Senneh carpets like this one are prized for the fineness of their weave and their varied but soft or delicate color palette. Sennehs also tend to leave large areas of the field open in contrast to the density of the cornerpieces and the borders. This example relates closely rugs from the nearby Bidjar region in northwest Iran which also utilizes oblong central medallions within a hexagonal field defined by cornerpieces. But unlike the Bidjars, much of this carpet surface is given over to the elaborate system of multiple borders. Here the red ground ‘turtle” border is emphasized by the clusters of minor borders to either side, all competing in complexity and interest with the long and correspondingly narrow field.
