Number 1261
Origin Shahsavan
Material Wool
Style Pictorial
Type Tribal
Size 444 x 147
Age 1313 = 1895
Can anything be more unique? Let's look at the overall picture and get down to details. The size is incredible, part kelleh and part runner. The scale of drawing is more in your face than carpets tend to be, making it clear this was a wall (or tent?) hanging par excellence.
Right to left, we see the Hijra date 1313 in camel hair, then a clean shaven warrior with sword facing a ferocious lion that seems to tower over everything else. A cypress tree of life stands either side of the lion. Further on we see a camel (in camel hair!) with a beautiful saddle cover rug on its hump. The stripes suggest a kilim. The camel is led by a little boy and boy do I mean little. After this we get a weeping willow (bid majnoun) tree. All around you can spot snakes, sheep, ducks, dogs, birds, and various sea monsters.
I have been buying and collecting oriental rugs for over 40 years. As a result I have had direct experiences with many dealers and galleries throughout Europe, North America, the Middle East and Asia. The Hadi Maktabi establishment is distinct and unique. It is rare to find a dealer who not only has a discerning taste and excellent choice of rugs. But with Hadi, the experience is one of an erudite oriental rug scholar paired with years of family experiences and traditions dealing in rugs, carpets and textiles. The available choices, diversity and quality of his stock is awesome. It is always a pleasure. Highly recommended and satisfying. As a collector he has become not only a partner of choice, knowledge and information but also a valued friend. Robert Bell, CEO Royal Brompton & Harefield NHS Foundation Trust, U.K. 🇬🇧
I first met Dr. Maktabi as a lecturer on carpet history and was captivated by his passion for the subject. Only later I knew him as a dealer, though even in our financial transactions, Hadi has been a gentle guide and friend. He has understood my taste and interests and made wonderful suggestions, but never in a pushy way. That is to say I have enjoyed working with him on several levels and wish to continue our excellent relations and dealings far into the future. A. Harvey Pincis, formerly Dar Al Athar Al Islamiyyah Museum (Kuwait), Latvia 🇱🇻
You can't only be a customer of Hadi Maktabi. While his main purpose is rug dealing, he starts with story telling and ends with history selling. That's what I call high-end art curating and closing it all with an entertaining friendship. George El Hani, CEO Levica, Lebanon 🇱🇧