Heriz weaving comes out of the village tradition of north-west Iran, where geometric medallions and angular cornerpieces replaced the curvilinear vine work of the city workshops because the village looms set their warps coarser and the design language adapted. The Heriz vocabulary is bold, angular, and architectural, and Laila is a faithful descendant of that vocabulary scaled up for a modern room. The central medallion is large, the corners spandrel out cleanly toward the border, and the field carries the geometric vine work that Heriz weavers have drawn for two centuries.

Five weavers worked the loom for eight months. The foundation is hand-spun cotton, double weft, the structure that gives Heriz carpets their characteristic firmness. Pile is hand-spun wool from village fleece, kettle-dyed in copper vats with madder root for the rust, indigo for the deep blues, and oak gall for the soft grey-greens. The Persian asymmetric knot is tied by feel against a vertical beam at a count that supports the bold geometry without breaking the line.

The composition

Rust ground across the field, a large indigo medallion with stepped corners at the centre, and ivory spandrels framing the medallion at each corner. Vine work runs across the field in a darker rust and a fine indigo, the geometry confident rather than fussy. The border is composed of three guard bands and a main turtle-palmette band in indigo and ivory. The rust ground will lighten over the first decade and the indigo will deepen, the way every honest vegetable-dyed Heriz settles into itself.

What you are buying

Antique Heriz carpets in 12' x 18' (366 x 549 cm) at auction with documented late-nineteenth-century provenance bring $35,000 to $80,000 at Skinner, Rippon Boswell, and the major Persian sales when they appear in solid condition. This is a contemporary Heriz on the same kind of double-warp foundation, hand-spun wool, vegetable dye, with the same village geometry. The rug appreciates with use as the dye matures, which the laminated-back modern alternatives do not.

The piece in a room

12' x 18' (366 x 549 cm) is the scale for a great hall or a generous dining room. The rust and indigo pull warmth into rooms with cool stone or pale plaster walls, and the geometry holds against tall ceilings the way a smaller carpet would not. The piece sits well under a long refectory table or a sectional that frames a fireplace. Direct daylight helps the dye depth.

Conservation

Half-turn the carpet each spring and autumn for even ageing. Vacuum weekly, suction only, with the beater bar disengaged. Blot any spill with a clean cotton cloth, never rub. Hand wash by a wool-trained conservator every five years. Under that care the rug serves a hundred years and outlives the first owners.

Reference

• Medium: hand-knotted hand-spun wool on hand-spun cotton foundation, double weft
• Dimensions: 366 x 549 cm (12' x 18')
• Construction: Persian asymmetric knot, Heriz village structure
• Hands: 5 weavers, 8 months
• Pile: 10 mm
• Dye: vegetable (madder, indigo, oak gall)
• Origin: India

Free shipping anywhere in India. Cash on delivery available. 7-day exchange. Crated for safe transit, the crate suitable for ongoing storage.