The major city and most famous knotting centre of southern Persia, Kirman has been renowned for its classic Persian carpets since the great Safavid dynastic era of the 16th and 17th Centuries. Under the Qajar Shahs of the 19th Century, and inspired by such master-weavers as Hossein Kirmani, the Kirman carpet entered a new phase of exotic floral splendour, which has since established itself as one of the most favoured and refined of all Persian rug designs. In this exquisitely beautiful example, the lovely medallion construction and its enclosing floral arrangements are expressed in the most graceful of Kirman dye shades, in which pastels intermingle with spare accent colours to produce tonal harmonies of magical subtlety. The naturally lustrous wool of the herds pastured around Kirman adds a further sensual dimension to this outstanding connoisseur item.