Persian Rugs, dating?

I picked these up from a local estate last summer. They original owner worked in the oil industry and traveled through the Middle East extensively throughout his career, most likely 1950-70's. All these are made of wool and have a block print decoration. The square piece is thinner than the others and measures 100x100cm. The other two are thicker, but it's still hard to image them being used as a rug. One measures 16x24", and the other measures 5x7ft. I showed a picture to a physician friend from Egypt and he said the largest pieces decoration refers to the Shah. The two smaller pieces are marked and the large piece is not. Any thoughts are age, style, origin, etc are greatly appreciated.

 

you say rugs.....are these all painted ??
Or silkscreened ?
They look like persian rugs.....but i don't think so...

 

These are not rugs in the sense that most people (and Google) would interpret. I think you'll do better searching Persian "fabric" or, for the really large one, "floor cloth." They could be for covering tables or low stools or the 100cm square might have been used as a shawl.

 

I believe the style of decoration is called block print, which would be ink.

 

I know they have never been properly researched. I paid $10 for the three. Any idea as to age?

 

I think they were brand new when acquired by the former owner, for sure the one with Made in Iran on it.

 

Well then, they must be post-1939, when Persia adopted its present name.

Not rugs. Table covers, bedcovers, whatever. Block printed, not silk screened or painted. You should be able to find several examples on ebay.

 

Looks like at least one came from the city of Isfahan, Iran. Here's a kind of interesting description of "Ghalamkar cloth" made by printing with pear-wood blocks:

http://www.helloisfahan.com/pages/view/pageid/59/lang/en

perhaps a unique local product of Isfahan. I know zip about textiles but this is what my neighbor Dr. Google told me.

 

Not unique. "Ghalamkar" = kalamkari in India. Used to be hand *painted* (which is what I think the word basically means); then hand printed with painted accents; then block printed.

 

1. Kalamkari (Telugu: కలంకారి) or Qalamkari is a type of hand-painted or block-printed cotton textile, produced in parts of India and in Iran. The word is derived from the Persian words ghalam (pen) and kari (craftmanship), meaning drawing with a pen (Ghalamkar).