The Seirafian Family's Active Generation (Part 1)
The Seirafian family, renowned for their Persian Isfahan carpets, continues their legacy into the third and fourth generations. Members like Karim, Bagher, Mojtaba, and Farzad Seirafian uphold traditional craftsmanship while incorporating modern innovations. This article explores their contributions, unique styles, signatures, and the enduring influence of the Seirafian name in carpet weaving, highlighting their balance of heritage and contemporary techniques.
The information for this article was obtained from several Seirafian family members, collectors, and specialized dealers.
An article about the first and second generations can be found here. As these two generations produced simultaneously, they are generally referred to as the “first generation” in this article.
Table of Contents
Mojtaba Seirafian
Mojtaba (born in 1946), the oldest son of Mohammad Seirafian, started working in the rug business in the early 1960s when he was still a teenager. He became the first third-generation Seirafian carpet producer and learned from his father, Mohammad, who was one of the greatest carpet producers in the history of Isfahan. Mojtaba quickly gained the knowledge and skills to produce excellent carpets of his own. His works have a similar quality and style to his father's. In addition to classical medallion and pictorial designs, Mojtaba Seirafian has created and produced some stunningly vivid scenic landscape motifs. He has proven not only to be an excellent producer but also a very talented designer of carpets.
His earlier works mostly only carry the classic Seirafian bottom signature with a plain white background. More recent productions have a light blue decoration in the background of the bottom signature, as well as a top signature with his full name in Persian and English letters.
Mojtaba's son, Mehran Seirafian, holds a Ph.D. in Business and has also entered the carpet industry. Thanks to his extensive knowledge and understanding of his family's historical carpet production, he has successfully produced a number of beautiful and exceptional-quality Seirafian carpets. These carpets feature designs inspired by the works of his great-grandfather, Haj Agha Reza Seirafian.
Ali Seirafian
Ali Seirafian (born in 1949) is the son of Mohammad Ali Seirafian, the oldest of the seven "first-generation" Seirafian brothers. Together with his son, Amir Seirafian (standing on the left in the picture), he has continued his father's legacy by producing highest-end classical Seirafian carpets. Their carpets carry a modified Seirafian bottom signature that reads "Farsh Iran Isfahan Seirafian". In the background, it says "A. Seirafian Iran" in English letters. From my understanding, the "A" stands for both Ali and Amir.
In the picture, you can see a large medallion carpet hanging on the wall, a masterpiece produced by the late Mohammad Ali Seirafian. The carpet on the floor, a gorgeous room-size Gol-Bolbol carpet (birds and flowers), was produced by Mohammad Ali's son, Ali Seirafian.
Bagher Seirafian
Bagher (born in 1952), the second son of Mohammad Seirafian (born in 1922), has been producing fine Seirafian carpets for more than half a century. He started producing carpets at only 15 years of age, becoming one of the first third-generation Seirafian carpet producers. Just like his brothers Mojtaba and Mehdi, he was able to learn from his famous father, Mohammad Seirafian, and, due to his great talent, quickly acquired his own skillset to become an excellent carpet producer. Bagher Seirafian has now become one of the most important and largest active producers of Seirafian carpets. He mainly produces classic medallion design carpets with a similar look and feel to his father's works. The used wool is a bit harder than the one used in most older Seirafian carpets, which results in an extremely organized, aligned, and flat pile surface with razor-sharp motives. Bagher Seirafian has two sons: Farzad and Farbod Seirafian. Farzad has already established himself as an independent producer of the highest-quality and innovative Seirafian carpets (more about him later in this article). Farbod Seirafian has not yet produced carpets under his own name, but he has played an important supporting role in his father's workshop for several years. One of Bagher Seirafian's most popular and unique motives is the so-called Japanese Carpet, which can be seen in the picture. The name originates from the fact that the oldest version of this carpet is exhibited in the National Museum of Japan, which resulted in the great popularity of this design among Japanese collectors. In addition to the classic Seirafian bottom signature with a yellow-decorated background, most of his carpets (except for his early productions) carry a top signature with his full name in English and Persian letters.
Mehdi Seirafian
Just like his two older brothers, Mehdi (born in 1955) learned his carpet-making skills from his renowned father, Mohammad Seirafian. Mehdi's carpets exhibit a similar style and quality to his brothers' works. In addition to classical medallion designs, Mehdi is known for his unique tree-of-life designs, which feature vibrant colors and elements like deers, birds, and roses. In addition to a classical, white-background Seirafian bottom signature, Mehdi's works usually carry a top signature with his full name in both English and Persian letters. Mehdi's son, Sepehr Seirafian, has also joined the carpet business and has already produced some outstanding pieces, including a phenomenal pictorial rug featuring a rare motif by the renowned artist Mirza Agha Emami.
Karim Seirafian
Karim Seirafian (born in 1970) is the only son of the legendary master Sadegh Seirafian, who continued the legacy of producing carpets. His five siblings pursued different careers. Karim began producing carpets together with his father in the late 1980s and later continued to create his own masterpieces. The carpets made by Karim Seirafian are among the highest quality and most valuable Seirafian carpets that have ever been produced. By employing only the most skilled weavers and designers of Isfahan and meticulously supervising the production process, he has achieved a possibly unmatched level of execution and perfection among his produced carpets. The drawings of his motives appear impressively natural, detailed, and realistic.
Karim Seirafian's designs range from recreations and modifications of classic Seirafian designs that have been used by his father's and grandfather's generation to unique new creations such as the "Dancing Lady" (see picture) or the "Fish and Coral" design.
His signature is inspired by his father's and contains his full name in English letters. Unlike most other Seirafian signatures, it can be found within the carpet's pile and not the Kilim (flatwoven fringe part).
Farzad Seirafian
Farzad (born in 1982), the son of Bagher Seirafian, has become one of the first fourth-generation family members to establish himself as a respected and renowned producer of Seirafian carpets. He started producing carpets approximately 15 years ago at the age of 28. Besides running his own pharmaceutical company, he has extensively studied the history of carpet production in Isfahan during the 20th century and is, without exaggeration, an expert in historical Isfahan rugs. Using his knowledge and passion for classic Seirafian and Isfahan motifs, combined with his understanding of modern design, he has created a revolutionary type of Seirafian carpet: modern, innovative patterns combined with historical motif elements from the most important designs featured in early Seirafian carpets by his grandfather and great-grandfather. The works of Farzad Seirafian meet and exceed the quality standards of Seirafian rugs: finest wool, natural dyes, extremely fine weave, and flawless execution. His carpets carry a top signature with his full name in addition to the classic Seirafian bottom signature.
Coming Soon:
The Third Generation (Part 2)
This article only featured the sons and grandsons of the three eldest out of the seven “first-generation” Seirafian brothers. In the near future, I will publish an article about the sons of the four younger first-generation Seirafian brothers. They include Ahmad Seirafian’s sons Mahmoud and Mohammad Reza, Ali Seirafian’s sons Reza and Mohammad Hossein, Hossein Seirafian’s son Hamid, and Hassan Seirafian’s sons Ahmad-Reza and Ali-Reza. You can find the mentioned names on the bottom right part of the family-tree image below, which has been provided by Hussain Dashti, a true expert on Seirafian carpets. The publications about the Seirafian family on his Instagram page have been of great help while gathering information for this article.
