The garden carpet is one of the oldest figured forms in the Persian tradition. The earliest surviving example was woven in the sixth century for the Sassanian palace at Ctesiphon and recorded the formal char bagh, four watercourses meeting at a central pool. The form moved across the Mughal court and into the Indian workshop tradition without losing its essential grammar. A floral field is an enclosed garden viewed from above.

Hand-knotted in India over four months by 1 weaver. Wool pile, cotton warp, about 120 knots per square inch. The 2'6" x 12' (76 x 366 cm) field carries about 518,400 individual knots. Hand-spun yarn was used through the field so the red ground breathes rather than printing flat against the eye.

The composition

The drawing keeps to a red register and works a measured scale across the field. The motif lives in low relief above the ground rather than fighting it for attention. Light catches the pile differently depending on direction, and the field switches between a slightly darker and lighter reading as you walk around the carpet. The composition is finished rather than busy, which is the harder of the two outcomes to achieve on a hand-made loom.

The piece in a room

2'6" x 12' (2'6" x 12' (76 x 366 cm)) is the working scale for a corridor, a galley kitchen, a long entry, or the side of a primary bed. The runner format extends the room in one direction and softens the foot traffic. The red composition reads down the length of the rug rather than from a single point.

Conservation

Rotate a half turn each spring and autumn so light and traffic age the rug evenly. Vacuum weekly with the beater bar disengaged, suction only. Blot spills with a clean cotton cloth, never rub. A hand wash by a wool-trained conservator every five to seven years preserves the dye depth and the pile structure. With this care the carpet runs eighty to a hundred years and outlives its first owners. A pad underneath extends the life of both the rug and the floor below it.

Reference

• Medium: hand-knotted wool on cotton foundation
• Dimensions: 2'6" x 12' (76 x 366 cm)
• Construction: hand-tied asymmetric knot
• Knot density: ~120 KPSI
• Total knot count: ~518,400
• Hands: 1 weaver, four months
• Pile: 8-10 mm
• Dye: vegetable, hand-spun yarn
• Origin: India

Free shipping in India. COD available. 7-day exchange period.