Vintage Persian Tabriz Pictorial Rug

A wool pile of symmetric knots on a cotton foundation. Against a near-black plain ground, the medieval Persian-Arabic scholar and scientist faces left in a bust-length image, with a luxuriant beard, hooked nose, and a cascading blue-grey turban over a rust robe. The lower cartouche gives his name and date of birth, 1048, while five additional ecru cartouches provide further details in nastaliq script. A dark red ground border with coral-red arabesquerie encloses the composition.