Persian Rug Isfahan 150 x 90 cm Cashmere Hand-knotted

Isfahan Persian Rug

Material and Craftsmanship

This hand-knotted Isfahan Persian rug is made from cashmere, wool, and cotton. The combination brings together several textile qualities within a traditionally produced furnishing piece. Wool has long been valued in hand-knotted rugs for its resilient, flexible surface and its naturally warm feel. Cashmere contributes a fine fibre to the stated composition, while cotton is commonly used in rug making as part of a firm and stable textile structure. Cashmere, wool, and cotton are the materials specified for this particular rug.

Hand-knotting means that individual knots are tied by hand into the prepared foundation. The maker follows a design and develops the visible pattern row by row. Unlike an industrially uniform floor covering, the surface is built through many separate manual actions. This technique is central to Persian carpet making. It determines how the pile is formed, how the drawing is transferred into the rug, and how each finished piece receives its own particular arrangement of knots and colour areas.

The knot density of this rug is 700,000 knots per square metre. In general, a high knot count makes it possible to render outlines, small floral elements, scrolling lines, borders, and geometric transitions with greater precision. Knot density is therefore an important technical indication of the fineness of a rug. It is not, by itself, a complete assessment of every quality factor: fibre, structure, dyes, design, and the care taken in completing each row also contribute to the character of a hand-knotted carpet.

The pile is specified as 5 mm high. Pile is the visible surface formed by the fibres held in the knotted structure. Its height affects the way the rug feels underfoot and how clearly its texture can be perceived. In a hand-knotted rug, pile, knots, and foundation are closely connected. The stated pile height is therefore a concrete technical detail of this piece and helps describe its surface without replacing the broader information about its materials and construction.

Origin and Tradition

This is a Persian rug from Isfahan, also written as Esfahan, and belongs to the Iranian tradition of carpet weaving. Iranian rugs are made in many different regions, and each developed its own preferences in drawing, colour, ornament, knotting, and proportion. The Isfahan designation points to a city and cultural setting associated with refined textile design. Its carpet tradition is part of a wider history that includes architecture, miniature painting, book arts, and other forms of skilled craftsmanship.

Isfahan became an important cultural centre over the course of Iranian history. During the Safavid period in particular, it grew in political, religious, and artistic importance. Carpets were produced for courts, ceremonial settings, and private patrons. Designs could be prepared by specialist artists and then translated into knotted textile surfaces by workshop weavers. This relationship between drawn composition and manual execution helped establish a tradition in which balance, proportion, symmetry, and carefully resolved detail were given considerable attention.

Isfahan carpets are often associated with finely drawn floral compositions, central medallions, scrolling vines, and clearly organised borders. These are not fixed requirements for every rug carrying the regional name. They are part of a broader vocabulary from which workshops and designers developed many variations. Colour schemes also differ widely. Bright, pale, deep, or muted tones may be combined according to the design and the period. The particular rug described here is identified with Isfahan and has an elegant, traditional style.

Iranian carpet making depends on a substantial body of practical knowledge. It includes preparing the foundation, placing the knots, passing and compacting the wefts, maintaining an even progression of rows, and reading a drawn pattern accurately. In a fine rug, small changes in colour and shape must be followed across many rows. The process calls for patience, experience, and a clear understanding of how a two-dimensional drawing will become a textile surface.

In many weaving environments, this knowledge was passed through families, workshops, or long apprenticeships. A weaver repeats small movements while maintaining the direction and proportions of a complex composition. A pattern is not applied in one rapid operation; it emerges gradually from the relationship between knots, weft, and warp. This production method makes a Persian rug a record of manual textile work as well as a useful floor covering. It explains why hand-knotted rugs are considered part of a living regional craft tradition.

Isfahan represents an urban workshop tradition in which design and execution are closely related. Designs may draw on historical models, botanical forms, architectural geometry, or ordered abstract structures. Materials, colours, and stylistic preferences changed over time, while the basic method of hand-knotting remained important. This rug dates from the late twentieth century, a period in which traditional Iranian designs continued to be produced for domestic interiors and for the international rug market. Its stated period is from 1970 to 1999.

Design and Pattern

The design of this Persian rug is described as elegant and traditional. Warm antique red is given as its defining colour. The word antique suggests a softened and mature red rather than a highly bright primary tone. In Persian carpet design, red grounds have a long history because they provide a substantial background for ornament while giving a composition a warm domestic presence. The specified warm antique-red colour is therefore an important part of the visual description of this individual rug.

Persian rug design often depends on a clear organisation of the woven field. A central field may be surrounded by one or more main borders, with narrower guard borders marking the transitions. Floral ornaments can be formed from blossoms, leaves, stems, and scrolling vines. Geometric forms create repetition, rhythm, and definition. A medallion can establish a focal point, while an all-over arrangement distributes motifs across the field. Which of these approaches is used depends on the individual drawing and workshop; general regional vocabulary does not establish an unstated motif for this rug.

Isfahan designs are traditionally linked with careful drawing and measured symmetry. Symmetry can create calm and order, while curved lines introduce movement. Small details can be separated through precise outlines and graduated colour changes. A high knot density is technically useful for such work because smaller knots allow delicate contours and transitions to be represented more accurately. Knotting density supports the legibility of a design, although the final appearance also depends on the drawing, the fibres, the weave, and the execution.

Ornament in Persian carpet art performs more than a decorative role. It organises the relationship between the central field, surrounding borders, and outer edge. Repeated leaves or flowers can connect separate areas, while geometric repetition establishes a visual measure. Borders frame the composition and provide a sense of closure. Individual motifs may have historical, botanical, religious, or purely decorative associations, and their interpretation is not always uniform. Their effect in the rug also depends on scale, spacing, colour, and the way the elements are drawn.

Warm antique red functions in this context as a unifying colour. It can hold larger areas together while providing a background against which contrasting outlines remain visible. Muted tones often give a traditional composition a settled appearance, while carefully placed colour changes distinguish one ornament from another. The description elegant and traditional places this rug within a classical Persian design direction without naming a specific medallion, floral arrangement, or geometric motif that is not stated in the source.

In a hand-knotted rug, design is created through the physical textile structure. Every knot contributes to a line, a colour field, or an ornamental contour. Small variations can remain visible because the surface is made manually rather than reproduced as a perfectly identical industrial image. This is a normal consequence of hand craftsmanship. The interaction of colour, pile, knot density, and regional design vocabulary gives this Isfahan Persian rug its stated visual character.

Special Features

A specifically stated feature is the rug’s suitability for rooms with underfloor heating. It can therefore be used in a contemporary interior in which heat is delivered through the floor. The stated materials and construction are described as suitable for appropriate heat transmission. This allows a traditional hand-knotted rug to be used alongside modern heating technology while retaining its Iranian identity and established craft character.

The rug dates from the late twentieth century and is assigned to the period from 1970 to 1999. Its condition is described as used. These details concern this particular piece and should be taken into account when it is placed and cared for. As a hand-knotted one-off, it is not an industrially identical series product. The manually made arrangement of knots and pattern areas gives the rug an individual execution.

Regular vacuuming is recommended for routine care, and fresh stains should be removed promptly with a damp cloth. Professional cleaning is recommended for a thorough clean. Gentle treatment is appropriate for a hand-knotted rug because pile, colour, and woven structure work together as one surface. These care recommendations support responsible use of the natural materials without changing the fact that the rug is described as used.

FAQ

How should I care for this Persian rug?

Vacuum the rug regularly to remove loose dirt before it becomes embedded in the surface. Fresh stains should be treated immediately with a damp cloth. Vigorous rubbing should be avoided because it can place unnecessary stress on the pile and textile surface. Professional rug cleaning is recommended for a thorough clean. Since this rug is hand-knotted and in used condition, careful, gentle treatment is appropriate for its natural materials and manually made structure.

Can the rug be placed over underfloor heating?

Yes. This Persian rug is suitable for use in rooms with underfloor heating. Its specified materials and construction are described as allowing appropriate heat transmission. The rug can therefore combine a traditional hand-knotted form with a modern heating system. This suitability concerns use over underfloor heating and does not change the rug’s stated Iranian origin, Isfahan designation, hand-knotted technique, or traditional style.

Where does the Persian rug come from?

The rug comes from Iran and is identified as an Isfahan, or Esfahan, Persian rug. Isfahan is one of the recognised centres of Iranian carpet art and has a long tradition of refined designs and hand-knotting. Persian rugs are produced in different Iranian regions, each with its own approaches to colour, pattern, and knotting technique. For this piece, Isfahan is the stated origin designation, while the late twentieth century, elegant traditional style, and warm antique-red colour provide further historical and visual context.