Afghan Oriental Rug 123 × 179 cm, Silk, hand-knotted, antique

Overview

An Afghan Oriental rug from Afghanistan, measuring 123 × 179 cm. It covers approximately 2.20 m², or 4.0′ × 5.9′. Afghan rugs are knotted in wool, traditionally in deep reds and around the repeating gül.

Materials and construction

Stated material: silk, silk warp. The rug was knotted entirely by hand on the loom, which is why the surface is not mechanically even but carries the small irregularities that mark hand work. A silk pile changes tone with the angle of view: the same area reads lighter or darker as you move around it. The silk warp forms the carrying structure and sets how finely the rug can be knotted.

Size and placement

The rug is rectangular. At this size the rug works as an accent — beside a bed, under a low table, or on a wall. In our size filter it is listed under approx. 200×135cm.

On the knot count

The stated knot density is 300,000–399,999 knots/m². A middle count: the pattern reads clearly while the rug keeps a robust, everyday handle.

Period

Stated age: 50 years or more. An old rug shows an evened, slightly lowered pile and the patina that only use produces; that is a mark of age, not of damage. The piece is a one-off: in this combination of size, material, knot count and drawing it exists exactly once, and it cannot be reordered once sold.