Contexts of Formation and Consequences of Holding the First World Carpet Exhibition in Austria

In the second half of the nineteenth century, coinciding with extensive cultural and economic developments in the West, the first World Exhibition of Oriental Handmade Carpets held in the Austrian Empire. Considering the importance of carpets in the political and economic life of Iran in that period, the purpose of this study is to identify the background of the formation and results of this exhibition and the place of Iranian handmade carpets in this event. Documentary and historical studies have shown that Iranian carpets took the first place in this exhibition in terms of quantity and quality. The visual and aesthetic values ​​of these carpets promoted the research values ​​of Oriental and Iranian carpets among researchers and the founding of the Vienna School of Carpetology. The admiration of these carpets by critics and cultural elites led to the tendency of museums and art collections to buy and display Iranian carpets in the category of fine arts. The combination of these measures stimulated the demand for the purchase of handmade carpets among Western households and strengthened the production and export of Iranian carpets through the mediation of multinational and Iranian companies.