Kotan, sometimes spelt Khotan, is the name of an oasis weaving tradition along the southern edge of the Taklamakan desert. The Kotan carpets that travelled west in the late nineteenth century carried open fields, restrained borders, and a tribal pomegranate motif that became one of the recognisable signatures of the Silk Route trade. This rug is a contemporary descendant of that tradition, hand-knotted in sari silk and worked into an ivory ground that lifts the tribal geometry off the floor.

The piece was tied by hand on a vertical loom in India over roughly six months by a small team of weavers. The pile is sari silk, a fibre hand-spun from the cuttings of handloom sari production, and the foundation is cotton, tensioned by hand for an even surface. The pile sits between six and twelve millimetres, slightly fuller than the lowest sari silk weaves, which gives the rug a quiet softness underfoot without losing the crispness of the drawing.

The composition

An ivory ground, warm rather than cold, anchors tribal medallions and lozenges in faded indigo, soft rust, and old gold. The borders are restrained, two thin guard bands rather than the layered borders that mark later commercial work. Sari silk's natural heather means no two ivory knots match exactly, so the field carries a quiet movement that flat-dyed silk cannot. The lustre lifts and falls as you walk past the rug.

What you are buying

Antique Kotan and Samarkand silk pieces of this character routinely trade through specialist Western dealers and the major auction houses in the five to nine lakh range. The MSRP on this rug reflects that comparable. The asked price sits well below it because the carpet is offered direct from the workshop. Hand-knotted silk on cotton appreciates with use rather than depreciating, and a Kotan-pattern ivory field is among the more sought-after compositions in the category.

The piece in a room

This is a generous, considered carpet for a primary living or drawing room. The ivory ground reflects rather than absorbs interior light, lifting the room rather than weighing it down. The piece sits well with walnut, dark rosewood, brushed brass, and either cream or pale-clay walls. Pair it with restrained upholstery and let the rug carry the pattern alone. Avoid placing the carpet in a high-traffic entryway; ivory silk asks for a considered room.

Conservation

Rotate the rug a half turn at each change of season to even light and traffic wear. Vacuum weekly with the beater bar off and suction only. Blot any spill with a clean dry cotton cloth and never rub silk pile. Schedule a hand-wash by a silk-trained conservator every five to seven years. Treated this way the piece outlasts its first room and develops the soft sheen older silk carpets are prized for.

Reference

• Medium: hand-knotted sari silk on cotton foundation
• Construction: Persian asymmetric knot
• Hands: small weaving team, ~6 months
• Pile: 6 to 12 mm, sari silk
• Origin: India

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