Gora Gabbeh Gold Hand Knotted Wool Carpet 3' X 5'

Gabbeh weaving comes from the Lori and Qashqa'i shepherds of southwestern Iran, a tribal practice in which the rug carries the herd's wool to market in the form of a thick-pile floor covering. The vocabulary is small. A field of one or two colours, a few abstracted lions or trees of life, and the abrash drift that signals hand-spun yarn and small dye baths. The Gora reading of the tradition pulls the field into a warm gold register and treats the design as poetry rather than catalogue.

One weaver worked the loom for around three and a half months over the 3' x 5' (91 x 152 cm) length. Hand-spun wool ran through the pile at a deliberately heavy weight, knotted at the low density that Gabbeh demands so the chunky plush is preserved. Dye was prepared from saffron-toned plant matter and walnut hull in the gold register, and from indigo and madder for the small motifs. The shear was set high to leave the wool with breath.

The composition

A gold field. A handful of tribal incident, perhaps a stylised tree or a row of small animal forms, scattered with the casual confidence of a weaver who is improvising rather than copying a cartoon. The ground itself is the subject, with abrash bands of slightly different yellow drifting across the field as the dye batches change. Over a decade the gold lifts toward honey, the indigo cools, and the wool develops the patina that distinguishes Gabbeh from any other weaving school.

What you are buying

Antique Qashqa'i Gabbehs from the 1880-1930 period regularly clear $3,000 to $7,000 at European tribal auction. This is a new weaving in the same hand, on the same upright loom, in the same low-density count and high pile, and the rug appreciates with use rather than depreciating with age. The wool patinas the way leather does, the design has been in continuous demand for a hundred years, and no other floor object holds value through wear.

The piece in a room

3' x 5' (91 x 152 cm) suits a bedside, a foyer, a pooja or mandir room, or a window seat. The gold ground warms rooms with cool plaster and grey stone, and pairs with walnut, oak, and brass. The high pile rewards bare feet and softens the acoustic of a hard-surfaced room.

Conservation

Vacuum gently on low suction, beater bar off, so the long pile is not pulled. Rotate the runner every six months to spread traffic. Lift spills with a dry cotton cloth before any liquid is applied. A wool conservator wash every five to six years keeps the dye saturated and the wool open. Gabbeh wool runs fifty years and beyond.

Reference

• Medium: hand-knotted hand-spun wool on cotton foundation
• Dimensions: 91 x 152 cm (3' x 5')
• Construction: Persian asymmetric knot, low density Gabbeh
• Hands: 1 weaver, ~3.5 months
• Pile: high, hand-spun wool
• Dye: vegetable
• Origin: India

Free shipping anywhere in India. Cash on delivery available. Seven-day exchange.