Satin Persian Ivory Floral Hand Knotted Wool Carpet 2' 6'' X 5'

Floral repeats on an ivory ground belong to the older school of Persian weaving, the one that prizes scrolling vine and palmette over geometric medallion. The Satin Persian tradition pulled from these classical pages, kept the lyrical curve of the herati and the bent leaf, and softened the saturation so that the ground reads as cream rather than as figured background. The pattern that runs across this 3' x 5' (91 x 152 cm) length is a faithful descendant of that line.

One weaver shared the loom for roughly four months. The pile is hand-spun wool, washed before the loom, knotted onto a cotton warp at a density that allows the floral curl to articulate cleanly without sinking into the ground. Dye baths were prepared from madder, indigo, and walnut hull, the wool lowered in graduated soaks to layer rather than flatten the colour. The shears were drawn across the pile only after the back had been brushed three times to set the knot.

The composition

An ivory field. Pale floral vine in faded madder rust, soft indigo, and walnut tan moving from selvedge to selvedge in unbroken rhythm. The border is shallow, a single guard stripe rather than the layered framing that turns smaller rugs heavy. Over a decade the rust softens further into rose, the indigos cool toward slate, and the ivory ages into bone. The subtle drift of colour is the proof of plant dye and the reason this length will look better in twenty years than in two.

What you are buying

Period Persian floral runners of comparable density and condition trade at international auction in the range of $3,000 to $6,000 when they appear at all. This is a new weaving in the same tradition, on the same upright loom, in the same hand-spun wool, and the rug appreciates with use rather than depreciating against age. There is no other object you put on a floor that holds value the way a hand-knotted wool runner does.

The piece in a room

3' x 5' (91 x 152 cm) is the working length for an entry vestibule, a pooja room, a bedside, or the foot of a four-poster. The ivory ground brightens shadowed corridors and pairs with brass, rosewood, walnut, and warm stone. Strong overhead light flattens the dye nuance, so soft side lighting reads the rug best.

Conservation

Rotate end for end every six months so traffic and incidental sunlight age both halves at the same rate. Vacuum on suction setting only with the beater bar disengaged. Blot spills with a clean cotton cloth and never rub the pile. Hand wash by a wool-trained conservator every five to seven years and the rug runs sixty years and beyond.

Reference

• Medium: hand-knotted wool on cotton foundation
• Dimensions: 91 x 152 cm (3' x 5')
• Construction: Persian asymmetric knot
• Hands: 1 weaver, ~4 months
• Pile: hand-spun wool
• Dye: vegetable (madder, indigo, walnut hull)
• Origin: India

Free shipping anywhere in India. Cash on delivery available. 7-day exchange across the country.