Shirvan Oriental Rug 104 × 295 cm, Wool, hand-knotted, antique

Overview

A Shirvan Oriental rug, measuring 104 × 295 cm. It covers approximately 3.07 m², or 3.4′ × 9.7′. Every piece is knotted individually, so no two come out exactly alike.

Materials and construction

Stated material: cotton warp, wool. 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. New wool gives a resilient pile that recovers from footfall and takes dye deeply. The cotton warp holds the rug flat and keeps it dimensionally stable.

Format and use

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.

Fineness of the knotting

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

Age and condition

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 dominant colour range is red and orange. 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.