Rugsville Kashmir Medallion Red Ivory Silk Carpet 5' x 7'

Roughly two and a half million silk knots tied by hand. About twelve months of work for a small team. The Indian red-ivory medallion at five-by-seven is the format the senior workshops use to demonstrate what the tradition can do at room scale. The proportions allow the central medallion to breathe without crowding the border, and the field gets enough surface area for the arabesque vine work to count as composition rather than as filler. This is the canonical form.

Two to three weavers shared the loom for close to twelve months. Pure mulberry silk in both pile and foundation, the single-knot Indian asymmetric Persian knot tied against a vertical beam. The red ground was drawn from cochineal matured in copper vats over three weeks, with the silk dipped twice to drive the saturation into the fibre core. The medallion's ivory is undyed silk, which holds its tone permanently against the dyed red. Indigo and gold accents were prepared separately as skein-dyed silk before weaving began.

The composition

A red field carrying a central medallion in concentric ivory, gold, and indigo. Four palmettes mark the cardinal axes, with finely drawn ivory arabesque vine running the open space between them. Multi-layered borders stack indigo guard bands either side of a cream main band of small floral repeats. The silk sheen shifts the field by viewing angle from warm crimson to deeper garnet; the ivory medallion is the room's quiet anchor. Across years the red will deepen toward old wine and the ivory will warm to bone.

What you are buying

Antique Indian silks at five-by-seven in this colour pairing with intact condition reach $15,000 to $35,000 at specialist dealers when they surface. This is a contemporary weaving in the same Mughal lineage, on the same silk-on-silk loom and at the same density. Twelve months of two- to three-weaver work and the cost of pure mulberry silk for both pile and foundation are inside the price. Silk on silk appreciates with use rather than depreciating; the rug functions as a long-horizon asset rather than as a flooring purchase.

The piece in a room

5' x 7' (152 x 213 cm) anchors a formal living area under a coffee table flanked by armchairs, grounds a primary bedroom carrying the bed at one end, or sits in a study with a chesterfield and reading chair. The red holds against ivory walls and settles deeper against muted sage or teal. Pair with brass, dark walnut, and patinated bronze. Long direct sun should be moderated to preserve the silk colour. Diffused light is preferred.

Conservation

Rotate a half turn every six months so wear and light age the field evenly. Suction-only vacuuming, monthly, beater bar off. Blot spills immediately with white cotton, never rub. Silk-specialist conservation cleaning every three to five years. Storage rolled face out, never folded. With this care the silk improves across decades.

Reference

• Medium: hand-knotted mulberry silk on silk foundation
• Dimensions: 152 x 213 cm (5' x 7')
• Construction: single-knot Indian, Persian asymmetric
• Hands: 2-3 weavers, ~12 months
• Pile: 5 mm silk
• Dye: natural, red field with ivory medallion
• Origin: India

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