Silk is the most directionally responsive fibre a weaver can put under foot. Where wool diffuses light evenly in all directions, silk reflects it along the axis of the fibre, which is why a silk carpet appears to change colour as a viewer walks around it. The Eros sari-silk composition is built to take advantage of this property: the ivory ground and the soft secondary motifs are arranged so that the field reads as a single calm composition at distance and reveals its tonal play only on approach.

Three to four weavers shared the loom for roughly six months on this 9' x 12' (274 x 366 cm) piece. Recycled sari silk was respun by hand from salvaged garment fibres, then tied against a cotton foundation using the Persian asymmetric knot. After the carpet came off the loom it was washed in soft water and sheared to a low pile so the silk could carry its characteristic directional sheen across the field.

The composition

An ivory field carrying tribal and ikat-derived motifs in soft amber, indigo, and faded rose. The motifs are drawn at a relaxed scale rather than packed densely, which is what allows the eye to move across the field without being arrested at any single point. The silk is the active element. Walk around the room and the same motif reads paler from one angle and warmer from the opposite. Under evening lamps the ivory deepens; under morning daylight it returns to bone.

What you are buying

Hand-knotted silk carpets of this scale and labour content trade between $22,000 and $48,000 at international dealers and at auction. This piece is a contemporary sari-silk weaving in the same construction, at the same density, for ₹1,73,499 against an MSRP of ₹4,09,968. A hand-knotted silk carpet, properly maintained, holds value indefinitely and the optical play of the surface improves over the first decade of use.

The piece in a room

9' x 12' anchors a primary sitting room or a dining hall. The ivory palette and the silk surface are at their strongest in rooms with cool plaster walls, with light woods, with a mix of daylight and warm lamps, and with surrounding furniture in muted tones. The carpet should not be placed in continuous direct sunlight; silk fades faster than wool under sustained UV.

Conservation

Rotate one half turn twice each year. Vacuum monthly, suction only, beater bar off; silk pile is not engineered for a beater bar. Blot any spill with a clean cotton cloth and call a silk-trained conservator immediately for any large or oily stain. Professional hand-cleaning every four years. With this care the piece serves several decades.

Reference

• Medium: hand-knotted recycled sari silk on cotton foundation
• Dimensions: 274 x 366 cm (9' x 12')
• Construction: Persian asymmetric knot
• Hands: 3-4 weavers, ~6 months
• Pile: sari silk, low
• Origin: India

Free shipping across India. Cash on delivery available. 7-day exchange. The carpet ships crated for safe handling.