Readings of this motif
Scholars and makers disagree about what this motif means. The readings below are presented side by side; none is endorsed as the settled answer.
- A garden lattice reduced to its smallest repeat.
- The 'mahi dar ham' or interlaced-fish reading of the curved leaves.
How to recognise it
Look for the Herati as a repeated unit rather than a single image: its scale, density and the way it sits in a border or field often tell you more about workshop and region than the form alone. The same motif crosses weaving, metal, tile and painting, so a match is a starting point for comparison, never proof of origin.
Used in these crafts
A hand-knotted pile textile woven across Iran in city workshops, village looms and pastoral camps, distinguished by regional structure, palette and design vocabulary.
The workshop carpet tradition of Tabriz in East Azerbaijan, characterised by drawn cartoons, a distinctive hook-knife weaving method and a wide range of fineness grades.