is normally, beige, ivory and white, alongside light green and azure.