A wool-and-silk carpet is built around the contrast between two fibres that absorb light very differently. Wool diffuses light and gives the ground its body; silk reflects it and is reserved for the lines and motifs the weaver wants to advance. The Opera composition is drawn from the transitional Persian repertoire, where classical floral elements were simplified into a palette of two or three values to suit modern interiors without abandoning the language of traditional design.

Two to three weavers shared the loom for roughly five months on this 6' x 9' (183 x 274 cm) piece. The body of the pile is hand-spun wool and the highlights are silk, both tied against a cotton foundation. The silk passes are slightly shorter than the wool passes after shearing, which is what gives the pattern its faint relief and what makes the silk catch light at an angle that the wool ground cannot.

The composition

A beige ground with silver silk linework drawn across it in a transitional floral idiom. The silver is the active element. Walk around the rug and the silk highlights brighten and dim depending on the angle, while the beige ground holds the same value through the room. The contrast is quiet rather than theatrical, which is what allows the rug to sit in a contemporary room without dating it to a single decade.

What you are buying

Wool-and-silk Persian and Indian carpets of this density in the 6' x 9' scale trade between $12,000 and $25,000 at Western dealers and at auction. The piece in front of you is a hand-knotted weaving on a cotton foundation in the same fibres, at ₹1,77,999 against an MSRP of ₹4,20,599. A mixed-fibre carpet of this construction appreciates with careful use rather than depreciating, and the silk highlights become more pronounced as the wool ground beds in.

The piece in a room

6' x 9' is the working scale for a primary bedroom under the bed and bedside tables, for a smaller sitting room, or for a study. The beige and silver palette pairs cleanly with off-white walls, with light woods, and with upholstery in linen, stone, or charcoal. The silver work catches the warm light of evening lamps and shifts in colour temperature with the room.

Conservation

Rotate one half turn every six months. Vacuum weekly with the beater bar off; the silk passes will fray under a beater bar. Blot any spill with a clean cotton cloth and address oil or wine within minutes. A trained conservator should hand-wash the rug every five years. With this regimen the piece holds for several decades.

Reference

• Medium: hand-knotted wool and silk on cotton foundation
• Dimensions: 183 x 274 cm (6' x 9')
• Construction: Persian asymmetric knot
• Hands: 2-3 weavers, ~5 months
• Pile: hand-spun wool with silk highlights
• Origin: India

Free shipping across India. Cash on delivery. 7-day exchange. Crated for transit.