Number H8701
Type Workshop
Material Silk
Style Pictorial
Origin Arab
Size 217 x 133 - 205 x 128
Age 1975
๐๐ฅ๐ ๐๐ฎ๐ซ๐ ๐๐ข๐ฅ๐ค ๐๐๐ซ๐ฉ๐๐ญ ๐๐๐ข๐ซ ๐ฐ๐ข๐ญ๐ก ๐๐๐ซ๐ฅ๐ฒ ๐๐ฒ๐ณ๐๐ง๐ญ๐ข๐ง๐ ๐๐ฆ๐ฉ๐ข๐ซ๐ ๐๐จ๐ฌ๐๐ข๐ ๐๐ซ๐จ๐ฆ ๐๐จ๐ฎ๐ง๐ญ ๐๐๐๐จ
I promised you only the best of everything as well as the most exclusive rugs in the world. Today we go back 1,500 years to the year 531 when Justinian the Law Giver was Emperor of the Romans. The builder of Hagia Sophia. They werenโt known as Byzantines yet but were already Christian.
In a remote corner of Jordan lies Mount Nรฉbo where the Prophet Moses (Musa/Moshe/Moรฏse) was allegedly buried. A number of churches and monasteries were built there for the faithful to worship and pray.
There, inside a 6th century baptistery, archaeologists discovered a โfloor paintingโ of very surprising motifs: exotic wild beasts ๐ฆ ๐ฆ ๐ ๐ฆ and pastoral scenes in ancient costume.
There also was an imposing, very lengthy inscription in Ancient Greek which said:
By the divine grace, under our most God-loving father and shepherd Elias the bishop, the holy diaconicum of God was rebuilt and adorned with the holy baptismal font of rebirth and the most graceful cup, through the effort of Elias the hegumen and priest, under the consulate of Flavius Lampadius and Flavius Orestes the most illustrious, the month of August, 9th indiction, the year 425 of the province. For the salvation of Muselius the scholastic and his wife Sergo. For the salvation of Philadelphus the scholastic and Gothus the scholastic and of all those who belong to them. Amen o Lord!
Hundreds of years later, before l was born, this historic Byzantine art was faithfully preserved on a pair of silk carpets. Most likely woven by special commission in Egypt in the mid 20th century.
To me personally there is no surprise, event or frankly anything that gets me more excited than the purchase of a treasured piece of understated artwork such as that of a proper vintage/antique carpet. The sourcing, grading and authentication of these pieces is no small task but is of the highest importance. Through the respected dealer Hadi Maktabi all that is guaranteed, and rest assured the one thing I can guarantee personally as a client is a first class service from the initial selection process till it gets delivered right to your door step. It was an undeniably special experience, with hundreds of carpets to choose from, will definitely be visiting again. Thank you dear Hadi. Habeeb Al Monawer, Kuwait ๐ฐ๐ผ
Hadi Maktabi and his staff provide comprehensive and thoughtful services to collectors and textile buyers worldwide. His knowledge of antique oriental rugs and textiles, including many fine offerings from the Levant, is unsurpassed. We have been loyal customers for over five years and have visited his Beirut premises. He has worked with us upon several occasions to select the exact Ottoman and Levantine pieces we wanted for our collection. You can be sure of quality and honesty when dealing with Hadi. Penelope and Timothy Hays, Just In From The East Collection, Florida ๐บ๐ธ
Purchasing carpets from Hadi Maktabi was the epitome of professionalism and joy. Hadi is an expert curator, purveyor, historian and story teller. His passion, knowledge, professionalism and expertise are evident every step of the way. With a wide range of choices and prices, prompt service, and fast sipping, we had our carpets in Sydney in a matter of days. The ultimate flying carpet experience! Zeina Tebbutt, Sidney, Australia ๐ฆ๐บ