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Keschan · 19th century
Mohtasham Kashans from the late 19th century are among the finest Persian rugs ever made and command high prices at auction.
Photo: Wikimedia Commons / Christies · Public Domain
Mohtesham (also spelled "Mohtasham" or "Motasham") was a master weaver and workshop owner in Kashan in the second half of the 19th century, roughly 1850 to 1900. His name still stands today for the highest quality grade of antique Kashan rugs: collectors and auction houses simply speak of a "Mohtesham Kashan" as a mark of quality.
Mohtesham rugs are immediately recognisable by a specific palette: deep, plum-coloured wine red (obtained from Laccifer scale insects, the so-called lac dyestuff), combined with broken indigoIndigoPflanzlicher Farbstoff aus der Indigopflanze, der tiefe Blautöne erzeugt. Einer der wichtigsten Naturfarbstoffe orientalischer Teppiche.Read in glossary → blues, pure ivory, and muted ochre. The colour depth of these rugs is unmistakable — the natural ageing of the plant dyes produces gentle abrashAbrashNatürliche Farbabweichungen innerhalb einer Teppichfläche, die durch unterschiedliche Färbechargen oder Wollsorten entstehen. Bei handgeknüpften Teppichen ein Qualitätsmerkmal.Read in glossary → effects that present-day reproductions lack.
The material is extremely fine cork wool from the necks of young sheep, often on a cotton or even silk warp. Knot density reaches 400,000 to 800,000 knots per square metre.
Mohtesham predominantly knotted classical medallion rugs with floral borders, often carrying Shah Abbas palmettes and HeratiHeratiKlassisches Muster aus einem Rautenrahmen mit zentraler Rosette und vier gebogenen Blättern (Fisch-Motiv). Sehr verbreitet in persischen Dorfteppichen.Read in glossary → fields drawn from Safavid manuscripts. A subgroup are figural "pictorial Kashans" with biblical, mythological, or courtly scenes — for instance the depicted rug showing Joseph with his brothers. Such pictorial rugs were commissioned by Persian, European, and American clients of the period.
Signed Mohtesham Kashans appear in all major oriental rug collections, including the Metropolitan Museum, the Victoria & Albert Museum, and the Museum of Applied Arts in Vienna. At Christie's and Sotheby's they are regularly traded in the five- to six-figure range; exceptional pictorial rugs have already crossed seven-figure prices.
After 1900 Mohtesham's workshop tradition was lost, and his specific colour quality has never been matched again. Modern Kashan rugs adopt the patterns and sometimes label themselves as "Kashan Mohtasham" quality, but collectors strictly distinguish an original 19th-century Mohtesham from a later adaptation.
Associated style
Kashan rugs from central Iran are classic Persian carpets — elegant, finely knotted, and rich in floral patterns.