Antique Qashqai horse blanket or jol from Iran. 145×145 cms

Simple Elegance: Antique Qashqai Horse Blanket (Jol)

Discover the unique beauty of this antique Qashqai jol, or horse blanket. Woven with an undyed wool background in a natural ivory hue, its simplicity highlights the artistry within.

Embracing the organic beauty of imperfection, the weaver introduced knotted (pile) flowers scattered across the field in a wonderfully random distribution. This free-form creativity contrasts beautifully with the more formal and symmetric colorful border at the bottom, creating a captivating balance.

Given its construction, the weaver likely worked on a smaller loom, necessitating the weaving of two separate pieces joined in the middle. The finishing touch includes very long, plaited fringes—imagine them flowing gracefully as the blanket adorned a horse!

This piece features only natural dyes. It remains in very good condition, with only some slight staining, and notably, the tassels on the fringes and pom-poms are well-preserved.

Material: 100% hand-spun sheep wool

Size: 145×145 cms

Origin: Qashqai tribe, Iran

Date of weaving: 1900s

Jol or horse blanket

The word Jol in Farsi us used for a horse blanket or cover. A jol is put over a horse either to protect it from the cold in the winter or at night, after a long gallop or after it has been perspiring intenselly.

Besides keeping a horse wam, a jol is meant to be the horse´s ceremonial garnment in weddings, national festivities and official visits. Just as the horseman will don his best clothes, so he decorates his horse with the best of his jol.

Qashqai

Turkic-speaking pastoral nomadic tribal groups began entering central and southern Iran during the eleventh and twelfth centuries.The Qashqai, as a large tribal unit, dates back at least to the early eighteenth century, when some Turkish(Turki)-speaking tribal groups in the region existed under the name Qashqai.

Qashqai kilims are best known for their boldness and and freedom in the way the pattern is drawn. An aesthetically pleasing geometry, the fineness of their wool and their clear, strong colours combine to ensure their reputation as superlative examples.