Few balisht are drawn with the power and spaciousness
of this one. It is also of a design family that I have not
encountered before or since. Its supple wool and dense weave give
it a sumptuous handle. Like the four other balisht faces in this
exhibition, this was the pile face of a rectangular sack, open at
one narrow end and stuffed with fiber, that was used as a pillow,
balisht being the Farsi word for same. Balisht with their back
panels intact are rarely seen by collectors.
Structural Data:
Size:
1’7” x 2’9” (48 cm x
84 cm)
Warp:
Natural white wool –
Z2S.
Weft:
Brown wool – Z2S. Two
shoots
Pile:
Asymmetrical, open to left. h: 7 v: 13 kpi:
91
Colors:
(8) dark blue, medium blue, pale red,
orange-red, reddish brown, black-brown, camel, white (in kilim
end only)
Selvages:
Not original
Ends:
Weft-faced plainweave
with weft substitution and overlay-underlay brocading at
bottom. Missing at top.
