Rugsville Vintage Persian Heriz Serapi Navy Wool Carpet 8' x 8'

Heriz Serapi carpets came out of north-west Persia in the late nineteenth century, distinguished from softer city work by a robust angular geometry: large stepped medallions, broad cornerpieces, and a structural confidence that made them the preferred floor of American Gilded Age dining rooms. The Serapi designation, applied retroactively by Western dealers, referred to the highest-quality Heriz weavings of the 1880-1910 period. Round Heriz pieces are vanishingly rare in the historical record because the angular medallion was conceived for rectangular formats. Adapting it to an 8-foot circle requires a redrawing.

This 8' round (244 cm diameter) navy piece was woven by three weavers over six months on a custom circular loom. The geometry of weaving in a circle means each row is a different length, and the angular Heriz medallion has to be reinterpreted so it resolves cleanly at every radius. New Zealand wool on a cotton foundation, with vegetable dyes prepared in the traditional way over a season of slow vat work.

The composition

A deep saturated navy ground that reads as midnight in low light and clarifies into ink-blue in direct sun. A central stepped medallion in faded ivory and oxidised rust, framed by cornerpieces resolved into the curve of the rim. The Serapi palette holds: indigo, madder rust, ochre, and bone white. As the carpet ages, the navy deepens further and the ivory medallion warms into cream.

What you are buying

Vintage round Heriz Serapis are an auction rarity; when they appear at Skinner or Rippon Boswell they sit between $4,500 and $9,000 because round formats command a premium for the additional cartoon work and loom complexity. The retail MSRP here aligns with that benchmark. Hand-knotted vegetable-dyed wool of this calibre gains depth with use as the lanolin migrates and the dyes mature.

The piece in a room

An 8-foot round carpet is for octagonal entry halls, central rotundas under chandeliers, round dining rooms with a circular table for six, and turret studies. It anchors a circular table without competing with it. The navy ground works against pale walls, plaster white or warm bone, and pairs with walnut, brass, and oiled leather. Place it on bare hardwood so the curve reads cleanly against the floorboards.

Conservation

Rotate a quarter turn each season so the wear pattern does not concentrate where chair legs sit. Vacuum weekly, suction only. The rim of a round rug needs annual inspection because there is no straight selvedge to absorb edge wear. A specialist hand wash every five to six years will lift the dust embedded in the deep navy ground.

Reference

• Medium: hand-knotted New Zealand wool on cotton foundation
• Dimensions: 244 cm diameter (8' round)
• Construction: Persian asymmetric knot, custom circular loom
• Hands: 3 weavers, ~6 months
• Pile: 7 mm
• Dye: vegetable, navy ground with rust and ivory medallion
• Origin: India

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