Vintage Persian Tabriz Souf Pictorial Throw Rug

A wool souf pile of symmetric knots on a cotton foundation. The pile is worked in two heights, with raised relief (souf) forming the pattern of a woman bound to a cross and pierced by an arrow, set against a lower, plain ecru field. The border is composed of alternating light and dark tiles. The grisly iconography does not appear typically Persian, and its source remains obscure. The figure is marked by an unusually extended chin. Color is used sparingly.