Qashqai Soffreh 127 x 90cm

Qashqai Soffreh (Bread making cloth)
I love this piece with all its naievity it also has great symbolism.
Thought to have been woven in the mid 1900sby the most colourful and still migrating tribe of Iran today.
A shorter than most soffreh or eating cloth.
This would be laid out in the desert for the family to gather around and eat just as we would in the west at a table. The colourful knots could be pure decoration but could also be for practicality as the ends are slightly burnt.
Would this have been to save the rest of the cloth from the hot pot marks as they were lifted off the fire? Maybe.
The design too with the main field being natural sheep colour with playful knots and embroidered motifs. The raised detailing representing the shape of a butterfly, and near mirrored markings, would this have been woven by one or two weavers we don’t know but a fantastic thought-provoking rug without question.
 
Origin: Western Asia
Circa: 1900’s
Size: 127 x 90cm
Rug Code: PP5388