Isfahan Persian Rug 85 × 217 cm, Wool and Silk, hand-knotted

Overview

An Isfahan Persian rug from Iran, measuring 85 × 217 cm. It covers approximately 1.84 m², or 2.8′ × 7.1′. Isfahan has been a centre of Persian court weaving since the Safavid period; its rugs are finely knotted and frequently set on a silk warp.

Materials and construction

Stated material: wool, 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. Silk is set into a wool ground, so the silk passages catch the light while the wool carries the wear. The silk warp forms the carrying structure and sets how finely the rug can be knotted.

Size and placement

The rug is a runner format. A runner suits a hallway, a landing or the length of a kitchen, where a rectangular rug would sit awkwardly. In our size filter it is listed under Runner up to 300cm.

On the knot count

A coarser count, typical of village and nomad work, where the pile is thicker and the rug hard-wearing.

Period

Stated age: contemporary. The pile is still full and largely unwalked. The dominant colour range is multicolor. 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.