Rugsville Kashmir Panel Black Silk Carpet 3' x 5'

Black grounds in silk weaving are exceptionally rare in the historical record because black is the hardest natural colour to hold even across a large knotted field. Most so-called black silk grounds in nineteenth-century Indian work are actually deep indigo overdyed with walnut hull, and even with that combined chemistry the surface tends to read brown under interior light. The runner in front of you holds the black with conviction. The panel format breaks the field into related registers of flower vocabulary, with a central stripe carrying linked palmettes in three shapes, a diamond medallion at the heart with four palmettes on its cardinal axes, and inner and outer guards rhyming bud motifs at quieter scale.

One weaver shared this loom for roughly four months. Pure mulberry silk pile on a fine cotton foundation, the Persian asymmetric throw, knot density at the upper Indian range. The black field came up across multiple short dye cycles to keep the silk lustre intact under heavy pigment load. The flower work in the central stripe and the borders is picked out in jewel-tone reds, indigos, and ochres that sit forward against the ground.

The composition

The black does the foundation work. The flower vocabulary sits against it as figure on ground, and silk being silk, the field reads with depth that wool would never reach. From across a room the rug is a black panel with floral incident; close in, the colour incidents in the central stripe and the borders take definition and the diamond medallion comes forward in the field. Silk pile shifts the surface between two values of black depending on the angle of light.

What you are buying

Antique silk runners on black ground are the rarest tier of the format and rarely come to international auction. When they do, estimates range from 12,000 to 25,000 dollars. New weavings in the same fibre and the same density shelf at Western dealers at multiples of the maker's price. Silk on cotton in this format gains value across the decades, since the labour cost of replacing the rug increases as fewer master weavers train under the discipline.

The piece in a room

3' x 5' (91 x 152 cm) suits a Pooja room, an entrance foyer, the foot of a single bed, or the run between desk and window. Black field carries well against warm walls and pale wood floors. Brass and red leather pair with the silk. Direct sunlight is welcome. The pile takes UV without losing the depth of the black, which is unusual for any naturally dyed surface.

Conservation

Turn the rug end for end every six months. Vacuum on suction only, never beater bar. Blot any spill instantly with a clean dry cotton cloth, never rub. Specialist silk hand-wash every five to seven years. The runner runs the life of its first owner with this care.

Reference

• Medium: hand-knotted mulberry silk on cotton foundation
• Dimensions: 91 x 152 cm (3' x 5')
• Construction: Persian asymmetric knot
• Hands: 1 weaver, ~4 months
• Pile: 5 mm silk
• Colour: black
• Origin: India

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