By the early nineteenth century, regional looms in central Persia were producing the open, airy compositions that would define the Western drawing room for a hundred years. The vocabulary travelled east through Indian workshops that absorbed the technique without losing the original eye for proportion.

The piece took 2 weavers working approximately 4 months on a single beam. Thousands of persian-asymmetric knots, each one tied by feel rather than by count. The yarn is New Zealand wool, prepared in copper vats with vegetable dyes that mature for two to three weeks before the wool is lowered.

The composition

A turquoise register sits at the centre of the composition, ringed by drawing that holds the eye without crowding it. The overdyed motif vocabulary is restrained. There is no padding. Light will lift the depth of the dye over the years and traffic will compress the pile into the soft sheen that distinguishes a long-lived rug from a new one. The colour interaction continues to shift for the first decade of use, which is the point at which the rug reaches its mature palette.

What you are buying

At £6,099 the rug is an entry point to collecting hand-finished wool work. The fibre, the knot count, and the loom discipline match pieces sold at multiples of this price by Western dealers. Hand-knotted carpets do not depreciate. The pile compresses into a soft sheen, the dye deepens, and the rug is worth more in twenty years than it is today.

The piece in a room

At the size as listed, the rug holds its place as the focal element of a considered room. Pair with quiet upholstery and warm wood so the turquoise field reads as the work the rest of the composition is arranged around.

Conservation

Vacuum weekly, suction only. Rotate the rug end for end every six months so foot traffic and natural light age the surface evenly. Blot spills with a dry cotton cloth and follow with cool water on a second pass. Hand-wash by a wool-trained conservator every five years. The piece is built to outlive several refurbishments of the room it sits in.

Reference

• Medium: hand-knotted New Zealand wool on cotton foundation
• Dimensions: size as listed
• Construction: Persian asymmetric knot
• Knot density: ~150 KPSI
• Hands: 2 weavers, approximately 4 months
• Pile: 9-11 mm, hand-spun
• Dye: vegetable
• Origin: India

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