Silk and wool together is the oldest luxury combination in the carpet vocabulary. Wool gives the rug body, weight, and the matte ground that anchors the eye; silk threads worked through highlights pick up the light and turn the field into a shifting surface depending on where you stand. The Opera composition in this 6 by 9 foot rug uses that interplay deliberately, weaving silk into the lighter passages so the brown ground appears to glow from within at certain angles.

The rug was hand-knotted in India over about five months by two to three weavers working a single loom together. Wool warps and wefts form the foundation. Pile knots were tied row by row in a wool-and-silk blend, with the silk concentrated in the figured passages and wool carrying the field. The total knot count for a piece this size on a fine-grade loom runs into the high hundreds of thousands, each one tied by feel against the vertical beam over months of patient work.

What you are buying

The MSRP on this piece is roughly two and a quarter lakh; comparable silk-and-wool weavings with the same density and finish appear at international dealers at prices three to four times higher. The current price reflects direct sourcing rather than discounted quality. A hand-knotted rug of this construction holds its value over the long term and develops patina with age rather than wearing thin. The combination of fibres means the piece appreciates when properly cared for.

The composition

A deep tobacco brown ground carrying medallion and floral work in cream, gold-touched ivory, and faded coral. Silk highlights catch light along the figured passages, giving the design a discrete shimmer that wool alone cannot produce. The borders are layered but disciplined. Brown grounds at this saturation hold their depth in low light and warm under afternoon sun.

The piece in a room

6' x 9' (183 x 274 cm) suits a primary bedroom under the bed with generous overhang on three sides, a study with a reading chair and a small writing desk, or a formal sitting area sized for two facing sofas. Walnut floors and warm white walls flatter the brown ground.

Conservation

Rotate one hundred and eighty degrees every six months. Vacuum weekly on suction only, beater bar lifted away from the silk highlights which are softer than the wool field. Blot spills immediately with clean cotton cloth, pressing rather than rubbing. Hand-wash by a silk-trained conservator every five years, never standard carpet shampooing.

Reference

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

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