Mashad weaving is the slow strain of classical Persian rug making. Where other regional traditions favour bold contrast, the Mashad school developed a vocabulary built on tonal sympathy, fields and figures separated by no more than a few values, drawn so the eye reads pattern as a single breath rather than as outlined design. The pattern in this rug belongs to that school. A light green ground with brown floral work threaded through it in tones close enough to read as the same family.

Two weavers shared the loom for close to four months. About 1.4 million asymmetric knots were tied row by row against the cotton warp, each pass beaten down with a wooden comb. The pile is yarn-dyed hand-spun wool, the dye taken in the skein before the warp was set, then luster washed at the end of weaving to relax the surface and draw the lanolin back into the fibre. The brown carries a slight reddish undertone where the dye took a second bath, which gives the floral work depth rather than reading as a flat shape.

The composition

A pale green field with brown floral repeats running edge to edge, the border drawn in the same brown at heavier saturation. The drawing is deliberately quiet, line widths held narrow so the figure never crowds the ground. Over the first decade the green will lighten slightly and the brown will move toward warm walnut. What now reads as deliberate restraint will, in time, read as the kind of unforced harmony only a Mashad can hold.

What you are buying

Antique Mashad-school carpets at 5' x 8' with comparable condition trade at Sotheby's and Rippon Boswell in the range of three to five times this asking price when they appear in clean state. This is a contemporary weaving in the same tradition, hand-knotted on a vertical loom, in hand-spun wool. The rug appreciates with use rather than depreciating, which is the property that distinguishes a true hand-knotted piece from any tufted or machine equivalent.

The piece in a room

5' x 8' (152 x 244 cm) suits a primary bedroom set under the foot of the bed, or a sitting area arranged around two armchairs and a low table. The light green and brown palette pairs with walnut floors, oak panelling, and unframed art. It holds against pale plaster walls and against lime wash in cooler tones. The rug carries the colour of the room rather than fighting for it.

Conservation

Rotate a half turn every six months to spread foot traffic and light evenly. Vacuum weekly with the beater bar disengaged. Blot spills with a cotton cloth, never rub. Hand wash by a wool conservator every five to seven years. With this care the rug holds its colour and structure for sixty to eighty years.

Reference

• Medium: hand-knotted wool on cotton foundation
• Dimensions: 152 x 244 cm (5' x 8')
• Construction: asymmetric knot
• Hands: 2 weavers, ~4 months
• Pile: 10 mm, hand-spun wool
• Dye: yarn-dyed wool, luster washed
• Origin: India

Free UK delivery. 14-day returns. Authentic hand-knotted craftsmanship.