A rare and collectible antique Qashqai tribal bagface kilim from Fars Province, southern Persia — a small-format flatweave of exceptional chromatic richness and tribal authenticity, woven by the nomadic Qashqai confederacy in the late nineteenth or early twentieth century.
The bagface (khorjin face) is the front panel of a nomadic saddlebag — the most personal and most carefully woven object in the Qashqai weaver’s repertoire, made not for trade but for daily use and display on the flanks of the tribal migration. Bagfaces were woven with a level of care and chromatic ambition that often exceeds larger format pieces, and the finest examples are among the most collectible objects in the entire field of tribal textile art.
The central field is set on a jet black ground — a deep, oxidized dark wool of great visual authority — filled with an all-over diagonal lattice of small diamonds, each containing a smaller cross or lozenge motif, rotating through a palette of madder crimson, amber gold, ivory white, and indigo navy in a sequence that creates a shimmering, jewel-like surface of extraordinary chromatic complexity. The diagonal grid is precise and confident — the work of a weaver with complete command of the slit-tapestry technique and a sophisticated understanding of color sequencing across a geometric field.
The border system is multi-register and highly articulate: an inner guard of ivory stepped hook motifs (kochanak) on black — one of the most characteristic and beloved border elements of the Qashqai flatweave tradition; a main border of deep crimson with scattered geometric accents in sage green and ivory; and an outer frame of dark olive green with a bold reciprocal sawtooth edge.
The wool is tightly spun, lustrous, and dense, from the high-altitude flocks of the Zagros Mountains — among the most prized in the Middle East for natural sheen and dye receptivity. The natural dye palette has aged over 120 years to a depth and warmth that no synthetic dye can approach. At 55 × 83 cm, this piece is the ideal scale for framing and wall display — mounted and glazed, it reads as a work of abstract art of considerable sophistication.
Specifications
- Type: Antique bagface kilim (khorjin face) — nomadic saddlebag panel
- Origin: Middle East (Fars Province — Qashqai confederacy)
- Period: c. 1900 (late 19th / early 20th century)
- Material: Wool — natural dyes (madder, indigo, weld/pomegranate, undyed ivory)
- Technique: Slit-tapestry kilim flatweave; warp fringe termination
- Design: All-over diagonal diamond lattice on black ground; ivory kochanak hook guard border; crimson main border; olive green outer sawtooth border
- Colors: Jet black, madder crimson, amber gold, ivory white, indigo navy, sage green
- Dimensions: 55 cm × 83 cm (1’10” × 2’9”)
Condition
Fair to Good for age. Borders well-preserved — hook guard border and outer borders crisp, intact, and coloristically strong. Central field shows significant surface wear and fiber loss — weft threads abraded in areas, with some loose and broken fibers consistent with 120+ years of nomadic use. Colors throughout remain strong and unfaded. Honest marks of a tribal object made for daily life, fully reflected in the price.
