This piece is a large bagface woven in two discrete panels by the Luri or Bakhtiari tribes living in the Zagros mountains of southwest Persia. Dating back to the early 20th century, the piece features vivid colours and iconography in each panel. The top half contains two diamonds enclosing the four forces icons depicting respect for the four forces of nature.
Tribal bags were made by nomadic and semi-nomadic tribes from Western and Central Asia for utilitarian and decorative purposes, usually with the same techniques and styles that they used for weaving rugs. Typically, women made the pieces without a set design in mind during the weaving process, which resulted in the variations in the patterns, and the irregular shapes. These “perfect imperfections” are the delicate nuances that add to the beauty of each one-of-a-kind handwoven piece.
The bags were used by tribal people for transporting goods when they migrated. They also served as storage containers within the tent. Some bags were meant to carry specific items, such as bedding, salt, etc. Often, the back of the bag is not as decorative as the front, or the ‘face’. Collectors of antique tribal bags, would sometimes discard the entire back portion, keeping only the front of the bag, which is also known as a bagface, and has high collectible value.