Rugsville Kashmir Medallion Red Blue Silk Carpet 3' x 5'

The silk medallion belongs to a tradition that traces back to the Mughal court ateliers of the seventeenth century, when Persian weavers brought to Srinagar codified a workshop language of jewel-tone florals and concentric medallions on silk. The original pieces were prayer formats for private chambers; the design vocabulary then expanded outward to the small carpets that defined Indian as a centre of luxury weaving. The piece in front of you carries that lineage forward in the same fibre and at the same weight of work.

One weaver kept the loom for close to eight months. Pure mulberry silk was tied knot by knot in the asymmetric Persian knot against a vertical beam, the warp and weft also in silk to keep the field weight uniform. The single-knot construction Indian is known for produces the soft, almost fluid drape that distinguishes a true silk from heavier wool work. The dyes were drawn from natural sources and matured slowly so the red ground holds the deep cochineal note that defines the palette rather than dropping toward pink.

The composition

A central medallion in concentric rings of ivory, blue, and rose, suspended in a deep red field. Four palmettes mark the cardinal axes and slim guard bands frame the work in cream and indigo. The silk catches light differently in either direction, so the rug shifts between warm crimson and cooler garnet as the viewer moves. The blue holds true under both daylight and lamplight. Over years the silk will gain the patina that distinguishes a properly aged Indian from a new weaving and the colours will only deepen.

What you are buying

Antique Indian silks of this medallion form, with comparable knot density and condition, sell with specialist dealers in the $5,000 to $15,000 band when they appear in good condition at this scale. This is a new weaving in the same tradition, on the same kind of silk-on-silk loom, at the same density. A pure silk rug of this construction appreciates with use rather than depreciating, and the price reflects the eight months of single-weaver labour rather than wholesale-grade silk decoration.

The piece in a room

3' x 5' (91 x 152 cm) is the format for a prayer room, a meditation alcove, beside a writing desk, or layered onto a larger neutral wool rug as a focal piece. The red ground reads warm against ivory walls and turns devotional under low-watt warm light. Pair with brass, dark wood, and patinated bronze. Avoid placing in direct sun for long stretches; silk holds its colour longer with diffused light.

Conservation

Rotate a half turn twice a year. Vacuum monthly with suction only, no beater bar; silk pile is delicate. Blot spills immediately with clean cotton, never rub or scrub. Silk-trained conservation cleaning every three to five years. Stored flat or rolled face out, never folded, the rug will run multiple generations and the patina will only improve.

Reference

• Medium: hand-knotted mulberry silk on silk foundation
• Dimensions: 91 x 152 cm (3' x 5')
• Construction: Persian asymmetric knot, single-knot Indian technique
• Hands: 1 weaver, ~8 months
• Pile: 5 mm silk
• Dye: natural, red and blue palette
• Origin: India

Free shipping across India. Cash on delivery available. 7-day exchange.