Large Bidjar rugs or carpets tend to be central medallion designs, but in addition to these there were Bidjars that drew upon the earlier Persian carpet design tradition - the allover patterns of the Timurid period (15th century). This example preserves that earlier tradition beautifully. Its field consists of vertical and horizontal rows of four-armed quatrefoils defined or outlined by Y-shaped arabesques. These create reciprocal background forms of eight-pointed stars, although the latter have become blunted by the separation of the quatrefoils. Because of the dense floral filling within these stars and quatrefoils, their outlines and the fundamental geometry of the rug have become more subtle; we have to look to see them. But this underlying order provides much of the effect and beauty of the rug. The palmette vine scroll border derives from later, Safavid Persian carpets, but harmonizes beautifully with the color and forms of the floral filling in the field.
