Vintage patchwork overdyes in the deep purple register descend from the studio work of the early 2000s, when designers began revaluing older hand-knotted carpets as raw material rather than as finished objects. The purple bath in this piece sits at the regal end of the spectrum, closer to the cardinal robes of a Renaissance court than to the lavender of a country garden, and the colour holds its weight under both daylight and lamp.

Older hand-knotted wool sections were recovered, sheared down to a flat working pile, and washed clean of their original dye. Two artisans worked the dye phase over close to four months, lowering each segment into a purple bath at controlled temperature. A finisher stitched the patches to a cotton backing and gave the surface a final hand-shear to roughly six millimetres.

The composition

A deep purple field that varies from patch to patch in saturation. Some sections read closer to bishop violet, others hold a darker plum cast. The seams are quiet boundaries rather than hard lines. Underlying carpet patterns ghost through as faint tonal differences within each section. Under candlelight the purple settles into near-black with a cool edge. The colour will deepen over the first two years.

What you are buying

European studios that pioneered the patchwork overdye category sell pieces of this construction at four to six lakh. This rug is offered direct from the Indian workshop and represents the same construction at a fraction of the dealer price. The carpet appreciates with use rather than depreciating, an attribute no other domestic object underfoot can claim.

The piece in a room

8' x 10' (244 x 305 cm) holds a sitting room organised around a single sofa or a primary bedroom that wants a strong floor. The purple ground works against cream plaster walls, against pale oak floors, and against jewel-toned upholstery in emerald, oxblood, or burnt orange. Brass lighting picks up the warm undertone of the dye particularly well.

Conservation

Suction vacuum every week. Rotate end to end each spring and autumn. Blot spills with a clean white cotton cloth pressed against the pile rather than rubbed. Avoid bleach and strong alkaline cleaners. A wool conservator should hand-wash the carpet every five years to restore lanolin and remove embedded dust.

Reference

• Medium: hand-knotted wool patchwork, overdyed
• Dimensions: 244 x 305 cm (8' x 10')
• Construction: original Persian-asymmetric knot, re-stitched
• Hands: 2 artisans and 1 finisher, ~4 months
• Pile: 6 mm
• Colour: purple
• Origin: India

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