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Article: Carpet and shawl weavers in nineteenth-century Iran.
- Article from:
- Middle Eastern Studies
- Article date:
- October 1, 1993
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 1993 Frank Cass & Company Ltd. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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In a carpet factory [in Kerman] the owner was showing the work of an expert little weaver of five to a visitor. The visitor asked what the child's daily wage amounted to for such beautiful work. When he heard the small sum he asked if it was possible for her to live on it. |No, of course', was the reply, but, she is only an orphan.
Persian carpets are indeed beautiful and attractive. Not only for many Iranians, but for a large number of non-Iranians these items have special value. In his classic work on Iran, Lord Curzon wrote in 1892 that in his view |I do not think that a more exquisite fabric has ever been woven by human hands'.(1) He also commented on the ...