Persian Rug Tabriz 305 x 202 cm Cork Wool Hand-knotted

Tabriz Persian Rug

Material and Craftsmanship

This Persian rug from Tabriz is hand-knotted. Its pile is made of Kork wool, while the warp is cotton. Kork wool refers to a particularly fine selection of wool used for a smooth pile and precise pattern work. Wool has been central to Persian rug weaving for centuries because it can be spun into workable yarn, accepts colour well and can be manipulated closely during knotting. Its natural surface reflects light softly rather than producing the uniform sheen of a manufactured surface.

The cotton warp forms the supporting framework of the rug. These lengthwise threads hold the structure while coloured pile yarns are tied by hand around them. The knots are then arranged in successive rows and secured with weft threads. A hand-knotted rug is therefore built through many individual operations rather than through mechanically repeated strips. The combination of Kork wool in the pile and cotton in the warp brings together a fine working material at the surface and an organised textile foundation beneath it.

The listed knot density is approximately 500,000 knots per square metre. A density in this range permits a detailed rendering of narrow lines, curved outlines and compact floral elements. The term 50 Raj belongs to the technical vocabulary of Persian rugs and indicates a fine knotting quality. Raj is traditionally used as a count of knots across a defined short measure. A higher Raj number generally describes a finer weave and gives the weaver more scope for closely drawn detail. The stated density and the 50 Raj designation therefore describe a tightly executed hand-knotting technique.

The rug is in very good condition and has been freshly professionally washed. Professional washing of a hand-knotted wool rug requires attention to moisture, drying, brushing and the behaviour of the textile colours. Wool pile, cotton warp and dyes each respond to treatment as part of the same woven structure. The cleaning does not change the construction or the named materials; it records the rug’s current condition and its recent professional care.

Hand knotting also explains why fine Persian rugs are described through both their material and their density. The yarn, knot, warp and weft work together to create the finished surface. The material description identifies the pile and foundation separately, while the knot count gives an indication of how closely the design has been translated into the textile. These are technical aspects of the rug and are distinct from the floral description of its pattern.

Origin and Tradition

Tabriz, also written Täbriz, is one of the major centres of Persian rug weaving. The city lies in north-western Iran, in the historic region of Azerbaijan, and developed as an important commercial meeting point between the Iranian plateau, the Caucasus, Anatolia and regions farther east. The movement of people and goods encouraged the exchange of designs, dyes, fibres and weaving knowledge. Over time, Tabriz became known for an urban workshop tradition in which several influences were organised into a distinct local approach.

Tabriz weaving is associated with workshops, family businesses and specialist pattern designers. A design may first be prepared as a drawn plan or cartoon. This gives the knotters a guide for the position of outlines, fields, borders and ornaments. The work demands close attention to proportion, repetition and colour sequence. When the knotting is fine, small curves and narrow lines can be placed close together, allowing flowers, leaves and scrolling forms to remain recognisable rather than becoming broad, indistinct patches.

Persian rugs from Tabriz are known within the wider tradition for carefully organised compositions and controlled drawing. Regional workshop practice can combine central arrangements, continuous vines and balanced borders, but Tabriz is not limited to one fixed layout. Individual workshops have produced varied designs over time. The common ground lies in the relationship between a planned drawing, close knotting and an orderly distribution of ornament. Origin therefore identifies a broad city tradition rather than claiming that every Tabriz rug has the same field, border or colour scheme.

The term Persian rug identifies this piece as originating in Persia, meaning the area of present-day Iran. Persian rugs have historically been woven for domestic use, formal interiors and other settings in which a durable textile with a carefully developed design was required. Urban rugs such as those associated with Tabriz often reflect a planned method of production. Their patterns are arranged in advance and then transferred into the pile through rows of individually tied knots. This makes the drawing a central part of the craft, alongside the choice of yarn and the execution of the weave.

50 Raj is a traditional technical designation in Persian rug terminology. The counting method refers to the number of knots within a short, defined section and is used to classify the fineness of a weave. Such a designation is best read together with the construction, yarn and actual execution of the rug. Here it is accompanied by a listed density of approximately 500,000 knots per square metre. Together, the two details describe a fine technical character. They do not, by themselves, identify a particular floral species, border arrangement or colour palette.

The Tabriz tradition also illustrates the role of transmission in Persian weaving. Knowledge passes through the selection and preparation of yarn, the reading of a pattern plan, the regular placement of knots and the finishing of the woven surface. A workshop can preserve established methods while adapting the drawing to different commissions and periods. This is why the name Tabriz encompasses a varied body of work. Its significance lies in the city’s long-standing weaving culture and in the disciplined relationship between drawing and hand execution.

Design and Pattern

The pattern of this rug is floral. Floral design is one of the established languages of Persian carpet decoration and may include flowers, leaves, vines or stylised plant forms. The word floral describes the principal motif family here; it does not specify a particular flower, colour or layout. It also does not establish whether the design uses a central field, an all-over repeat or another arrangement. Those details belong to the individual drawing and are not added to the factual description.

In Tabriz design traditions, floral motifs are often connected by clear outlines and carefully controlled lines. A vine can link several blossoms, while leaves can divide the spaces between larger elements. In a finely knotted rug, these forms are represented through small changes in knot direction, colour placement and contour. The listed density provides the technical basis for close detail. It allows narrow outlines and compact ornamental units to remain distinct when they are positioned near one another.

Persian carpet design is often understood through the relationship between a main field and surrounding borders when a particular composition contains those parts. The field carries the main visual organisation, while borders frame the woven area and establish a transition toward the edge. Floral drawings can be symmetrical, rhythmically repeated or arranged along connected vines. The appropriate description of this rug remains floral because the source identifies the motif category but does not state a specific field or border scheme.

The character of a floral rug comes from more than the individual blossoms. Empty spaces, intervals between lines and the repetition of related shapes are equally important. Persian pattern drawing frequently places ornaments in relation to one another so that the surface reads as a connected composition. Hand knotting transfers this drawing into coloured knots. With a fine density, transitions between larger and smaller forms can be expressed through closely spaced changes. The result is a pattern that can be read as a whole while still rewarding close inspection of its details.

Tabriz designs are also associated with a balance between decorative structure and exact execution. A floral pattern can draw on established Persian conventions without reproducing one single historical model. Workshops have maintained, modified and combined pattern plans across generations. Regional origin therefore provides the cultural and technical context, not a complete inventory of every form present in one rug. In this piece, that context is joined to a floral design and a knotting quality identified as 50 Raj.

The fine construction affects how the design is perceived from different distances. From farther away, the floral pattern can be understood as an integrated surface. From closer up, the viewer can follow individual contours, knot rows and transitions between neighbouring areas. This movement between overall order and small detail is a characteristic way of reading a finely knotted Persian rug. It comes from the practical process of converting a drawn design into a large number of individually tied knots.

Floral ornament also connects the rug to a long Persian vocabulary of plant-based forms. Flowers and leaves may be represented realistically, geometrically or in a highly stylised manner. Their role can be descriptive, rhythmic or purely decorative. Without assigning unlisted details, the floral classification places this rug within that broad tradition of botanical ornament. Tabriz workshop practice gives the design a regional setting, while the hand-knotted Kork wool pile provides the surface on which the drawing is expressed.

Special Features

The specific features identified for this piece are its Tabriz origin, its 50 Raj designation, its knot density of approximately 500,000 knots per square metre and its construction in Kork wool on a cotton warp. It is hand-knotted and has a floral pattern. The condition is very good, and the rug has been freshly professionally washed. These details combine a fine Persian weaving specification with a recorded recent cleaning.

The separate descriptions of pile and warp make the textile structure clear. Kork wool forms the visible surface, while cotton provides the foundation around which the knots are made. Knot density describes the closeness of the technical execution; floral describes the motif language. Origin, material, technique and condition are therefore different parts of the rug’s description and should not be treated as interchangeable. Together they provide the factual profile of this one-off hand-knotted piece.

The Tabriz name further places the rug within an Iranian urban weaving tradition with a long history of drawn, workshop-based production. The 50 Raj designation and the listed density add a technical description of fineness, while the professional washing records its current presentation. No additional motif, colour, age or provenance is required to understand the features that are expressly identified for this rug.

FAQ

Where does the rug come from?

The rug comes from Tabriz, in Persia or present-day Iran. Tabriz is a major centre of Persian carpet weaving in the north-west of the country and is associated with carefully drawn urban workshop designs. The 50 Raj designation refers to a fine Persian knotting quality.

What is the rug made of?

The pile is made of Kork wool, and the warp is cotton. The rug is hand-knotted. Kork wool is used for a fine, workable pile, while the cotton warp provides the supporting framework for the rows of knots.

What condition is the rug in?

The rug is in very good condition and has been freshly professionally washed. Its pattern is floral, and its knot density is approximately 500,000 knots per square metre. The cleaning is part of the stated current condition of this hand-knotted Persian rug.