An ivory-ground Oriental Serapi is the most demanding rug in the family. With no field colour to absorb pattern noise, every error in drawing and every inconsistency in dye sits visible on the surface. The weavers compensate by tightening the cartoon, restraining the secondary palette, and asking the dye master for a narrower set of colours than a red or green ground would tolerate. The discipline shows in the finished work.

Three weavers worked this rug on a vertical loom in India over approximately seven months. The knots are Persian asymmetric, tied row by row from a hand-drawn cartoon hung above the warp. The wool is hand-spun from highland fleece. The ivory ground is undyed cream-toned fleece blended at skein. The accents are plant dyes, madder for the rust, indigo for the blues, walnut hull for the brown shadows, and oak gall for the black outlines. Cotton warp and weft holds the foundation flat to the full nine-by-twelve span.

The composition

An ivory field with a hooked medallion centred at the long axis, corner spandrels echoing the medallion in rust and indigo. The drawing is geometric, sharper than a floral Serapi would carry, with clean transitions between motif and ground. Over years the ivory will warm toward bone, the rust will soften toward brick, the indigos will deepen with oxidation. An ivory Serapi gets quieter and more refined with age, where a red Serapi gets richer.

What you are buying

Antique Serapi Orientals on ivory grounds at 9' x 12' (274 x 366 cm) trade at the major houses between forty and eighty thousand dollars when they appear, and they appear infrequently. This is a current weaving on the same construction principles in the same fibre with the same dye chemistry. It is built for use. The carpet appreciates with use rather than depreciating, which makes the price a position in a long-life asset rather than a depreciating purchase.

The piece in a room

9' x 12' (274 x 366 cm) anchors a primary living floor or a dining table for ten people with chairs out. The ivory ground suits cool architectures, lime-washed walls, raw concrete, white-painted plaster, and pale wood floors. It also takes a darker room well, settling against walnut panelling or oxblood walls without losing its presence. The rug expects to be the lightest object in the room.

Conservation

Rotate the rug a half turn twice a year so the lighter side does not yellow ahead of the darker. Vacuum weekly on suction only, beater bar lifted. Blot spills immediately with a clean white cotton cloth, never coloured. The ivory ground shows pigment transfer easily. Schedule a hand wash with a wool conservator every four to six years, slightly more often than a darker rug, using only plant-soap chemistry. Maintained well, the carpet runs eighty years.

Reference

• Medium: hand-knotted wool on cotton foundation
• Dimensions: 274 x 366 cm (9' x 12')
• Construction: Persian asymmetric knot
• Hands: 3 weavers, approximately 7 months
• Pile: hand-spun highland wool, undyed ivory ground
• Dye: vegetable (madder, indigo, walnut, oak gall)
• Origin: India

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