Caravans, Covers and Containers

Horse Cover
Iran, Ferahan region
19th Century
Wool pile
104 x 132 cm (41 x 52 in.)
Judith Brick Freedman Collection

Horse covers come in a remarkable variety of regional styles. Produced for display, these examples were made with care. This horse cover is of a type associated with the Ferahan district, long known as an important weaving center. The town of Ferahan proper produced carpets in commercial quantities, a fine example of which can be seen in the Village and Commercial Carpets of Iran section of this exhibition. One of the distinguishing features of Ferahan weavings is the use of a curious pale green dye that corrodes the wool, seen in the narrow border of this example. The almost empty midnight-blue field is an aesthetic much appreciated in the Persian world.

Ferahan Horse Cover