Rugsville Heriz Blue Rust Wool Carpet 6' x 9'

Heriz patterns work because they refuse to be polite. The drawing is angular where Persian city carpets are curvilinear, the medallion is forceful where others are restrained, and the colours are stated rather than blended. The tradition grew out of village and small-town weaving in north-west Persia, where geometry was an act of structural confidence rather than a stylisation, and the design has held its place in serious collections for a century and a half.

This 6' x 9' (183 x 274 cm) Heriz was hand-knotted in India by two to three weavers across roughly five months. The blue and rust palette is built from indigo and madder, the two oldest dyes in the tradition. The wool is hand-spun and the foundation is cotton, double-wefted to give the rug the structural weight that a Heriz needs to read correctly. Knots are tied row by row, packed down with a steel comb, and trimmed with hand shears.

The composition

A central rust medallion with a stepped cartouche silhouette, set into a deep indigo field. Corner spandrels in cream pull the eye to the four quarters and balance the central mass. Geometric vine work fills the spaces between motifs. The border is a tri-banded structure with the main band carrying a turtle palmette pattern, the kind of border drawing that gives a Heriz its architectural rigour. The rust will lighten over the years and the indigo will deepen.

What you are buying

A Heriz of this scale and palette, in good antique condition, trades at international auction in the $8,000 to $25,000 band. This is a new weaving in the same lineage, in the same fibre, on the same kind of loom. The carpet appreciates with use rather than depreciating, and at this price the entry into a serious geometric Persian-tradition piece is well below comparable dealer pricing.

The piece in a room

6' x 9' (183 x 274 cm) suits a sitting room with a three-seat sofa and a pair of low armchairs, or a primary bedroom with the rug centred under the bed and the medallion exposed at the foot. The geometry pairs well with mid-century walnut, with brass lighting, and with linen upholstery in cream or dusty blue. Strong direct sunlight will warm the rust and slowly settle the indigo into a darker register.

Conservation

Rotate the rug a half turn each spring and autumn to even the wear and dye ageing. Vacuum weekly on suction only, beater bar off. Blot any spills with a clean cotton cloth, never rub the pile. Plan a hand wash by a wool-trained conservator every five to seven years. The rug is built for eight or nine decades of daily use.

Reference

• Medium: hand-knotted wool on cotton foundation
• Dimensions: 183 x 274 cm (6' x 9')
• Construction: Persian asymmetric knot
• Hands: 2 to 3 weavers, roughly 5 months
• Pile: hand-spun wool
• Dye: vegetable (madder, indigo)
• Origin: India

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